The Matobo National Park forms the core of the Matobo or Matopos Hills, an area of granite kopjes and wooded valleys commencing some 42 kilometres south of Bulawayo. It’s roughly a 40-minute drive.
The Hills have formed over 2,000 million years ago with molten rock erupting across the landscape — this has eroded to produce smooth ‘whaleback dwalas’ and broken kopjes, strewn with boulders and interspersed with thickets of vegetation.
The Hills cover an area of about 3,100 sq km, of which 424 sq km is a national park, the remainder being largely communal land and a small proportion of commercial farmland.
The area exhibits a profusion of distinctive rock landforms rising above the granite shield that covers much of Zimbabwe. The large boulders provide abundant natural shelters and have been associated with human occupation from the early Stone Age. Probably right through to early historical times, and intermittently since. They also feature an outstanding collection of rock paintings.
The Matobo Hills continue to provide a strong focus for the local community, which still uses shrines and sacred places closely linked to traditional, social and economic activities.
The Matobo balancing rocks are the burial place of Cecil John Rhodes. Commanding a vista clear to the horizon, the name ‘World’s View’, could not be more appropriate for this enchanting piece of Zimbabwe.
The walls of Nswatugi Cave feature Stone Age rock art. The park has significant populations of black eagles and both black and white rhinos The Matobo National Park offers a diverse package of tourist attractions and activities.
Top Attractions
- Unique balancing rocks in the park.
- The Grave of Cecil John Rhodes
- Wildlife and flora and fauna
- Cultural villages and community craft centres
Accommodation
Maleme lodges offer self-catering accommodation in Matopos. The Maleme has 23 facilities, 3 executives, 15 standard self-contained lodges and 5 chalets with communal ablutions. Facilities have a capacity of 80 guests at full capacity. The national park has camping sites that include Maleme, Sandy Spruit, Mtshelele, Togwana and Mesilume.
Facilities
For visitor communication, Matopos National Park has WiFi and for entertainment, The park has DStv at the reception lounge. There are kiosks within the Matobo park at the entrance points and at Maleme lodges.
The Matobo or Matopos has a quiet and unpolluted environment ideal for outdoor outings with friends, family, schools, churches, and corporates. It is also excellent for educational trips for schools, colleges and universities because of its rich history, geography and tourism.
Recreational facilities
Picnic sites at Sandy Spruit, Maleme, Mtshelele, Mpopoma, Mesilume dams and Rhodes Grave and other unpopular sites for family, church, corporate and other outings.
Fishing can be done in different dams namely the Mpopoma, Maleme, Togwana, Sandy Spruit and Mesilume. A boat launch can be done at Mtshelele Dam, while you are in Matopos, you can enjoy our sports facilities from tennis, basketball, and volleyball to the pool @ Maleme Lodges. Schools and clubs can come to tournaments and practices.
Conference Centre
Your answer lies in the Matopo Conference Centre for all your conferencing needs. Carry capacity is 40 clients, with modern equipment moveable projection screen and projector.
