Month by month
Matobo in January
January is the wettest month in the Matobo Hills, the time of green kopjes, brimming dams and storms that build over the granite most afternoons.
If you only want the answer
A lush, dramatic month for photographs, birds and the caves, at the price of wet rock and afternoon storms. Plan outdoor time for the morning.
What the rain does
The thirty-year average is about 145 mm over some 15 wet days, the most of any month. It usually falls in afternoon storms, so mornings are often clear. Days reach about 26.9°C and nights stay mild at around 17.3°C.
The gravel roads to the outlying campsites turn slippery after storms, and wet granite is dangerous underfoot. Keep walks to open, gentle rock.
What works well
The painted caves and World's View are unaffected by the season. Summer migrant raptors are present, and the hills are at their greenest. The fenced game section is harder in long grass.
Booking
ZimParks fees are the same all year. Private lodges such as Amalinda charge their lower green-season rate from November to April.