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 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.