Matobo National Park

Listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site, Matobo National Park boasts some of the most dramatic and breathtaking granite scenery in Africa. This Zimbabwean park is home to an impressive population of black and white rhinos, as well as leopards and many birds of prey including the world’s highest population of black eagles.

Matobo is unlike anywhere else on the planet, with incredible bald granite domes and rock formations supporting balancing boulders that look like they have been placed there by giants. It offers some of the best spots in the world for sundowners along with plenty of trails and exciting Matobo National Park activities and events – including yearly trail runs and mountain bike races.

The game section of the park offers both black and white rhino tracking with an expert guide. The park is also a birder’s playground where one can seek out a myriad of birds of prey, including black eagles, peregrine falcons, African hawk eagles, martial eagles, and the Cape eagle owls.

The park also holds the densest amount of ancient rock art in Southern Africa, which has been beautifully preserved and dates back around 13,000 years. Thanks to archaeological evidence, human occupancy in the area dates back 500,000 years, ranging across the Stone and Iron Ages. Some of the best caves that showcase these San Paintings and an ancient way of life include the Pomongwe, White Rhino, Inanke, Silozwane, Nswatugi, and Bambata Caves. The site also has incredible spiritual significance for both Bantu and San cultures; the rocks are considered to be the seat of God and ancestral spirits. In addition, the site is a burial ground for African nobles and kings, and it is also the final resting place of Cecil John Rhodes, famously known as Rhodes grave Matobo National Park.

To add to the uniqueness of this location are a range of luxurious Matobo National Park lodges, some of which have carved their rooms amongst the mighty stones that surround them, offering unique and comfortable Matobo National Park accommodation.