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UNESCO hills · Zimbabwe

Matobo Hills

Balancing granite, ancient rock art and the best rhino tracking on foot in the country.
Getting there
~1 hr from Bulawayo; combined with Hwange by road or charter
Best for
White and black rhino on foot, San rock art, leopard, Rhodes' grave and history
The land
A sea of balancing granite kopjes, caves and wooded valleys
Good to know
A UNESCO World Heritage Site for both its geology and its rock art
What it is
Matobo is a landscape of balancing boulders, ancient paintings and rhino you track on foot.
The granite hills south of Bulawayo are sacred ground — dense with San rock art thousands of years old, the grave of Cecil Rhodes, and one of Africa's densest leopard populations. Above all, Matobo is where you can walk in to find white and black rhino with expert trackers.
PhotoMatobo Hills — unesco hills.
The reason to come

Rhino on foot

Matobo combines deep human history with the chance to approach rhino at walking pace.

Tracking rhino

On foot with trackers, approaching white and black rhino in the hills.

Rock art

Caves painted by San hunter-gatherers thousands of years ago.

World's View

The granite dome with the grave of Rhodes and a vast horizon.

Worth knowing

Geology, history and rhino in one

Few places fold a UNESCO landscape, ancient art and serious rhino conservation into a single short stay.
PhotoBalancing granite kopjes of the Matobo Hills at dusk.
When to come — honestly

Best in the dry.

April – October
Best
Dry season. Cooler, comfortable walking, easier rhino tracking.
November – March
Good
Green season. Lush hills and dramatic skies; warmer and wetter.
Tracking is most comfortable and reliable in the dry months; the green season is lush but hot.
Context

A sacred landscape

The Matobo is a living cultural landscape, still sacred to local communities, and its rock art is among the richest in southern Africa.

It pairs naturally with Hwange — history and rhino on foot, then big-game waterholes to the north.

Beyond the obvious

More to Matobo Hills.

PhotoRhino tracking walk

Rhino tracking walk

Following trackers in to white or black rhino.

PhotoPainted caves

Painted caves

San rock art in the granite shelters.

PhotoHistory on the dome

History on the dome

World's View and the story of the hills.

Why Wild Voyager

We send you with Zimbabwe's best guides.

Zimbabwe's professional guides are the most rigorously qualified in Africa. We pair you with the camps and pro guides who make walking and canoeing here both thrilling and safe.

Handpicked camps

We choose the camp and guiding that fit your dates and pace, not whatever is left.

We time it right

We build your visit around the season that delivers — water levels, migrations and access.

Journeys

Trips through Matobo Hills

Wildlife you may see
Leopard Rhinos

Plan your Matobo Hills journey.

Track rhino on foot and visit the San rock-art caves with expert guides. Tell us your dates and we will build the route around it.

Plan a Matobo Hills trip

Field notes, now and then.

Where to go · When to go · Wildlife in season

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