Matobo Hills National Park

The Matobo Hills (also spelled Matopos) form one of the most extraordinary landscapes in Africa — an expanse of enormous, rounded granite kopjes (rock outcrops) sculpted by 3 billion years of erosion into extraordinary balancing-boulder formations, hidden valleys, and ancient caves. The area has been sacred to the Ndebele and Shona people for centuries; it is the burial site of Cecil John Rhodes and the Ndebele King Mzilikazi, and it served as a spiritual centre for rain-making ceremonies.

The hills contain one of the richest concentrations of San (Bushmen) rock art in the world, with thousands of painted sites depicting animals, human figures, and spiritual ceremonies dating back thousands of years. Guided walks to art sites, including the famous Nswatugi and White Rhino Shelter caves, provide extraordinary insight into this ancient tradition.

Within the Matobo National Park, a dedicated "intensive protection zone" harbours the highest density of black and white rhino in the world, and rhino-tracking walks on foot are among the most thrilling wildlife experiences available in southern Africa. Leopards are also regularly sighted, and the area is one of the best places on the continent to observe Verreaux's (black) eagle.