On-the-ground safari coordination without agency middlemen.
Photo: Susan Adams, CC BY-SA 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons
Balancing rocks, San rock art, and black and white rhinoceros in the Matobo Hills south of Bulawayo.
"The hills look like a herd of stone animals sleeping in the grass."
Our operations desk in Victoria Falls handles transfers, permits and border crossings into Matopos National Park.
Talk to the deskThe landmarks and experiences that define Matopos National Park.
Properties we have stayed at and trust, chosen for their location, guiding and hosting.
Matopo Hills Lodge — also styled Matobo Hills Lodge — is a private lodge inside Matobo National Park, in the UNESCO Matobo Hills about 50 km south of Bulawayo. Stone-and-thatch chalets have en-suite bathrooms, private verandas, and tea and coffee, and the pool looks over the granite hills. Days here are built around rhino tracking with the park’s rangers, walks to the rock art, and the view from the hills.
Check availabilityBig Cave Camp sits on a granite whaleback on the boundary of Matobo National Park, within the UNESCO Matobo Hills. Thatched cottages have en-suite bathrooms and private balconies. The camp has a lounge and bar, a library, a natural rock pool with a sundeck, and a cave-style boma, and it is reached by a short 4x4 transfer from the car park. Rhino tracking, walks, and San rock art are the usual days out from here.
Check availabilityCamp Amalinda — also known as Amalinda Lodge — is a privately owned, family-run lodge of the Amalinda Collection, built into the granite boulders of the UNESCO Matobo Hills close to Matobo National Park, about 45 km (around 40 minutes) south of Bulawayo. Nine individually designed thatched rooms — three suites, three family rooms, two doubles and a twin — are set into the rock on different levels, each with an en-suite bathroom built into the granite face and a tea and coffee station. The lodge has an infinity rock pool, spa, library and lounge, and days are built around rhino tracking on foot, game drives, walks to the San rock paintings and a visit to World’s View. The separate Amalinda Homestead sleeps up to six with its own guide and chef.
Check availabilityTell us your dates and travel style. Our team in Victoria Falls will put together a route, camps and transfers that work for you.
Yes. Matopos is the name most travellers use. The national park’s official name is Matobo National Park, in the Matobo Hills.
Fly into Joshua Mqabuko Nkomo International Airport in Bulawayo, then continue by road south into the Matobo Hills. It is a separate journey from Victoria Falls, not a day trip from the falls.
The park is managed for black and white rhinoceros, and rhino tracking on foot is the signature wildlife activity. Leopard and Verreaux’s eagle are also associated with these hills. It is not a classic big-game savannah like Hwange.
Rhino walks are led by the park’s armed rangers. Stay with them and keep the distance they set. Zambezi Thunder strictly partners with operators dedicated to community empowerment, low-impact carbon footprinting, and long-term wildlife protection.