Epworth Balancing Rocks, Domboshava and Mukuvisi Wildlife

Harare sits surrounded by billions-of-years-old batholiths of Mashonaland granite that millions of seasons of heat, frost and rain have peeled and split into two distinct geological wonders: precariously stacked towers of boulders (kopjes) and sweeping whaleback domes (dwalas). Pairing these rock formations with the city's woodland reserves makes for an unforgettable outdoor day.

Chiremba Balancing Rocks in Epworth

Thirteen kilometres south-east of central Harare in the suburb of Epworth, the Chiremba Balancing Rocks are the most famous geological landmark in Zimbabwe. Over millennia, underground chemical weathering along horizontal and vertical joints followed by surface erosion stripped away the softer surrounding earth, leaving huge rectangular and rounded granite corestones perched atop narrow rock pedestals without mortar or human intervention. The signature formation (known as the Flying Boat and immortalised on every Reserve Bank of Zimbabwe banknote) balances three tiers of multi-tonne boulders on a wafer-thin contact point. Paved walking paths wind through the 29-hectare national monument under twisty munondo and msasa trees; bring small cash notes for the gate and allow an hour to explore the boulder alleys.

Hiking Domboshava (and Ngomakurira) for San rock art and sunset

Thirty kilometres north of Harare past Borrowdale, Domboshava rises as a vast, smooth granite dome streaked with brilliant orange, rust-red, lime-green and charcoal lichens. From the lower car park and curio stalls, follow the painted white footsteps up the gentle rock slope to two highlights: first, a deep overhang cave on the eastern flank containing 6,000-year-old San hunter-gatherer rock paintings rendered in red ochre and plant sap, alongside a sacred natural geological tunnel through which smoke was traditionally sent during rainmaking ceremonies; second, the wind-sculpted summit boulders and rock pools at the top of the dome, which command the finest sunset view on the Highveld. Wear grippy rubber-soled trainers for the descent. Keen hikers can continue ten kilometres further north along the Chinamhora road to the even more dramatic sheer granite cliffs of Ngomakurira.

Mukuvisi Woodlands, Wild Is Life and the National Botanic Garden

Back inside the city just five kilometres east of the centre in Hillside, Mukuvisi Woodlands preserves 263 hectares of indigenous miombo bushveld along the Mukuvisi stream. You can join a guided walking safari or horseback trail among giraffe, plains zebra, impala, eland, sable antelope and wildebeest, or watch woodland birds from the elevated viewing platform at wildlife feeding time. For closer conservation encounters, book ahead for an afternoon visit to the Wild Is Life and Zimbabwe Elephant Nursery (ZEN) sanctuary near the airport, or enjoy a quiet botanical walk among baobabs and aloes at the National Botanic Garden in Alexandra Park.