In the southwest of the country, Bulawayo and Matobo National Park form a pairing we often recommend as a complement to the better-known safari destinations in the north. Bulawayo, Zimbabwe's second city with roughly 650,000 inhabitants, is the historic capital of the Ndebele kingdom founded by Mzilikazi in the 1840s. Its urban layout, designed in the late 19th century to allow a sixteen-ox wagon to turn around, gives the city exceptionally wide avenues lined with jacarandas in flower between September and November.

The architecture of the city centre maintains a rare coherence in Southern Africa: Edwardian façades of the Bulawayo Club, the 1897 railway station, City Hall, and the Natural History Museum which houses one of the region's most comprehensive zoological collections, including a naturalized elephant weighing more than six tonnes. West of the city, the Railway Museum displays steam locomotives from Rhodesia Railways, some still operational for occasional heritage excursions. The Makokoba market, the city's oldest African quarter, remains a practical entry point for understanding Ndebele culture in daily life: isitshwala (maize porridge) served with dried meat, woodcarving, pottery workshops.

Some 35 km to the south, Matobo National Park covers 424 km² of granite landscape. The geology here is extremely ancient: the domes and kopjes visible today are batholiths exposed by 2.5 billion years of erosion. The balanced boulders, sometimes stacked fifteen metres high, hold strong spiritual significance for the Ndebele and Shona, who still perform ceremonies at the Njelele shrine. The name matobo means "the bald heads" in Sindebele, referring to these smooth domes.

The park harbours one of Southern Africa's highest concentrations of rock art. More than 3,000 sites have been recorded, with the oldest paintings dating to around 13,000 years ago. The shelters at Nswatugi, Pomongwe and Silozwane feature clearly legible frescoes: giraffes, Cape elands, hunting scenes and stylized human figures attributed to San ancestors. The ensemble has been a UNESCO World Heritage site since 2003.

On the fauna side, Matobo is known for its population of black and white rhinos, reintroduced since the 1960s and now among the best-protected in the country. Tracking on foot with an armed ranger, over two to four hours of walking, is the activity we most frequently organize here: the approach is conducted in silence from fresh tracks, typically 30 to 80 metres from the animal. The park also has a notable leopard density, rarely seen but often spotted by guides, and over 175 bird species, including the Verreaux's eagle which nests on the granite cliffs.

Some 22 km west of Bulawayo, the ruins of Khami mark the site of the capital of the Torwa kingdom, which succeeded Great Zimbabwe between 1450 and 1683. The dry-stone terraces, adorned with chevron and chequerboard patterns, are more understated than those at Great Zimbabwe but testify to the same masonry craftsmanship without mortar. The site, also UNESCO-listed, can be visited in two to three hours and remains remarkably quiet and uncrowded.

To discover

Rhino tracking on foot. Silent approach in the company of an armed ranger following the trails of black and white rhinos, typically two to four hours of walking through the kopjes in the park's southern sector.

Rock paintings at Nswatugi and Silozwane. San frescoes dating back 6,000 to 13,000 years, sheltered beneath granite overhangs accessible by short walks of around one hour return.

View of the World and Rhodes's tomb. Granite dome reaching 1,460 m offering 360° panorama over the Matobo kopjes, the controversial burial site of Cecil Rhodes.

Makokoba market in Bulawayo. The city's oldest township, a food and craft market where Sindebele is spoken and isitshwala, dried mopane worms and sculptures are sold.

Ruins of Khami. Former capital of the Torwa kingdom from the 15th to 17th centuries, dry-stone walls with chevron patterns 22 km west of Bulawayo, very little visited.

When to go

The best time to visit the region runs from April to October, during the dry season. Daytime temperatures range between 22 and 28 °C, but June and July nights can drop to 5 °C in Matobo, sometimes less at higher elevations: bring a fleece for morning tracking sessions which start around 6am. September and October are the driest and warmest months, with highs reaching 33 °C, but this is also when wildlife concentrates near waterholes, making observation easier.

From November to March, the rainy season brings afternoon thunderstorms, often brief but intense, with monthly rainfall of 80 to 130 mm in January. Park tracks become locally slippery in places and some rocky areas are tricky to access. Vegetation is very green however and migratory birds are present. Bulawayo, at 1,350 m altitude, enjoys a more temperate climate than the lowlands: you always sleep without air conditioning even in summer.

Practical tips

We recommend two to three nights on the ground. Two nights are sufficient for a half-day rhino tracking session, a morning among the rock paintings and a panorama from View of the World, plus a half-day in Bulawayo and at Khami. A third night allows you to delve deeper into the cultural aspect: Natural History Museum, Railway Museum, meeting with an Ndebele community in a village. Arrival is via Joshua Mqabuko Nkomo Airport in Bulawayo (domestic flights from Harare and Victoria Falls, roughly 1h15), or by road from Hwange (allow 4h30 on tarmac).

The region pairs naturally with Hwange and Victoria Falls on a west-north circuit, or with Great Zimbabwe on a cultural south route (roughly 6 hours of driving between Bulawayo and Masvingo). Accommodation ranges from charming lodges in the kopjes to historic guesthouses in Bulawayo. This is a stop that particularly appeals to travellers interested in archaeology, rock art and walking safari, rather than those seeking only classic game drives. Children from age 8 generally manage the walking well, subject to the ranger's approval.