Matobo Hills

Matobo trades water and wildlife spectacle for something quieter: whaleback granite hills balanced improbably on top of each other, San rock paintings that predate written history in the region by thousands of years, and some of the best rhino tracking on foot in Zimbabwe. It's usually built into an itinerary as a cultural and geological counterpoint to the Falls and the bigger parks.

The park sits a couple of hours' drive from Bulawayo, Zimbabwe's second city, which puts it slightly off the main Victoria-Falls-to-Chobe travel corridor most Southern Africa routes follow — so a Matobo stop generally works best as a deliberate detour or a dedicated day trip rather than a stop travelers stumble into along the way. Rhino tracking here is done on foot with an armed ranger, at a walking pace and a respectful distance, which is a markedly different kind of wildlife encounter than a vehicle-based game drive elsewhere on a Muto Tours route.