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, this has eroded to produce smooth “whaleback dwalas” and broken kopjes, strewn with boulders and interspersed with thickets of vegetation. Matopo/Matobo is a corruption of a Venda word, “matombo” which means stones in Tshivenda. It was named by the ancestors of Kalanga and Venda people who are the original natives of the land.
Matobo National Park
IUCN category II (national park)
Sunrise in Matobo National Park, 2006
Location
Matobo (district), Zimbabwe
Nearest city
Bulawayo
Coordinates
20°33′00″S 28°30′29″E
Area
424 km2 (164 sq mi)
Established
1926
Governing body
Zimbabwe Parks and Wildlife Management Authority
UNESCO World Heritage Site
Official name
Matobo Hills
Type
Cultural
Criteria
iii, v, vi
Designated
2003 (27th session)
Reference no.
306
State Party
Zimbabwe
Region
Africa
The Hills cover an area of about 3100 km² (1200 sq mi), of which 424 km² (164 sq mi) is National Park, the remainder being largely communal land and a small proportion of commercial farmland. The park extends along the Thuli, Mtshelele, Maleme and Mpopoma river valleys. Part of the national park is set aside as a 100 km² (39 sq mi) game park, which has been stocked with game including the white rhinoceros. The highest point in the hills is the promontory named Gulati (1549 m; 5082 ft) just outside the north-eastern corner of the park.
Administratively, Matobo National Park incorporates the Lake Matopos Recreational Park, being the area around Hazelside, Sandy Spruit and Lake Matopos.
The national park is located within the southern Africa bushveld ecoregion.
Popular destinations in Zimbabwe are the Victoria Falls, Great Zimbabwe Ruins, Mana Pools National Park, Eastern Highlands, Hwange National Park, Matobo National Park and many more. Adventures on Wheels offers trips to all of these destinations. And will advise you on all activities that can be done at these destinations. For example game drives, walking safaris, scenic flights, boat cruises and many more.
Please contact us for more information on trips in Zimbabwe. We are more than happy to design a beautiful holiday for you. Also visit the website of Zimbabwe Tourism for more inspiration.