Medieval city in the south-eastern hills of Zimbabwe near Lake Mutirikwe and the town of Masvingo.
 

A UNESCO World Heritage Site which has given the modern nation its name.
 

Modern dating indicates that the city was built circa 1200 AD and lasted three to four hundred years before being abandoned and falling to ruin.
 

Believed to have been the capital of an early Shona-Karanga empire who ruled the surrounding country.
 

Divided into three main structures: the Hill Complex, the Valley Enclosures and the Great Enclosure.
 

Its most formidable edifice, the Great Enclosure, covers an area of approximately 5,000m² with some walls standing 11m high and up to 5m thick. 
 

The mortarless walling of these massive structures is a great accomplishment of precolonial African architecture, second only to the pyramids of Ancient Egypt. 
 

Nearby Lake Mutirikwe is Zimbabwe’s third largest water body and is dammed at the confluence of the Mushagashe and Mutirikwe rivers.
 

Enclosed by outcrops of granite (kopjes), the lake provides fantastic boating and fishing opportunities, although swimming is not advised due to a resident crocodile population. 
 

A small white rhino population can be found in the Mutirikwe Recreational Park.