17/07/2026
DID YOU KNOW THIS ABOUT BULAWAYO?
Our very own Natural History Museum of Zimbabwe in Centenary Park officially ranks fourth in size among all museums in Africa, but its academic weight goes vastly deeper than that!
With an exceptional collection of over 5.5 million individual scientific specimens, it stands arguably as the largest and most significant museum repository in the entire Southern Hemisphere. Beyond being a spectacular tourist attraction, it is a world-class training ground and research center utilised by top safari guides and global scientists.
Here is what makes this local property a global research powerhouse:
The Mammal & Bird Vaults: It holds the largest collection of African mammals in existence (100,000 specimens) and a massive collection of 110,000 bird study skins, ranking 4th globally, surpassed only by institutions in London, Brussels, and New York. It also displays the famous 5.5-tonne Doddieburn Elephant on the ground floor!
Ancient Geological Treasures: The museum's geology exhibits are among the finest in Africa, featuring rock formations like 3-billion-year-old stromatolites (among the earliest forms of life on earth) and a life-sized replica of a heritage gold mine.
A Prehistoric Home: The museum serves as the permanent home for Mbiresaurus raathi, a 230-million-year-old, long-necked creature discovered in the Zambezi Valley that stands as the oldest definitive dinosaur fossil ever unearthed in Africa! It also holds invaluable evolution fossils like the Syntarsus dinosaur.
Innovations in Education: Keeping up with modern conservation, the museum property recently expanded to include the Mike Gardiner Butterfly Garden (2023) and an active Wetlands Education project (2025) right outside its doors!
From a custom-built circular pavilion opened in March 1964 to a world-class scientific archive, Bulawayo truly holds a treasure trove of global heritage.
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