Matobo holds a magic like none other. Its environment, ambience and lasting impact is unique to its location, found nowhere else in Africa. It’s quiet wilderness, steeped in history and embedded in culture, finds a way to settle onto your skin and steals a special part of your heart.
Built atop a granite kopjie (hill), Shashani Matobo Hills has the honour of gazing out over this remarkable Zimbabwean landscape. Each room offers its own private view, a personal sliver of paradise gifted to you from your chalet.
Explore the more gentle and cultural side of Africa, set amongst giant granite domes, the earth decorated with the footsteps of rhino; a place where the veil between heaven and earth is thin.
The lodge is gifted with a panoramic view of the Shashani Valley. One could spend days exploring the concession itself before heading out into the park. An ancient rain making ceremonial site sits adjacent to the lodge – waiting to be explored, or simply observed from the lodge lawns. Climbing to its peak allows for an inside view into traditional rituals from 100’s of years before – their echoes held in between balancing rocks. It also permits a different perspective of the vast valley below – winding roads a suggestion of its past – history stored in topography.
Shashani Matobo Hills is situated on a private game reserve 65km
out of Bulawayo and an hour and a half away from the hustle and bustle of the city. Landing at the Bulawayo airport, a transfer awaits to take you to the lodge.
GPS CO-ORDINATES:
Shashani Matobo Hill, Matobo: 20.5572° S, 28.5125° E
Facilities
The Main Camp
The main building is open-planned and spacious, with a lounge, bar, outdoor dining and fireplace for chilly winter nights. A swimming pool allows for relaxation with either a book or cocktail in hand, succumbing to your surroundings.
A rolling lawn in front of the lodge is an invitation to take in the scenery, seated above the valley and beside a giant granite kopje (hill) known for rain making ceremonies of ancient Zimbabwean culture. The lodge, the view and the history of the surroundings emanate peace, a quiet beauty settled in solid rock and distant horizon.
Guest amenities
All guest amenities include shampoo, conditioner, liquid shower gel and soaps.
Water supply : Filtered borehole water
Accommodation
Built on the edge of a giant rock dome, Shashani Matobo Hills encourages one to observe the landscape in all its splendour, from private patio to the horizon and beyond. Each of the 10 en-suite rooms gaze upon the Shashani Valley, interlaced with characteristic granite rock formations and golden grass, viewed from one’s verandah.
Activties
Game Drives
A game drive through the concession which borders the National Park. The drive will gift plains game, viewed through golden savannah grass. The drive also allows for guests to take in the fascinating granite kopje formations which are so characteristic of Matobo – filled with ancient rock paintings and cultural meaning. Driving through the National Park, guests may come across the elusive Rhino – a bucket list sighting for any safari aficionado.
Game & Rock Painting Walks
Walking through the Matobo Park is an invitation to fulfill cultural and historical curiosity. With rock painting and ancient grain bins accessible by foot from the lodge, one may take an educational journey into the past of Zimbabwe. Immersed in nature, beneath breathtaking rock formations with a chance to see plains game following in the footsteps of old is a spiritual and fascinating experience.
Rhino Tracking
A day into the Matobo Hills National Park is an experience unlike any other in the safari realm. The diversity of the day satiates a variety of interests – from tracking one of the big five on foot through the bush, to climbing granite hills of historical significance which hold Cecil John Rhodes’s grave, and finally witnessing some of the oldest cave paintings in the world. Led by a private guide, this full day tour will leave you fascinated, educated and in awe of the beauty and diversity of Zimbabwe.
Bulawayo City Tour
Bulawayo is a city of historical and cultural significance in Zimbabwe. Its wide streets and old colonial buildings hold many stories of the past – shared with you by raconteur and historian Rob Burret. A half day tour will reveal tales of old which now sit beneath a bustling city – as well as show the resilience and character of the local people through exploring backstreets and hidden markets. A train museum holds the visions and hopes of Cecil John Rhodes, another contains the natural history of the country – respectively proud in their contents, ready to share the past.
Fast Facts
Check in 4h00 on the day of arrival
check-out is 10h00 on
Cuisine
We utilize the surrounding areas to supply fresh produce to the lodge where possible. This will facilitate empowering the local farmers and support the villages in a continuous and sustainable way.
Why stay there. the experience and when to travel
A private game reserve filled with plains game invites long walks through animal corridors and woodland forests, up close and personal with the more delicate side of nature. As a UNESCO World Heritage Site, holding some of the oldest known cave paintings in the world, as well as the home to Cecil John Rhodes’s grave, Matobo is cloaked in culture, heritage and ancient stories written in the rocks.
If one is seeking a location to soothe the soul, Matobo and its surrounds will willingly answer your call. Undulating granite hills, covered in colourful lichen and blanketed in history awaken one’s curiosity, and demands the respect of presence. Exploring ancient grain bins from cultures of old, spending time learning of traditional Ndebele rituals, exerting yourself to climb rock faces, or follow in the footsteps of guides to find rhino – activities honour the inquisitive. Or perhaps you would like to lie by the pool, cocktail in hand, absorbing the sounds of the wilderness.
Getting there
Shashani Matobo Hills is situated on a private game reserve 65km
out of Bulawayo and an hour and a half away from the hustle and bustle of the city.
Landing at the Bulawayo airport, a transfer awaits to take you to the lodge.
Matobo National Park
It is known for its stunning granite rock formations, balancing boulders, and unique landscapes. The park is home to a diverse range of wildlife, including endangered black and white rhinos, leopards, zebras, giraffes, and a wide variety of bird species.
Matobo is also a UNESCO World Heritage site and holds great historical and cultural significance. The park is famous for its ancient rock art sites, showcasing the spiritual and cultural beliefs of the San (Bushman) people who inhabited the area thousands of years ago.
There are various accommodation options available near Hwange, Victoria Falls, Mana Pools and Matobo. Our range from luxury eco-lodges lodges and tented camps allows for easy access to wildlife and nature. The dry season (May to October) is the prime time for wildlife viewing in Hwange and Matobo, as animals congregate around water sources. Victoria Falls is most spectacular during the wet season (November to April), when the water flow is at its highest, but visibility may be reduced due to mist.
Climate
Summer months are from October to March and tend to be quite hot. This period also has the highest rainfall of the year. April to September are the cooler months with cool to warm days, with evening and night temperatures being rather chilly.
Design your own itinerary of 9 nights or more, combining any of theHideaways Zimbabwe and Botswana lodges, and pay for only 7 nights. Get two nights free with this Hideaways Pay Stay safari special. Save up to $1200 per person.
Rates 2024
SADC rates are available on request.
Includes:
Accommodation, all meals, water, soft drinks, beers, ciders, mixers, and house wine, 2 shared activities per day (game
drives/walks – walks are subject to availability and season dependent), laundry.
Excludes:
Imported and premium brand drinks, transfers, Grow Africa Levy USD 10.00 per person per night, park fees USD 20.00 (Adult) per person per day, USD 10.00 (children 7-12) per person, per day.
Child Policy
Children of all ages are welcome.
* Children aged 0 – 17 years (Maximum 1 children) stay free of charge when sharing with 2 adults.
* Children occupying their own room:
– children aged 0 – 12 years pay 50% of the adult rate; 13 to 17 pay 75% of the adult rate; 18 years pay
full adult rate
Tour Map
Google Map for Motobo Hills National Park, Zimbabwe
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