Camping
Camping in Matobo National Park
Camping is the cheapest way to see Matobo and one of the best, because Maleme Dam puts you in the middle of the park with Pomongwe down the road. Here is what each campsite costs, what is known about the outlying sites, and how the booking works.
If you only want the answer
ZimParks charges $12 per person per night for international campers at Maleme ($8 for Zimbabwe residents), plus the lower $10 sleeping-inside entry fee. The outlying ZimParks campsites at Toghwana, Mtshelele, Mesilume and Sandy Spruit have no separate 2026 rate. Just outside the park, Big Cave charges $18 per person with power at each site and Farmhouse Lodge $15. Book ZimParks sites by email at info@zimparks.org.zw.
Where you can camp
There are three kinds of campsite at Matobo: the ZimParks site at Maleme Dam, the small outlying ZimParks sites scattered through the park, and private campsites on land bordering it. Only the first two let you pay the lower sleeping-inside entry fee.
| Campsite | Run by | Price (per person, per night) | What you get |
|---|---|---|---|
| Maleme Dam | ZimParks | $12 international, $8 resident (2026 tariff) | Braai places, ablutions, a small shop and a curio shop nearby; wifi at reception |
| Toghwana, Mtshelele, Mesilume, Sandy Spruit | ZimParks | No separate 2026 rate | Small, basic sites with shared ablutions; Toghwana may need a 4x4 in the wet season |
| Big Cave Campsite | Big Cave (owner-run) | $18; under-12s half (2026, lodge site) | Power and water per site, solar backup, wifi, braai with firewood, bar, laundry; card payments accepted |
| Farmhouse Lodge campsite | Farmhouse Lodge (owner-run) | $15; children 6 to 11 $8 (2025 rate page) | Campsite on the lodge's private reserve beside the park, on the Kezi road |
ZimParks figures: De-Gazetted Tariff 2026, checked 24 September 2026. Arboretum and Lake Matopos are named as campsites in one older guide; we could not confirm that either is still in use.
What camping inside the park really costs
For two international campers with a foreign-registered car, one night at Maleme costs $24 for the pitch, $20 in entry fees at the sleeping-inside rate and $3 for the car: $47 a night. A Zimbabwe-registered hire car drops the vehicle line to $2.
Camp outside the park and the entry fee goes up to $18 per person on every day you drive in, and $10 for a foreign car. Big Cave's campsite does not need a park ticket to reach, which makes it good value on days you spend outside the park, but the park fee applies again as soon as you enter.
The outlying sites
ZimParks runs several small campsites away from Maleme: Sandy Spruit in the north, Mtshelele in the south, Toghwana in the east and Mesilume west of Maleme. They are basic, with shared ablutions, and quieter than the main camp.
The 2026 tariff has no line for them. They probably fall under the Maleme camping rate, but ZimParks does not say so, and we will not publish a price we cannot source. Ask for the rate when you book.
How booking works
ZimParks takes bookings through its central reservations office: email info@zimparks.org.zw or call +263 (242) 707625, the number printed on the Matobo park page. A ZimParks online booking site exists at book.zimparks.org.zw; it shows nothing until you enter dates, and we have not tested whether Matobo campsites can be booked through it.
Give your dates, the number of people, your vehicle registration country and whether anyone is a Zimbabwe resident, since that changes the rates. Big Cave and Farmhouse take bookings directly through their own websites.
Before you pitch
- Pack for cold: June to August nights reach near freezing, and ZimParks lists a sleeping bag among the things to bring.
- Bring all your food. Maleme has a small shop, not a supermarket.
- Do not swim in the dam; assume bilharzia.
- Carry US dollars in small notes for the gate and the NMMZ ticket.
Something this page does not answer?
The outlying ZimParks campsites have no published 2026 rate. If you are planning around one, ask us and we will try to find out.
Ask us. We answer questions about the park itself, and we can usually tell you which camps work on one route and who to write to. If what you want is a trip someone else arranges, we will say so and hand you to an operator we know, and we earn a commission if that becomes a booking.
Nothing on this site sits behind the form. Every figure we have is already on the page.