Sethule Lodge
City lodge · Old Gwanda Road, Hillside, Bulawayo · Sethule Lodge
A drawing, because nobody has sent us a photograph of Sethule Lodge yet. Send five and this page changes the same week.
Budget
Outside the gate
Ownership unconfirmed
A city lodge in Hillside, Bulawayo, about 5 km from the centre, graded by the Zimbabwe Tourism Authority. Useful for a night in town before or after the park; it offers nothing in the Matobo hills itself.
Pros and cons
Pros
- A handy Bulawayo base, not a park lodge itself
- Backup power when Bulawayo's grid drops out
- Graded by the Zimbabwe Tourism Authority
- A conference room for up to 65
Cons
- The lodge's own site could not be reached to confirm current rates
- Normal rates do not apply during the Trade Fair
- About 5km from Bulawayo's centre, nowhere near the park
- Site unreachable when checked; child policy unconfirmed
What's here
- Swimming pool
- Wi-Fi
- Restaurant
- En-suite bathrooms
- Solar or 24h power
- Laundry
Read from Sethule 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 Sethule Lodge
From $70 a night, room only. From the lodge's own site: standard room $70 a night and executive $90, bed only. Normal rates do not apply during the Zimbabwe International Trade Fair.
What the rate covers is not confirmed. We do not know yet whether meals, drinks and activities are included, so read this as the bed only.
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 Sethule Lodge
Is Sethule Lodge good for families?
The lodge's own site was not reachable when we checked, so we could not confirm a child policy, and the record gives none either. Treat it as a Bulawayo stopover rather than a family base for the park, and ask about children directly when you book.
How much does Sethule Lodge cost?
A standard room is $70 a night and an executive room $90, both room only, according to the lodge's own site as last recorded. Normal rates do not apply during the Zimbabwe International Trade Fair, so check dates if your visit overlaps with it.
Is Sethule Lodge close to Matobo National Park?
No. It is a city lodge on the Old Gwanda Road in Hillside, Bulawayo, about 5 km from the city centre, graded by the Zimbabwe Tourism Authority. It offers nothing in the Matobo hills itself, so treat it as a night in town before or after the park, not a park base.
Can you self-drive to Sethule Lodge?
Yes, it is a conventional city lodge reached by ordinary road in Hillside, Bulawayo. Its own site could not be reached to confirm turn-by-turn directions or parking, so use the Old Gwanda Road address to navigate and confirm details when you book.