The essential experience.
A detail that changes the visit
Use current park access and respectful interpretation of sacred places rather than treating every rock shelter as open.
For the curious reader
History, landscape and context.
The Matobo National Park forms the core of the Matobo or Matopos Hills, an area of granite kopjes and wooded valleys commencing some 35 kilometres (22 mi) south of Bulawayo, southern Zimbabwe. The hills were formed over 2 billion years ago with granite being forced to the surface; it has eroded to produce smooth "whaleback dwalas" and broken kopjes, strewn with boulders and interspersed with thickets of vegetation. Matopo/Matob was named by the Lozwi. The national park is the oldest in Zimbabwe, established in 1926 as Rhodes Matopos National Park, a bequest from Cecil Rhodes. The original park borders extended well to the south and east of the current park.
Abridged background from Matobo National Park, by Wikipedia contributors, under CC BY-SA 4.0. Paragraphs have been selected and shortened; this adapted background remains under the same licence. Retrieved 23 September 2026. Source revision.
From inspiration to a practical plan
Plan your visit.
- Physical demands
- Rocky slopes, uneven cave approaches and potentially strenuous scrambling; wildlife walks have separate guiding requirements.
- The consequential detail
- Use current park access and respectful interpretation of sacred places rather than treating every rock shelter as open.
Through the seasons
A place in the world.
Select the pin to open a detailed map. Use Closer look to see the surrounding region. Drag to move a zoomed map.
Map: Natural EarthIn pictures.
Matobo’s granite shapes shelter rock paintings within a landscape of continuing cultural significance.
Follow the connection
Keep exploring.
Explore more places in the same country.
150 · Zimbabwe
Great Zimbabwe
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Victoria Falls
The Zambezi disappears into a gorge beneath a rising cloud of spray.
Useful links and further reading.
Choose a source for the job: official visitor information for access, the UNESCO record for the named property’s designation, and background or library resources for deeper reading.
Understand · UNESCO World Heritage Centre
UNESCO World Heritage property record
Read the named property’s significance, maps, components and conservation documents. The World Heritage boundary may cover only part of this guide’s wider destination.
External resource. Check the provider for access and current arrangements.Read · Wikipedia
Matobo Hills: background reading
Encyclopaedic context and its bibliography. Follow the cited research for a deeper examination of particular claims.
External resource. Check the provider for access and current arrangements.Visit · Wikivoyage
Find travel information for Matobo Hills
A clearly labelled search of the community travel guide; check the page’s coverage and the age of practical details.
External resource. Check the provider for access and current arrangements.Books · WorldCat
Find books about Matobo Hills
Search library holdings and editions, useful for finding specialist histories, field guides and works beyond a general travel guide.
External resource. Check the provider for access and current arrangements.Photography · Wikimedia Commons
Find photographs of Matobo Hills
Explore further photographs and their individual credits.
External resource. Check the provider for access and current arrangements.Maps · OpenStreetMap
Explore the local map
Inspect the surrounding area.
External resource. Check the provider for access and current arrangements.