Since 2009, the US dollar has been the currency of Zimbabwe. Inflation is such that at one point, in order to keep up with it, they issued a $100,000,000,000,000 Zimbabwean dollar bill. This is no joke or exaggeration and an ugly scenario for a poor country.
Zimbabweans also accept South African rand and Botswana pulas, but the US dollar is the official currency. However, they don't have a lot of "things" so there is a very strong barter system in place. In the tourist center of Victoria Falls, there are craft markets where you can trade your used clothes or leftover food for crafts. And in every store or market, official or street, they don't have any loose change. If you want to buy something that's less than a dollar, they give you two of those somethings, or throw in a keychain.If you buy something in a store, change is given in trinkets. If your bill comes out to $7.35 and you hand the cashier 8 US dollars, you may get back 2 pula and a lollipop.
Of course, prices are mostly presented in whole dollars. And in tourist centers, things are not cheap. It cost 35$ to go to Victoria Falls.
And it was worth every penny, rand, and pula we spent. Without the lollipop.
Zimbabweans also accept South African rand and Botswana pulas, but the US dollar is the official currency. However, they don't have a lot of "things" so there is a very strong barter system in place. In the tourist center of Victoria Falls, there are craft markets where you can trade your used clothes or leftover food for crafts. And in every store or market, official or street, they don't have any loose change. If you want to buy something that's less than a dollar, they give you two of those somethings, or throw in a keychain.If you buy something in a store, change is given in trinkets. If your bill comes out to $7.35 and you hand the cashier 8 US dollars, you may get back 2 pula and a lollipop.
Of course, prices are mostly presented in whole dollars. And in tourist centers, things are not cheap. It cost 35$ to go to Victoria Falls.
And it was worth every penny, rand, and pula we spent. Without the lollipop.
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