Matobo National Park Overview
The Matobo National Park forms the core of the Matobo or Matopos Hills, an area of granite kopjes and wooded valleys commencing some 35 kilometers south of Bulawayo, in Southern Zimbabwe. The Hills cover an estimated 3100 km², of which 424 km² is National Park, the remainder being largely communal land and a small proportion of commercial farmland. 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 balancing boulders and interspersed with thickets of vegetation. Mzilikazi, founder of the Ndebele nation, gave the area its name, meaning ‘Bald Heads’.
Established in 1926, as a bequest from Cecil Rhodes, Matobo National Park is the oldest in Zimbabwe, and due to exhibiting “a profusion of distinctive landforms rising above the granite shield that covers much of Zimbabwe”, as well as being an area of important ecological and cultural significance, Matobo Hills was designated as a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 2003.
The San (Bushmen) lived in the hills about 2,000 years ago, leaving a rich heritage in hundreds of rock paintings. There are over 3000 registered rock art sites, with the main periods of painting being between 320 and 500 C.E.. In the many crevices and caves, clay ovens and other historic artifacts have been found, and various archaeological finds date back as far as the Pre-Middle Stone Age, around 300,000 B.P.
The grandeur and stillness of the hills has contributed to their hallowed reputation, especially to the Shona and Ndebele people. Many rituals and other religious activities are performed in the hills. Before the colonial era, it was the headquarters of the spiritualist oracle, the Mlimo. Cecil Rhodes, Leander Starr Jameson, and several other leading early white settlers, including Allan Wilson and all the members of the Shangani Patrol killed in the First Matabele War, are buried on the summit of Malindidzimu, the ‘hill of the spirits’ and so this is considered a sacred place by both nationalists and indigenous groups.
With over 200 species of tree recorded in the national park, including the mountain acacia, wild pear and the paperbark tree, and a large diversity of aloes and wild herbs alongside over 100 grass species, Matobo National Park has one of the highest botanic diversities in the country.
When To Travel
Matobos weather is generally temperate but can get very cold during the winter months of May through to August. The warmest periods are from September through to March and rains generally begin in November with afternoon showers followed by sunshine.
April
There is sporadic rain during April as the rainy season comes to an end. Early morning game drives tend to be cold and warm clothes are advisable.
May to August
These are the winter months in Matobos with daytime temperatures reaching 22°C, and nighttime temperatures dropping to around 5°C. Warm winter clothing is essential for early morning game drives and late afternoon activities.
September & October
These two months are generally dry months with scattered rains occasionally falling towards the end of October. It is generally warmer during the day, with temperatures reaching over 28°C.
November to March
The rains generally begin to fall during the month of November but are more scattered than the months which follow and it usually rains almost every day, although showers are mostly short and followed by sunshine. However, constant drizzle may be present for a few days at a time. Daytime temperatures average 27°C while night time temperatures average 15°C. This is usually the best time for birding in Matobos as it is the migratory season when species from northern Africa and Europe are present. This is also when many resident birds nest and are in breeding plumage.
Getting There
Matobo National Park is easily accessible by road from Bulawayo, Harare and Victoria Falls. There is a two lane tarred road within the parks boundary along with a single lane tarred road to Maleme Dam. Majority of the other roads within the park are gravel or earth but suitable for most vehicles. Certain areas deeper within the park are only accessible by 4 x 4 during the rainy season.
Species
Wildlife
The Park contains an estimated 88 wildlife species and 175 species of birds. Wildlife specialties includes white rhino, sable antelopes, and impala, with Matobo also said to contain one of the world’s densest population of leopards – due to the abundance of hyrax which make up an estimated 50% of their diet. It is between the granite mountains, in among the narrow valleys that a number of the herbivore species are found including sable antelope, zebra, wildebeest and impala among others.
Birdlife
The unusual combination of granite and grass has given the Matobo National Park the benefit of having 35 of the 43 ‘Protected Species’ of birds in Zimbabwe. In total around 347 species of bird have been recorded in the area, with the park known to contain the highest concentration of Verreaux’s Eagle, and in breeding pairs, in the world. In addition, it is recognised as one of the “Important Bird Areas” (IBA) of Zimbabwe. There are no threatened or restricted-range species that seem to depend on the hills, but Cape Vultures fly over, and in wet years Corn Crake inhabit the vleis – both classified as globally threatened species. Other raptor species include the African Crowned Eagle, Martial Eagle, African Hawk-eagle, Augur Buzzard, Black-chested and Brown Snake-eagle, African Fish-eagle, Bateleur, Lanner Falcon, African Harrier-hawk, Gabar Goshawk, Rock Kestrel to name but a few.
Birdlife Zimbabwe Matabeleland Branch has carried out an annual Verreaux’s Eagle Breeding survey since 1964, and is the longest running survey of its kind in the world.
The Matobo National Park forms the core of the Matobo or Matopos Hills, an area of granite kopjes and wooded valleys commencing some 35 kilometers south of Bulawayo, in Southern Zimbabwe. The Hills cover an estimated 3100 km², of which 424 km² is National Park, the remainder being largely communal land and a small proportion of commercial farmland. 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 balancing boulders and interspersed with thickets of vegetation. Mzilikazi, founder of the Ndebele nation, gave the area its name, meaning ‘Bald Heads’.
Established in 1926, as a bequest from Cecil Rhodes, Matobo National Park is the oldest in Zimbabwe, and due to exhibiting “a profusion of distinctive landforms rising above the granite shield that covers much of Zimbabwe”, as well as being an area of important ecological and cultural significance, Matobo Hills was designated as a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 2003.
The San (Bushmen) lived in the hills about 2,000 years ago, leaving a rich heritage in hundreds of rock paintings. There are over 3000 registered rock art sites, with the main periods of painting being between 320 and 500 C.E.. In the many crevices and caves, clay ovens and other historic artifacts have been found, and various archaeological finds date back as far as the Pre-Middle Stone Age, around 300,000 B.P.
The grandeur and stillness of the hills has contributed to their hallowed reputation, especially to the Shona and Ndebele people. Many rituals and other religious activities are performed in the hills. Before the colonial era, it was the headquarters of the spiritualist oracle, the Mlimo. Cecil Rhodes, Leander Starr Jameson, and several other leading early white settlers, including Allan Wilson and all the members of the Shangani Patrol killed in the First Matabele War, are buried on the summit of Malindidzimu, the ‘hill of the spirits’ and so this is considered a sacred place by both nationalists and indigenous groups.
With over 200 species of tree recorded in the national park, including the mountain acacia, wild pear and the paperbark tree, and a large diversity of aloes and wild herbs alongside over 100 grass species, Matobo National Park has one of the highest botanic diversities in the country.
Matobos weather is generally temperate but can get very cold during the winter months of May through to August. The warmest periods are from September through to March and rains generally begin in November with afternoon showers followed by sunshine.
April
There is sporadic rain during April as the rainy season comes to an end. Early morning game drives tend to be cold and warm clothes are advisable.
May to August
These are the winter months in Matobos with daytime temperatures reaching 22°C, and nighttime temperatures dropping to around 5°C. Warm winter clothing is essential for early morning game drives and late afternoon activities.
September & October
These two months are generally dry months with scattered rains occasionally falling towards the end of October. It is generally warmer during the day, with temperatures reaching over 28°C.
November to March
The rains generally begin to fall during the month of November but are more scattered than the months which follow and it usually rains almost every day, although showers are mostly short and followed by sunshine. However, constant drizzle may be present for a few days at a time. Daytime temperatures average 27°C while night time temperatures average 15°C. This is usually the best time for birding in Matobos as it is the migratory season when species from northern Africa and Europe are present. This is also when many resident birds nest and are in breeding plumage.
Matobo National Park is easily accessible by road from Bulawayo, Harare and Victoria Falls. There is a two lane tarred road within the parks boundary along with a single lane tarred road to Maleme Dam. Majority of the other roads within the park are gravel or earth but suitable for most vehicles. Certain areas deeper within the park are only accessible by 4 x 4 during the rainy season.
Wildlife
The Park contains an estimated 88 wildlife species and 175 species of birds. Wildlife specialties includes white rhino, sable antelopes, and impala, with Matobo also said to contain one of the world’s densest population of leopards – due to the abundance of hyrax which make up an estimated 50% of their diet. It is between the granite mountains, in among the narrow valleys that a number of the herbivore species are found including sable antelope, zebra, wildebeest and impala among others.
Birdlife
The unusual combination of granite and grass has given the Matobo National Park the benefit of having 35 of the 43 ‘Protected Species’ of birds in Zimbabwe. In total around 347 species of bird have been recorded in the area, with the park known to contain the highest concentration of Verreaux’s Eagle, and in breeding pairs, in the world. In addition, it is recognised as one of the “Important Bird Areas” (IBA) of Zimbabwe. There are no threatened or restricted-range species that seem to depend on the hills, but Cape Vultures fly over, and in wet years Corn Crake inhabit the vleis – both classified as globally threatened species. Other raptor species include the African Crowned Eagle, Martial Eagle, African Hawk-eagle, Augur Buzzard, Black-chested and Brown Snake-eagle, African Fish-eagle, Bateleur, Lanner Falcon, African Harrier-hawk, Gabar Goshawk, Rock Kestrel to name but a few.
Birdlife Zimbabwe Matabeleland Branch has carried out an annual Verreaux’s Eagle Breeding survey since 1964, and is the longest running survey of its kind in the world.
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