Matebeleland - the wild west

Surrounding Bulawayo for hundreds of kilometres in all directions is a slice of Southern Africa unrivalled for some of the sub-continent’s most sensational natural assets – a paradise for tourists and eco-tourists. This is Zimbabwe’s ‘wild west’, the province of Matabeleland.

The Limpopo River is the southern boundary of this region, about 500 kilometres north is the Zambezi, the 600 metre-wide sandy bed of the Shashi River lies to the west and, along the main road from the city of Bulawayo to the capital, Harare, you’ll see a road sign that tells you the eastern border of this province is about to be crossed. Between these landmarks is Matabeleland – and it is here that you’ll discover bushveld, savannah and indigenous woodland that seem to stretch beyond every horizon. This ruggedly beautiful and vast corner of Southern Africa is not only the home of a spectacular diversity of wildlife and bird life, it also offers geography found nowhere else in the world – landscapes and natural landmarks of global significance. While scientists continue to debate when these unique features originated and how long they have been ‘on display’, we invite you to experience them now and allow yourself to create images and memories which will never fade from your mind. Victoria Falls, the Matobo Hills and Hwange National Park – these are awe-inspiring natural phenomena found nowhere else on our planet. Here, in Matabeleland you have more than enough to get you ‘wildly’ excited.

This is a corner of the African continent that, in large part, remains wild and wonderful. Relatively free of the destructive hand of man the wilderness is never too far away – and close enough to the province’s capital city, Bulawayo.