Masvingo is one of the popular tourist destinations in Zimbabwe. Know more about Masvingo in Zimbabwe through the Zimbabwe travel guide.
Masvingo is a beautiful town located in south eastern Zimbabwe. The capital of Masvingo Province, it was called Fort Victoria till the year 1982. It was in this year its name was changed to Nyanda. Over the next few months its name was again changed to Masvingo. The estimated population was 30,523 in the year 1982 which increased to 51,743 in the year 1992. The population approximately recorded to about 8,000 in the year 2002.
Masvingo is located just 292km south of Harare. It is considered as the oldest colonial settlement in Zimbabwe. With time it grew around the encampment established in 1890 by the Pioneer Column on the way to Salisbury. The Old Fort national monument is situated in the centre of town. Built in the year 1891 as one of the fortifications to defend the route from Salisbury to the south, the Old Fort national monument is a major attraction now. It is believed that Zimbabwe played its first cricket match in a nearby venue during the year 1890.
Masvingo lies close to the Lake Mutirikwe. It is renowned for being home to a fine golf course and a freight railway line. Located on the banks of Mucheke River, Masvingo has Queen Victoria Gardens right in the middle of the town. Shagashe Game Park and an Italian memorial church built during the Second World War are a must see on Masvingo tours. Attractive sites have made Masvingo, one of the major tourist places in Zimbabwe.
Recognized as one of the prime Zimbabwe tourist destinations today, Masvingo was once the centre of a mining and cattle farming district. The local population mainly comprises of the Karanga Shona ethnic group.
Amongst the popular Masvingo tourist attractions, the most reputed are The ruins of Great Zimbabwe, The Tower, Bondolfi, Morgenster Mission & Finger Rocks, Italian Chapel, St. Andrews Chapel, Kyle Recreational Park, Serima & Driefontein missions, Bushman Paintings, Civic centre and gardens, Copota school for the Blind, Glenlivet, Golf, Lake Mutirikwi, Murray MacDougall Drive, Mushandike Sanctuary, Muzhwi, Pioneer Cemetary, Providential Pass monument, Pokoteke Gorge and Shanagashe Park. Amongst these, you cannot miss a visit to the Great Zimbabwe National Monument and the Kyle Recreational Park.
For authentic information on Masvingo, visit travel.mapsofworld.
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