Matobo National Park, National park near Bulawayo, Zimbabwe.
Matobo National Park is a protected area in Zimbabwe, south of Bulawayo, covering grey granite hills, wooded valleys, and rocky uplands. The landscape shows round rock formations that appear stacked on top of each other, and dense bush vegetation in the lower areas.
The area was placed under protection in the early 20th century and initially carried a different name. Later, additional land was added to reach the current size of the protected area.
The name comes from the Ndebele language and means bald heads, referring to the smooth granite domes that rise above the tree line. Visitors can see rock paintings inside caves and shelters, left by communities who lived here thousands of years ago.
Visitors need entry tickets for different parts of the grounds and should consider guided tours for wildlife viewing and access to rock paintings. The roads inside the reserve are unpaved and can become slippery when it rains.
Leopards find particularly good living conditions here because of the many small mammals that live among the rocks. Hyraxes make up a large part of their food and are often seen on warm stones during the day.
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