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Matobo Hills National ParkThe Matobo or Matopos Hills are an area of granite kopjes and wooded valleys starting 35 kilometres south of Bulawayo and is one of the most beautiful place in Zimbabwe- The Matobos national Park, has landscapes like nowhere else in the worldThe hills are covered with an extraordinary collection of huge bare granite moulds with gravity-defying boulders scattered all over the countryside creating a quite unique and distinctly mysterious landscape. The huge granite kopjes are stunning, and there is lots of wildlife to see
Only half an hour's drive from Bulawayo
The Hills cover an area of about 3100 square kilometres, of which 440 km² is National Park, the remainder being largely communal land and a small proportion of commercial farmland. Part of the national park is set aside as a game park, which has been stocked with game including black and white rhinoceros. This covers some 100 km² of beautiful scenery including some spectacular balancing rocks and impressive views along the Mpopoma river Valley. The Matobo Hills have been included into World Heritage List, according to a release by UNESCO. According to UNESCO, the Matobo Hills had been nominated for inclusion by Zimbabwean authorities. The area "exhibits a profusion of distinctive rock landforms rising above the granite shield that covers much of Zimbabwe" HistorySan (Bushmen) lived in the hills about 2,000 years ago, leaving a rich heritage in hundreds of rock paintings. In the many crevices and caves, clay ovens and other historic artefacts have been found. The hills were the scene of the famous indaba between Cecil Rhodes and Ndebele leaders in 1896. Rhodes and several other leading early white settlers are buried on the summit of Malindidzimu, the 'hill of the spirits'. This mount is also referred to as the World’s View. (Not to be confused with the World's View, Nyanga).
The Matobo national park is the oldest in Zimbabwe. Animals in The Matobos HillsThe parks animal highlights are Leopard and black eagle [the highest concentrations in the world] as well as African rhinos There are also quite a few historical sites, such as the grave of Cecil John Rhodes with its unusual setting high up in the rocksToday the Matobo National Park is one of Zimbabwe's prime wildlife sanctuaries with a large population of white rhino, the elusive black rhino, a variety of antelope species, baboon, rock hyraxes and a large population of leopard and black eagle San Bushman - Matopos hills Once inhabited by the bushman, today one can find magnificent examples
of rock art in and amongst the caves, clay grain bins of old, as well
as many other old historical relics to be explored. The area has been
inhabited for the past 20 000 years
The entire region is a complex of bizarre and exposed granitic formations providing one with endless days of exploration The best example of cave paintings is probably at the Nswatugi Cave Historical sightsThe Matobos hills were named by Mzilikazi, Amatobo, after the bald heads of his indunas (chiefs) and then changed to Matopos by the early european settlers Surrounding Matobos Hills are a wealth of historical sights
Matopos park is also only a short distance form the city of Bulawayo which offers a significant contrast to Harare. It still has many of its old buildings including the City Hall, Bulawayo Club, High Court and the Railway Station. It also has the Natural History Museum and the Railways Museum which are both excellent and worthy of a visit
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CountriesBotswana
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The Matobo or Matopos Hills are an area of granite kopjes and wooded
valleys commencing some 35 kilometres south of Bulawayo, southern Zimbabwe.
The Hills were formed over 2000 million 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. Mzilikazi, founder of the Ndebele nation,
gave the area its name, meaning 'Bald Heads'.
The hills are regarded as sacred by the Shona and many other peoples
of Southern Africa. Many rituals and other religious activities are
performed in the hills. Legend has it that until as recently 50 years
ago a voice could be heard in one of the hills' cave (Njelele).
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