The Matobo Hills National Park, just half an hour's drive south of Bulawayo, is the ancestral home of the Matabele people. This majestic landscape of massive granite boulders is imbued with great spiritual significance and is known for its rich human history. The numerous rugged red-tinged outcrops ('koppies') have eroded over thousands of years conjure up spectacular balancing acts, perched on each other at gravity-defying angles. The surrounding woodland savanna is home to diverse flora and fauna and some of the best-preserved San (Bushmen) paintings in Southern Africa.

The Matabele chief Mzilikazi, gave the reserve its name, Matobo, after the boulders which reminded him of bald heads. The reserve is compact, easily accessible and is home to an impressive range of wildlife including the highly endangered black and white rhino, zebra, wildebeest, giraffe, cheetah, hippo and warthog as well as Africa's largest concentration of the elusive leopard. But there are no lions or elephants. The upside of this is that it is possible to explore the park on foot independently.

Indeed the gorgeous wooded valleys make it a dream destination for hikers, climbers and nature lovers alike. The area was so much a favourite of the British colonialist, Cecil John Rhodes that he arranged to be buried there at a beautiful spot high on the rocks aptly named World's View.