Amalinda Lodge
Rooms built into the rock, plus a private villa · Private concession in the granite, about 45 km from Bulawayo · Amalinda Safari Collection
Mid-range
Boundary unconfirmed
Owner/family-run
The first private lodge in the Matopos, opened in 1990 and run by a Zimbabwean family business that also has camps at Hwange. Nine rooms are built into the boulders, with a separate three-bedroom villa for private use. Earlier versions of its website described it as within the national park; its current site says it sits on a private concession inside the World Heritage landscape. We mark the boundary as unconfirmed.
Pros and cons
Pros
- A granite infinity pool and spa
- Park fees and guided activities built into the rate
- Village cycling tours of 11 or 24 kilometres
- A three-bedroom private villa with its own chef
- Nine rooms built directly into the granite boulders
Cons
- Its position inside or beside the park is unconfirmed
- The lodge's own site publishes no rates at all
- Reseller prices run from $447 to $613 a person, fully inclusive
- No child policy found, and no self-drive directions published
What's here
- Swimming pool
- Restaurant
- Bar
- Spa or massage
Arranged from the lodge:
- Game drives
- Guided walks
- Community visits
Read from Amalinda Lodge's own website in July 2026. Anything not listed we could not confirm, which is not the same as it being absent.
What the park charges on top
The rate above buys you a bed. Matobo National Park charges its own entry fee for every day you are inside. Here is what that adds up to.
- Park entryThe ZimParks rate if you drive in from outside.
- $18per person, per day
- VehicleForeign-registered car, $10 a day visiting and $3 staying inside; a Zimbabwe-registered hire car pays $5 and $2.
- $10per vehicle, per day
Three nights means three days inside, so two adults sharing one vehicle pay $138 in park fees before anyone pays for a bed.
World's View and the painted caves need a separate NMMZ ticket, $10 per non-resident adult, which is not included in these sums.
The full fee schedule for Matobo National ParkRates at Amalinda Lodge
From $447 pp sharing, fully inclusive. Reseller rate card (Siyabona), read September 2026: $447 per person sharing from November 2026 to April 2027 and $613 from 1 August to 31 October 2026 and in the 2027 peak. Fully Inclusive Plus: meals, selected drinks, activities, park fees and transfers within 20 km. The lodge's own site publishes no rates.
All inclusive. The rate covers meals, drinks, activities and the transfers named below. Park fees are charged separately.
Every figure on this page is in US dollars.
Rates checked in September 2026. Where a lodge publishes its own rate we use it, with its date; for Amalinda, Big Cave and Shashani, which do not print rates on their own sites, the figure comes from a named reseller or agent and says so. The price filter and sort use per-person rates only; lodges that price per room or per unit show their rate in the text but carry no sortable figure. ZimParks entry is extra almost everywhere: $18 per international adult per day driving in, $10 sleeping inside, and the NMMZ ticket for World's View and the caves is $10 on top.
Questions about Amalinda Lodge
Is Amalinda Lodge good for families?
We found no published minimum age or child policy on the lodge's own site, so ask when you enquire. The three-bedroom private villa, with its own chef and private deck off the master bedroom, gives a family more space and privacy than the nine boulder-built rooms in the main lodge.
Is Amalinda Lodge good for a honeymoon?
It has the setting: rooms built into granite boulders, a granite infinity pool with a bar, and a spa, plus guided walks and game drives with a private guide and vehicle. The lodge's own site does not advertise a specific honeymoon suite or plunge pool, so ask when booking.
What does the rate at Amalinda Lodge include?
A named reseller quotes $447 to $613 per person sharing on a fully inclusive basis, covering meals, selected drinks, activities, park fees and transfers within 20 km. The lodge's own site publishes no rates at all, so treat these as indicative and confirm current pricing directly with the lodge before booking.
Is Amalinda Lodge inside Matobo National Park?
Unconfirmed. Amalinda calls itself a private concession within the wider World Heritage landscape, earlier versions of its own site described it as within the national park, and independent listings place it outside. Neither ZimParks nor the lodge has settled the question, so treat the boundary as open.
How do you get to Amalinda Lodge?
The lodge sits on a private concession about 45 km from Bulawayo. Its own site does not publish self-drive directions or a transfer service beyond the 20 km included in its fully inclusive rate, so confirm your route and any transfer cost directly when you book.