Undiscovered Gems of Zimbabwe: Matobo Hills, Malilangwe and Gonarezhou Safari

The Matobo Hills had a human history far before Cecil Rhodes. This was one of the great strongholds of the San people, nomadic hunter-gatherers who left messages in paintings on the rock. An archaeologist guide leads you on a morning tour, explaining the meanings behind some of the most unique rock art. Images depict successful hunts, births, and deaths in the family, quarrels and battles between tribes, and the whereabouts of dangerous predators. In one painting, you can see where a leopard was known to lurk, a warning to the next nomadic family who passed by. This relaxed rock art tour also encounters wildlife and the views from the summit of the granite rocks are quite staggering. After lunch, you continue the safari experience with another drive and walk safari in the center of the park.

Rhinos are inescapable in Matobo Hills, Zimbabwe’s largest population of them packed into a surprisingly small area. They’re heavily guarded and the proud success of an excellent conservation program. The black rhinos are shy and secretive, retiring into the bushland, keeping to themselves. Larger white rhinos are more boisterous, aware of their imposing size. They walk straight past with horns pointing skywards, graceful and glamorous in their own certain way. Expert conservationists are your guides today and the morning game drive helps you understand more of the rhinos’ behavior and challenges. You’ll also enjoy an in-depth look at rhino conservation; what’s worked, why seemingly obvious tactics haven’t, how so many rhinos can come together. The afternoon is very special, walking through this landscape of horned giants. Carefully inspecting reactions and responses, you come astonishingly close to these endangered icons of Africa.

Sonorous growls echo across Malilangwe, coming from lions hidden in the savannah. Elephants walk beneath you, picking from trees as you relax in a suite built on stilts above the canopy. Hyenas are heard and seen, strange figures scampering in the distance. Hippos dominate the river, their bellowing sometimes accompanied by swimming buffalo. Rhinos occasionally grace the scene, and it’s not unheard of to see the Big Five without traveling more than a mile from the lodge. There are many unfenced private reserves in the south of the Greater Kruger ecosystem, like the famous Sabi Sands. There’s just one in Zimbabwe, this sublime enclave that’s reserved for 20 guests. Like the Sabi Sands, permanent water attracts a wonderful abundance of wildlife. But unlike the Sabi Sands, Malilangwe still feels extremely remote and exclusive.

There’s a very rare combination here. The chance to venture far off the beaten safari trail, yet still enjoy decadent lodge accommodation. The lodge is widely regarded as the finest in Zimbabwe, complete with a swimming pool overlooking the savannah and bathtubs gazing out towards elephants. Arrive by chartered light aircraft from Matobo Hills and spend a few hours soaking up the beauty of the lodge. Sitting back on a private deck, you find that the safari is well underway, everything from zebras to baboons to hippos visible in the river below. The afternoon takes you closer, a game drive exploring the intimate depths of the Greater Kruger.

A springbok herd dances past, huge leaps sending the antelope well clear of the grass. Look behind them, and there are three lionesses in the grass, blending into the golden hues. It doesn’t appear that they were hunting, more that the springbok frighteningly stumbled upon them. Getting closer to the lions, you find two young cubs, mischievously fighting, frustrating the pride’s attempts at staying concealed. Then you encounter the alpha male, mane fluttering, and the probable culprit of the roars you heard yesterday. Continue the drive, first passing a hyena cackle, then a cluster of kudu. Elands are close by, but their majestic frames are easily dwarfed by the reserve’s big elephant bulls. Tusks extended, trunk swinging, these are some of Africa’s biggest bulls.

These elephants are huge from the safari vehicle. They’re much bigger when you wait in one of the sunken photography hides, looking up at the animals that drink from one of the flooded pans. Over today and tomorrow, you can fully customize your safari program, choosing to spend more time in these hides, or dedicating a bigger part of the day to really exploring. The wildlife is very similar to elsewhere in The Great Limpopo Transfrontier Park, from the hippos that yawn in the river to the southern giraffes and their orange coats. It just feels more special when there aren’t any other vehicles or people.

Africa always feels bigger when you’re on foot. Elephants stare at you from across the river, zebras ripple their muscles impressively, and paw prints appear ominous and imposing. The longer you walk, the bigger Africa feels, your ears picking up on sounds and smells you’d missed before. There seems to be so much detail, so much to discover in a single square mile. Keeping you far from the predators, Malilangwe’s walking safaris provide you with a new insight into Africa’s largest protected area. Nighttime drives are equally enchanting, a poignant world of rare cats and surreal scenes. They’re great for finding the reserve’s leopards, along with animals like caracal, which only appear when dusk arrives. Walking safaris and nighttime drives can be included on any of your days on safari, activities that provide the fresh dimension to your 3-day safari here.

Now it’s into the unknown, into a wilderness that few people know about. Gonarezhou is bigger than various US states and is the second largest of all Zimbabwe’s parks. It’s rare that there’s more than a handful of people enter it each day. Leopards hide in majestic stands of mahogany trees; elands maraud through acacia savannah, spectacular ironwoods are dotted with exotic birds. Elephants smash their rumps into the acacias and then flap their ears aggressively when you approach. Wildlife reacts authentically here, the lack of vehicles making you somewhat of a novelty. In particular, those Big Five mammals like to impose themselves. Note that you only travel by game drive here, as the famously belligerent elephants and lions make walking off bounds.

It feels like a lost world, the vehicle creating fresh trails as you bump into the savannah. Even the guides can’t predict what you’ll see. Rhinos live here, as do leopards, lions, and cheetahs. Elephants are unmissable, and when a large herd rumbles your way, the guide will back off slightly, giving them plenty of room to pass. You’ll have seen these animals before of course. So the real highlight of Gonarezhou is the ambiance of the wild, the rare opportunity to uncover a part of Africa that is yet to receive attention. You spend two nights at a mobile camp deep in the park, overlooking the glowing red of a granite gorge. It’s rustic yet very comfortable, with an en-suite bathroom and a beautiful fire area for spending evenings deep in the wild. Every sound can be heard, every change in smell is appreciated, and you wake to zebras and buffalos grazing around the tent.

Even after two days of driving, it’s hard to get your head around the scale of Gonarezhou and the wider Great Limpopo Transfrontier Park. A clearer evocation comes from the air, a light aircraft lifting you away from elephants and into the full grandeur of Greater Kruger. From up here, you see how swathes of woodland twist around the rivers, how the herds gather on open plains, and just how far the wilderness stretches. Fly back to Harare, where you’re assisted in transferring to your international departure.