Matobo National Park
- Believed to have been inhabited for 40 000 years
- Ancient San rock paintings + archaeological treasures
- World's greatest concentration of black eagles
The visually spectacular landscape of granite outcrops at Matobo Hills were called "the bald heads" or Sindebele by well-known warrior chief Mzilikazi. It is a region of remarkable natural beauty as well as historical and cultural significance.
Many tribes denote the Matobo hills with spiritual power: located in one of the cliffs is the Ndebele rain shrine of Mwari and some of the peaks like Shumba, Shabe and Shumba Sham are considered sacred and to merely point at them is believed to be unlucky…
San (Bushmen) lived in the hills about 2 000 years ago, leaving a rich heritage in hundreds of rock paintings. In the many crevices and caves, clay ovens and other historic artefacts have been found.
The Matobo Hills also are the final resting place of controversial and famous British Imperialist Cecil John Rhodes, who requested that he be buried here. Within the national park is a game park with large populations of wildlife - which includes black and white rhino, giraffe, zebra and different antelope species. It is especially known, however, for its large numbers of bird of prey. There are 32 species of raptor on the area and the world's greatest concentration of black eagles can be found here.
