The Matobo National Park is located in the Matobo or Matopos Hills, an area with granite hills and wooded valleys found about 35 kilometers (22 miles) south of Bulawayo, in southern Zimbabwe. These hills were formed over 2 billion years ago when granite was pushed up from deep underground. Over time, erosion created smooth, rounded rock formations called "whaleback dwalas" and broken hills covered with boulders and surrounded by thick vegetation. The name "Matobo" comes from the Lozwi people. Another tradition says that when King Mzilikazi Khumalo was told the hills were called "madombo," he jokingly suggested they be called "matobo," a wordplay in the Isindebele language meaning "bald heads."

The hills cover an area of about 3,100 square kilometers (1,200 square miles), with 424 square kilometers (164 square miles) designated as a national park. The rest of the area is mostly communal land and a small amount of commercial farmland. The park follows the valleys of the Thuli, Mtshelele, Maleme, and Mpopoma rivers. A section of the park is set aside as a 100 square kilometer (39 square mile) game reserve, where animals such as white rhinoceroses live. The highest point in the hills is a hill called Gulati, located just outside the northeastern part of the park and standing 1,549 meters (5,082 feet) high.

Administratively, Matobo National Park includes the Lake Matopos Recreational Park, which covers areas around Hazelside, Sandy Spruit, and Lake Matopos.

The national park is part of the southern Africa bushveld ecoregion, a specific area with unique plants and animals.

History

The national park is the oldest in Zimbabwe, created in 1926 as Rhodes Matopos National Park, a gift from Cecil Rhodes. The park’s original borders included areas now to the south and east of the current park. These areas were changed to allow for settlement through an agreement between colonial leaders and local people, forming the Khumalo and Matobo Communal Lands. Later, the park expanded by adding the World's View and Hazelside farms to the north.

The park’s current name, Matobo, matches the correct local pronunciation of the area.

The Matobo Hills were named a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 2003. This area has many unique rock shapes that rise above the granite-covered region of Zimbabwe.

Features

Matobo National Park has many different types of animals. It is home to 175 kinds of birds, 88 types of mammals, 39 species of snakes, and 16 kinds of fish. Animals such as white rhinos, sable antelopes, impalas, and leopards live in the park. Leopards have the highest number of individuals in the world here because they eat many hyraxes, which make up half of their diet. The western part of the park was restocked with white and black rhinos. White rhinos were brought from KwaZulu-Natal in the 1960s, and black rhinos came from the Zambezi Valley in the 1990s. This area is protected to help rhinos, hyenas, hippos, giraffes, zebras, wildebeests, and ostriches survive.

Matobo National Park has the largest number of black eagles and their nesting pairs anywhere in the world.

A research center has studied water-related topics at the Maleme Dam since 1950. It has looked at species like the yellow-fish, called Barbus mattozi.

The Matobo Hills have many types of trees, with over 200 species recorded in the park. These include mountain acacia, wild pear, and paperbark acacia. There are also many aloes, wild herbs, and more than 100 kinds of grass. The area has many rare plants that only grow there.

The park has many types of fungi, which are important for the ecosystem. These include fungi that break down dead matter and help plants grow by forming partnerships with their roots. Fungi improve soil quality and support the park’s unique granite landscape. They also provide food for insects and small mammals, adding to the park’s variety of life. Some fungi are collected and eaten by local people, showing their importance to both nature and culture.

The Matobo Hills are made entirely of granite, forming the Matopos Batholith. This rock breaks into unusual shapes, like the balancing rocks called Mother and Child Kopje. Between the granite hills are narrow valleys, often wet, called dambos or vleis. These valleys are the beginning of rivers like the Maleme, Mpopoma, and Mtsheleli, and the Thuli River starts just east of the park.

The San people, also called Bushmen, lived in the hills about 2,000 years ago. They left behind hundreds of rock paintings. Over 3,000 rock art sites have been found, with the most paintings made between 320 and 500 C.E. Many ancient tools and remains from as long as 300,000 years ago have been discovered.

Some important archaeological sites include:

• Bambata Cave, located west of the park near the Kezi-Bulawayo road. It has paintings of elephants, giraffes, warthogs, tsessebe, and mongoose.
• Inanke Cave, a remote site requiring a three-hour hike from Toghwana Dam. It has the most extensive paintings and an Iron Age furnace along the trail.
• Nswatugi Cave, near Maleme Dam, with paintings of giraffes, elephants, and kudu. A human skeleton from the Middle Stone Age, dated to 42,000 BC, was found here.
• Pomongwe Cave, near Maleme Dam, was damaged in 1965 when linseed oil was used on the paintings. Archaeological work found 39,032 stone tools, hearths, and evidence that early humans ate hyraxes, tortoises, baboons, and larger animals.
• White Rhino Shelter, near Gordon Park, has a painting of rhinos that inspired their reintroduction in the 1960s.

The hills are considered sacred by the Shona and Ndebele people, who perform rituals there. Before colonial times, the spiritual leader Mlimo lived in the area.

In 1896, a meeting called an indaba took place in the hills between white settlers and Ndebele leaders during the Second Matabele War, also known as the First Chimurenga in Zimbabwe. The war ended when Mlimo was killed by Frederick Russell Burnham, an American scout, in a cave. Cecil Rhodes then walked alone into the Ndebele stronghold and convinced the soldiers to surrender. Robert Baden-Powell, the founder of Scouting, learned survival skills from Burnham during this time. Remnants of the 1896 rebellion, like pottery and clay grain bins, remain in the hills. Bronze plaques mark sites of battles.

Cecil Rhodes, Leander Starr Jameson, and others, including members of the Shangani Patrol killed in the First Matabele War, are buried on Malindidzimu Hill, also called the "hill of the spirits." This site is controversial in modern Zimbabwe, as it is considered sacred by some groups. Mzilikazi, a leader of the Ndebele people, is also buried at Matopos Hill.

A memorial shrine built by the Memorable Order of Tin Hats (MOTH) honors soldiers who died in World War One and World War Two. It can be visited in the park.

Accommodation and camping

This is the main camp in the center of the park and houses the park headquarters. All accommodations are self-catering. There are eighteen lodges and six chalets. The lodges have full kitchens, while the chalets have shared bathrooms and no dishes or utensils. Three lodges—Imbila, Black Eagle, and Fish Eagle—offer views of the Maleme Gorge. Imbila Lodge has more luxurious features, including private bathrooms and furniture made of teak. Camping and caravan sites are located along the eastern shore of Maleme Dam.

This camp is in the southern part of the park and offers camping and caravan sites.

This camp is on Circular Drive, west of Maleme Dam, and offers camping and caravan sites.

This camp is in the eastern part of the park and offers camping and caravan sites.

This camp is in the western part of Lake Matopos Recreational Park, near the Hazelside Office, and offers camping and caravan sites.

This camp is in the eastern part of Lake Matopos Recreational Park and offers camping and caravan sites.

This camp is in the northern part of Lake Matopos Recreational Park and offers camping and caravan sites.

The Boy Scouts Association of Zimbabwe operates a camp called Gordon Park, located in the northern part of the Mtsheleli Valley. Gordon Park is a 115-hectare area leased from the Parks and Wildlife Management Authority. It is kept as close to natural conditions as possible. In addition to camping sites for Scout Troops, there is a small cottage. The Girl Guides Association of Zimbabwe maintains a campsite at Rowallan Park, located in the northern part of the Mtsheleli Valley.

Big Cave Camp is a privately owned camp that borders Matobo National Park.

Camp Amalinda and Matobo Ingwe Lodge are commercial lodges.

Tourism

From Bulawayo by road: Start on Robert Mugabe Way in the city center. This road becomes Matopos Road and continues south for about 30 kilometers to the park boundary. This road has two lanes and is paved. A single-lane paved road continues to Maleme Dam and Rest Camp. The other roads inside the park are gravel or dirt, but most vehicles can travel on them. However, reaching Toghwana Dam during the rainy season may require a four-wheel-drive vehicle.

The park can also be reached from Gwanda by taking the Thuli-Makwe Road toward Kezi and then turning north onto the main Kezi-Bulawayo Road.

Wild animals can be seen throughout the park, including white rhino, sable antelope, and impala. The best place to see animals is in the 105 km Game Park, located in the western part of the national park. This area, also called Whovi or Hove Wild Area, was created by moving animals from the border areas of Hwange National Park. White and black rhinos were added to the area. Other animals include sable antelope, giraffe, zebra, impala, wildebeest, and ostrich. Leopards may be seen in the late afternoon or early evening on rare occasions. Baboons often scream at night due to leopard attacks. There are two places in the park where visitors can watch animals.

Matobo has many hiking trails because of its beautiful scenery, climate, and safe environment. Shorter walks include:
– Lakeside walk near Maleme Dam, starting at Fish Eagle Lodge
– Mount Pomongwe, near Maleme Camp
– A walk from Maleme Camp to Pomongwe Cave rock paintings

Longer hikes include:
– Climbing Mount Shumbashawa, near Gordon Park
– Climbing Nyahwe Mountain
– A hike from Toghwana Dam to Inanke Cave and rock paintings

Guided hikes with an armed game scout are available from Maleme Rest Camp.

A 33-mile road race is held in the park each year.

Supervised horse trails are arranged by Parks and Wildlife staff. The two routes are:
– From Maleme Camp, visiting scenic spots in the Maleme valley
– From Whitewater Office, entering the game park for wildlife viewing

The many dams in the park are good for fishing, especially for Tilapia and bass. Bass were added to seven of the park’s dams from the research station at Maleme Dam. A fishing license is included in the park entry fee.

Boating is allowed on larger dams, such as Maleme, Mtshelele, Toghwana, and Lake Matopos. Private boats may be used with permission from park officials.

In popular culture

A type of cheese from Zimbabwe is called Matopos, which is named after the Matopos Hills. The name of the park has been used in two movies. In the 2007 film Matopos, directed by Stéphanie Machuret, the title and landscape were inspired by the park, which tells the story of a traditional healer. The name was also used for a fictional country called the Democratic Republic of Matobo in the movie The Interpreter.