Balancing granite, San rock art, and rhino on foot.
The Matobo Hills, called the Matopos locally, begin about 35km south of Bulawayo: roughly 3,100 km² of granite whalebacks and balancing boulders that UNESCO inscribed as a World Heritage Site in 2003 for its rock art and for shrine traditions still in use. Matobo National Park sits at the centre of the hills, was proclaimed in 1926, and is the oldest national park in Zimbabwe. It is also the one park in the country where you track rhino on foot with a ranger instead of from a vehicle.
Reachable from Bulawayo in about 45 minutes on tar, so it works as a day trip, but a night in the hills is what buys you the early rhino walk and sunset off the granite. Park entry and the rhino walk are paid at the gate in USD cash and the rates move, so ask us for the current figure when you book. May to October is the better tracking season; the hills green up January to March.
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