Matobo Hills Lodge
Thatched chalets · Among the granite near World's View · Matobo Hills Lodge (family-owned)
Mid-range
Boundary unconfirmed
Owner/family-run
A family-owned lodge built in 1994 among the kopjes near World's View, and still run by the same family. It describes itself as the only private lodge inside the national park boundary; other listings put it on the edge, and ZimParks has not confirmed either, so we mark the boundary as unconfirmed. It is not part of any hotel group. Seventeen chalets around a rock pool, restaurant and bar, with rock-art walks, World's View at sunset, village visits and drives sold by the lodge.
Pros and cons
Pros
- Five ways to book, from bed and breakfast to all-inclusive
- Family chalets take four, with cots and high chairs on request
- Owner-run since 1994, by the same family throughout
- About 90 minutes by road from Bulawayo's airport, 70 km
- Sunset trips to World's View included in some plans
Cons
- Its position inside or on the park boundary is unconfirmed
- Park entry costs extra on the three cheaper plans
- Wifi only covers the main lodge, not the chalets
- Mobile signal comes and goes among the granite kopjes
What's here
- Swimming pool
- Wi-Fi
- Restaurant
- Bar
- Family rooms
- En-suite bathrooms
Arranged from the lodge:
- Game drives
- Guided walks
- Birding
- Community visits
Read from Matobo Hills 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 Matobo Hills Lodge
From $154 pp sharing, B&B. 2026 rates per person per night sharing, from the lodge's own site: bed and breakfast $154, dinner bed and breakfast $184, full board $209, the Matobo Experience $335 (all meals, two guided outings a day, park entry included) and all-inclusive $395 (adds local drinks and park and museum fees). Park entry is extra on the first three plans, and the lodge quotes it at $18, the day-visitor rate. Children 4 to 11 pay half; under 4 free. Half-day game drive $90, full day $165.
It depends which package you book. This camp sells more than one basis, from self-catering up to fully inclusive. The rates note says what each one covers.
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 Matobo Hills Lodge
Is Matobo Hills Lodge good for families?
Yes. Family chalets sleep up to four on a king bed and two singles, with travel cots and high chairs available on request. Children aged 4 to 11 pay half price on any plan and under-4s stay free when sharing with parents. The lodge's own site says younger children are welcome on most activities, but ages for certain guided walks are judged case by case, so ask when you enquire.
What does the rate at Matobo Hills Lodge include?
Every plan includes the chalet, en-suite bathroom, private verandah, tea and coffee, daily housekeeping and pool access. Meals are added by plan, from bed and breakfast at $154 per person up to all-inclusive at $395, which adds local drinks and park and museum fees. Park entry, quoted at $18, is extra on the three cheaper plans.
Is Matobo Hills Lodge inside Matobo National Park?
Unconfirmed. The lodge describes itself as the only private lodge inside the park boundary, but other listings place it on the edge, and ZimParks has not confirmed either version. Its own rate sheet quotes the $18 day-visitor entry fee, which suggests entry is charged like any outside property.
Can you self-drive to Matobo Hills Lodge?
Yes. It is 70 km and about 90 minutes by road from Bulawayo's Joshua Mqabuko Nkomo Airport, tarred for most of the way with a dirt final stretch, and the lodge calls the drive straightforward. Transfers from the airport or town are also available on request if you would rather not drive.
When is Matobo Hills Lodge open?
Year-round; the lodge says it works all year with no seasonal closure. Wifi covers the main lodge and common areas, though mobile signal is patchy among the surrounding kopjes, worth knowing if you need to stay connected during your stay.