I just came back from a trip to Zimbabwe (Aug 2004). Great Zimbabwe was one of the stops on our ten-day safari. It was nice to forget about all the bad press and experience this great piece of Zimbabwean history. I felt frustration, but was really not surprised, when our wonderful Zimbabwean tour guide told us how, for centuries, white man repeatedly tried to rewrite history, arrogantly refusing to believe Africans could be capable of creating this remarkable village. Our guide always explained these historical events with such class; with perhaps a slight hint of regret in his speech but never making derogatory comments about whites or anyone else. He had obvious pride for his ancerstors and was honored to tell us all about it, which is how we found most of the people we've met all over Zimbabwe. While alot of the structures in the ruins have been turned upside down and stripped by treasure hunters, what remains is definitely worth seeing. You don't often get the chance to sit where kings previously sat and you can't help but feel perhaps they are looking down on you today. Do it either pretty early in the day or towards the evening to avoid the midday heat, and bring water.