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one stronghold for these magnificent raptors, with a current population of around 200 breeding pairs.
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 (and perhaps the leopards that feed on them). Fantastic eagle sightings await, too. 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 lies 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!
Bald Heads & Black Eagles
The plusses for this park are its magnificent, towering granite ‘whalebacks’ and precarious-looking rock stacks, its scenically positioned lakes and the fact that it has one of the most concentrated collections of prehistoric 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, though you stand a fair chance of seeing the resident rhino, both black and white. I really love this park, but more for the amazing scenery and atmosphere than the wildlife.
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 rock art that adorns their caves hints 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.
Granite Whalebacks and Invisible Leopards
He wasn’t wrong.
The smooth granite hills that typify Matobo are easy to walk upon, and the scenery is to die for (especially if one gets too close to some of the precipitous drop-offs). Impossibly poised boulders, some as large as houses, sit like ill-balanced eggs atop rounded domes, which are, in turn, surrounded by grasslands and forests. The larger specimens are known as whalebacks because, well, they look like pods of whales arching out of a sea of trees.
My wife and I sat upon one of these, beneath the shadow of a huge split boulder, and watched the African sun disappear below a horizon cluttered with bizarre and wonderful rock formations. A big troop of baboons were going berserk on the dome opposite us, probably because they had seen a leopard on the prowl, but alas, even
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though Matobo is reputed to have one of the largest densities of these cats in all of Africa, they are seldom observed by people. I’ve been to this park numerous times, and the most I’ve seen of them are their footprints and scats.Although the leopards might well be elusive, the grand scenery of Matobo is always on full display. Be it the numerous geological formations (some of which sport ancient rock paintings) or the lovely lakes and forests, you’ll be hard-pressed to find anywhere else quite so beautiful in all of Zimbabwe.
Wildlife can be a bit thin on the ground. There is a specially guarded section of the park where rhinos can be seen, but you won't encounter lions or elephants at all.
Birding is great though, and you’ll also have the opportunity to spot common game such as zebra, kudu and eland. Klipspringers and rock hyrax are two a penny.
Cecil John Rhodes (after which Rhodesia, now Zimbabwe, was named) is buried on a prominent lookout atop one of the largest hills of Matobo. Even if you don’t feel like paying homage to such a divisive colonial figure, the views alone make it well worth the climb.
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.
Land of Giant Boulders
The most popular place to visit in Matobo National Park is the aptly named ‘View of the World’. Here, 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 you might see colourful agama lizards, twitchy-nosed elephant shrews, and the near-endemic boulder chat. Elsewhere, there are no restrictions on walking, and hikers often encounter klipspringer, rock hyrax, impala and the magnificent
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Verreaux’s eagle.Matobo is not a conventional safari destination. On my most recent visit, I saw almost no large mammals, with one notable exception in the form of white rhino, which I tracked on foot with an armed ranger – the only national park in Zimbabwe where this unforgettable activity is currently offered. I also did a self-drive game drive in the fenced Whovi Game Area, which is home to the park’s only black rhino and giraffe, but I saw neither, and the poor condition of the roads made for a stressful outing.
On the Rocks
I also saw causes for concern, though. More cattle were grazing within the park than I’d previously seen and large areas had been recently burned – both signs of uncontrolled incursion from the local community. I also saw fewer grazers (zebra, impala and wildebeest) than in the past, which may reflect these issues.
Happily, smaller mammals, including klipspringer, baboon and rock hyrax, remained abundant, while birding was as good as ever. Matobo has Africa’s highest known concentration of breeding Verreaux’s eagles: as well as seeing several pairs
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of these impressive raptors, my sightings of Wahlberg’s eagle, African hawk-eagle, martial eagle and brown snake eagle, helped confirm the park’s excellent reputation for raptors.Dambari, a local conservation NGO, confirm that community incursion is an ongoing problem and that numbers of some large mammals have declined; sable, once a Matobo special, may now have disappeared. However, their recent camera trap surveys have also captured images of species – including spotted hyena, African wild dog and even elephant – that had barely, if ever, been previously recorded. Many of these will just have been passing through, but they nonetheless offer evidence of the park’s great importance for conservation.
Either way, the Matobo’s other-worldly landscape of balancing stones and granite whalebacks continues to offer a fabulous natural playground for the independent traveller, whether on foot or by vehicle. Accommodation options include a national park rest camp, plus several private lodges that offer guided activities. The park is easily visited on a day trip from nearby Bulawayo, Zimbabwe’s second city, but you really need to stay over for at least a couple of nights to appreciate its unique appeal.
Game viewing remains best in the 105km2 Whovi Wilderness Area, a separate fenced zone boosted by restocking. Here you can see both white and black rhino, plus hippo, giraffe, zebra and a variety of antelope. Elsewhere you may encounter game in smaller numbers, with the highlight being white rhinos, which you can track on foot with a parks guide. There are no lions, elephants or buffalo, and leopards, though plentiful, are seldom seen. Birdlife is rich – as is reptile life, including colonies of colourful flat lizards, plus rock pythons and black mambas.
And it’s not all about wildlife. Along well-marked trails you’ll also find caves adorned with ancient rock art, and at World’s View you can appreciate the park’s stunning panorama from beside the grave site of controversial colonial Cecil John Rhodes, while looking out for a confiding boulder chat or one of the delightful rock elephant shrews that dash between crevices in the granite.
My fingers are firmly crossed that this extraordinary place can manage its security, whilst working with the local community, so that such treasures remain in perpetuity.
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 rock paintings are fairly interesting, and the grave of British imperialist Cecil John Rhodes at World’s View is a good vantage point from which to see the park’s distinctive granite balancing rocks.
Matobo National Park: A Giant’s Playground
On a drive around the park, you might come across white rhino as well. However, it is worth booking a rhino-tracking trip to increase your chances of seeing these endangered heavyweights. Furthermore, the experience of seeing them on foot is a lot more exciting than from a car.
Other highlights include a visit to Rhodes’ Grave. A little site museum gives insight into the controversial life story of Cecil John Rhodes. Even if that doesn’t excite you, his
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burial site, named World’s View, is worth a visit for the glorious vista across the park alone.Last but not least are the numerous ancient rock art paintings dotted around the park. You could spend a week here exploring all the different sites, but with limited time, a visit to the easily accessible Nswatugi Cave rock paintings is highly recommended.