Bulawayo is Zimbabwe's second largest city and it's located in the southwest of the country. In 1840, Bulawayo was founded as Gibixhegu, on the site of one of the kraals of Matabele king Mzilikazi. His son Lobengula, the last Matabele king, renamed it koBulawayo. In 1893, during the First Matabele War, soldiers of the British South Africa Company captured it and white settlers started arriving. The town was rebuilt and it has grown ever since. Bulawayo is laid out in a straighforward grid of wide streets.

The city was used by Cecil Rhodes as his headquarters on several occasions and the rondavel he built still stands in the Government House's gardens.

Some of the most interesting sites in Bulawayo include:

• The Ascot Centre.
• The Barbourfields Stadium.
• Bulawayo Airport is formally called Joshua Mqabuko Nkomo International Airport.
• Bulawayo Centre.
• Bulawayo Golf Club.
• At the Bulawayo Home Industries locals sell their artistic works.
• Bulawayo Polytechnic College.
• Egodini.
• The Fidelity Life Centre.
• The Luveve Stadium.
• The Mhlahlandlela Government Complex.
• The Mzilikazi Arts and Crafts Center.
• The National History Museum was formerly known as the National Museum. It is one of the best museums in Southern Africa.
• The National University of Science and Technology.
• Nesbitt Castle.
• The NRZ building.
• The Railway Museum is next to the railway station.
• White City Stadium.
• Zimbabwe International Trade Fair.
• Zimbabwe School of Mines.

Bulawayo is a good place to stay if you want to visit the nearby Matobo National Park, the Tshabalala Wildlife Reseve, the village of Chipangali and the Stone Ruins of Khami, the latter of which is a UNESCO world heritage site. Bulawayo is also a good place to start trips to Botswana and South-Africa.

There are numerous hotels and restaurants in Bulawayo, as well as a camping ground. The railway station is on the southern side of town, while the bus station is right in the center.

Bulawayo is 375 km southwest of Harare.