Matobo National Park
Expert Reviews (9)
Zimbabwe Parks
Brian is an award winning travel writer, author of safari books and regular contributor to magazines such as BBC Wildlife and Travel Africa.
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Lost in a lonely world of granite
It was Mzilikazi, the first great leader of the Matabele , who called these bare granite summits the Matobo because to him they resembled a huddle of bald heads. Today these strange, brooding hills are still a holy place, riddled with caves whose walls are covered with prehistoric rock art, and Mzilikazi himself is buried here. No wonder the Matabele still call this Malindidzimu – the Place of Spirits. One of the best views is from Cecil Rhodes’s grave, perched on one of the highest points in the Matobos. From here what you see is a tumbledown landscape cast in granite, with weathered pinnacles and dizzy rock castles looming over deep, boulder-strewn valleys. Leopards are common here, although not easy to see; but you should have better luck if you go rhino-tracking, or spotting sable kudu and tsessebe in the valleys of yellow grass below, as well as klipspringers clattering on tiptoe over the rocks. For birders the main attraction here are the black eagles that circle endlessly over the wind-blown summits. The Matobo Hills are the world’s number one stronghold for these magnificent raptors, with a current population of around 200 breeding pairs.
Mark is a travel writer who grew up in Africa and has written over 700 titles for CNN Traveller, Travel Africa, BBC Wildlife and others.
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Iconographic Zimbabwean scenery with its stunning kopjes
More than just a wonderful scenic spot or a wildlife refuge, Matobo National Park is one of the cultural highlights of Zimbabwe. It should in fact be considered one of the world’s ‘power places’ – right up there alongside Great Zimbabwe Ruins as an African counterpart to Machu Picchu and Angkor Wat! Trek in Matobo and you will see great troops of baboons (perhaps the leopards that feed on them) and some fantastic eagle sightings. But there are also ancient lookouts and fortifications and the storage areas and forges where the warriors of Lobengula once made their fearsome assegais. In this park lie not only the ancient ‘Rain Shrine’ of the Ndebele but also the grave of Cecil Rhodes who asked to be buried here on what he called ‘the view of the world.’ Rhodes was a realist – I guess he figured that if he was going to have to spend eternity in one spot he might as well give himself something interesting to look at!
Paul is a travel writer, author of the Bradt guidebook to Zimbabwe and is closely involved in promoting tourism to Zimbabwe.
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Bald Heads & Black Eagles
The plusses for this park are it’s magnificent, towering granite ‘whalebacks’ and precarious looking rock stacks, its scenically positioned lakes and the fact that it has the most concentrated collection of San rock paintings in Africa. Cecil Rhodes’ grave is here in a spectacular setting and the whole park is a photographer’s paradise. The rocks are home to an astonishing variety of raptors, including the largest population of Verreaux’s eagle in the world. On the minus side, although it has the densest concentration of leopard in Africa, they are largely nocturnal and seldom seen; and the Whovi Wilderness Area, which is designated as the game viewing area, is not very wild and not very large and although you’ll be unlucky not to see the resident rhino, black and white, they are almost a bit too predictable. I really love this park, which is the second most visited in Zimbabwe, but more for the amazing scenery and atmosphere than the wildlife.
Emma is an award-winning travel writer for Rough Guides, National Geographic Traveller, Travel Africa magazine and The Independent.
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Ancient hills in the heart of Matabeleland
I felt a strong spiritual presence when visiting the dwalas, or eroded granite kopjes, of the Matopos. Many others, apparently, feel the same; some of the dwalas appear precariously balanced, as if held in place by supernatural forces, and the San bushman art which adorns their caves hint at age-old secrets. Coloured grey, pink, ochre and gold by swathes of lichen, there’s an appealing, sculptural quality to the formations. I scrambled up a couple of them to admire the view of the surrounding bushland, which has been stocked with white rhinos – rangers will take you out on a tracking expedition on request.
The park was very quiet when I visited – it was just me, my guide and a couple of soaring eagles – but for me, that only added to the atmosphere.
Stephen is a travel writer and avid conservationist whose work appears in prestigious magazines such as Africa Geographic and Travel Africa.
Scenically Stunning but with only Limited Wildlife
Also referred to as the Matopos, this small national park and UNESCO World Heritage Site was primarily established to protect a section of the Matobo Hills – the unique boulder-strewn landscapes of southern Zimbabwe. Extruded granite has been weathered and eroded over time to form the iconic smooth whalebacks and ubiquitous broken koppies that pepper this park. There is no denying that the Matobo Hills exude a powerful wilderness vibe, as well as unusual and arresting scenery, but it’s not a place you would choose to visit on your safari if you want to see large numbers of wild animals. Legions of leopards are said to reside within this prime hilly habitat, but in three visits to the region, I’ve never spotted one.
Philip is an acclaimed travel writer and author of many guidebooks, including the Bradt guides to Uganda, Tanzania, Kenya and South Africa.
Land of giant boulders
The most memorable aspect the Matobo Hills is not really the wildlife but the stunning landscape of gigantic granite domes and bizarre balancing rock formations. These include the aptly-named ‘View of the World’, where the grave of Cecil John Rhodes (the British imperialist who founded Rhodesia, as Zimbabwe was known prior to independence) stands atop a vast whaleback at the centre of a ring of giant boulders, where wildlife includes colourful agama lizards, twitchy nosed elephant-shrews, and the near-endemic boulder chart. Elsewhere the park contains some superb prehistoric rock art, notably the monochrome animal outlines at White Rhino Shelter and some outstanding figures of running giraffes at Nswatugi Cave. Rhino and giraffe are also likely to be seen in the fenced Whovi Game Area, which can only be entered in a vehicle. Elsewhere, there are no restrictions on walking, and hikers often see klipspringer, rock hyrax, impala and the magnificent black eagle.
Mike is an award-winning wildlife writer, former editor of Travel Zambia magazine and author of the Bradt Guide to Southern African Wildlife.
Bald is Beautiful
On my most recent visit to Matobo, in April 2018, I found it little changed from my last visit nearly 25 years earlier. The park’s unique appeal appears unspoilt by the difficulties that have affected other conservation regions in Zimbabwe. The other-worldly volcanic landscape of balancing stones and granite whalebacks for which this park got its name (Matobo means ‘bald-headed’) continues to offer a fabulous natural playground that is easily explored by the independent traveller, whether on foot or by vehicle. And though just 420 sq km in area, the park stills feel much larger than it appears on the map, with its picturesque terrain stretching to the horizon in all directions. Where once the accommodation options were largely limited to the national park rest camp at Maleme Dam, a selection of private lodges located on the edge of the park now each offer their own take on the same arresting landscape, plus a selection of guided activities. It is not essential to stay over – the park is small enough for a day trip from Bulawayo, Zimbabwe’s second city – but it is certainly worth taking at least a couple of nights to appreciate Matobo’s unique appeal.
Game viewing is best in the 105-sq-km game park, a separate fenced zone (also known as the Whovi Wilderness Area) that has been boosted by restocking from Hwange. Here you can see both white and black rhino, as well as hippo, giraffe, zebra and a variety of antelope, including sable. However, game is widespread throughout the whole park. I joined an excellent guided walk in the main unfenced public area, where we not only had extremely close encounters with white rhinos, their cropped horns a sobering sign of the times, but also met zebra, wildebeest, warthog, kudu and impala. Matobo has no lions, elephants or buffalo, and the reputedly numerous leopards tend to stay hidden, but there are many unusual species adapted to the rocky terrain, from klipspringers and baboons to rock hyraxes and Africa’s highest concentration of Verreaux’s eagles. Other notable wildlife includes some interesting reptiles, from giant plated lizards and common flat lizards to rock pythons and – judging from both personal experience and the stories of others – an unusual abundance of black mambas.
It’s not all about wildlife. Follow any of the numerous marked trails and you’ll also find caves adorned with ancient rock art tucked away among the statuesque rock formations. The area’s rich history is nowhere better appreciated than from the grave site of colonial ruler Cecil John Rhodes at the aptly named World’s View. A controversial figure he may be, but the views are undeniably glorious – and you might just spy a tail-flicking boulder chat or one of the delightful rock elephant-shrews that dash between crevices in the sun-warmed granite.
Lizzie is a reputed guidebook writer and author of the Footprint guides to South Africa, Namibia, Kenya, Tanzania, Uganda and Zimbabwe.
A solid granite plateau best-known for rock art and rhino-spotting
While I’ve always easily seen wildebeest, giraffe, zebra and common species of antelope in Matobo’s wooded valleys, I don’t find this park particularly special in terms of game viewing. There’s a high concentration of leopard, but with no opportunity to do night drives these remain pretty elusive, and elephant and lion aren’t present. But there are exceptions; I’ve never had any problem locating both black and white rhino, (which breed here successfully), baboons and vervet monkeys can be seen scrambling over the rocks, and I find the semi-tame multi-coloured agama lizards in the car parks oddly absorbing. Additionally, Matobo’s numerous San rock paintings are fairly interesting, and the grave of British Imperialist Cecil John Rhodes at World’s View is a good vantage-point to see the park’s distinctive granite balancing rocks.
Ariadne is a renowned African wildlife photographer whose work is featured in many well-known guidebooks and magazines.
Matobo National Park: a giant’s playground
The scenery in Matobo National Park is quite spectacular. The huge granite boulders balanced on top of each other seem to be placed here by some giant life form. These rocks are home to many creatures that love that kind of habitat like the agile klipspringers that jump from rock to rock and the rock hyrax that live between the gaps. Black eagles love nesting on the cliffs and can often be seen circling above. I’ve even seen a leopard basking in the early morning sun on top on such a formation. General wildlife densities aren’t very big, but most common savannah species are present including giraffe and rhino and a variety of antelopes. Several rock-art sites can be visited in the park.
Safari Tours to Matobo NP
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14-Day Chauffeured 4x4 Safari-Mana/Matobo/Hwange/Vicfalls
$4,718 pp (USD)
Zimbabwe: Private tour
Mid-range Lodge & Tented CampYou Visit: Harare (Start), Mana Pools NP, Matobo NP, Hwange NP, Victoria Falls, Victoria Falls Airport (End)
Mana Pools Tourism Services
5.0/5 – 17 Reviews
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7-Day Victoria Falls, Hwange NP and Matobo NP Experience
$2,670 to $2,950 pp (USD)
Zimbabwe: Private tourLuxuryLodge
You Visit: Victoria Falls (Start), Hwange NP, Matobo NP, Bulawayo (End)
Off2Africa Travel
5.0/5 – 65 Reviews
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![12-Day Around Zimbabwe Scenic and Game Drive Tour]()
12-Day Around Zimbabwe Scenic and Game Drive Tour
$4,827 pp (USD)
Zimbabwe: Private tour
Mid-range Lodge & Tented CampYou Visit: Victoria Falls (Start), Hwange NP, Matobo NP, Great Zimbabwe (Ruins), Inyanga Mountains (Mountain Range), Harare (City), Harare Airport (End)
Cultural Vibes Travel & Tours
5.0/5 – 72 Reviews
