Tailor-made safaris and travel to Southern Africa
BIG CAVE CAMP
Big Cave Camp, set on an enormous flat rock with views across an endlessly fascinating valley, arguably enjoys the prime location within the Matobo Hills. Accommodation consists of seven spacious A-frame chalets built on and around giant granite boulders. The high ceilings are thatched and the floors and walls are made of slate and granite. Each chalet has en suite facilities and a sundeck commanding inspirational views across the National Park. Inside, the décor is the color of warm stone. Natural materials and Ndebele artifacts are used to create a harmonious effect appropriate to the rocky lairs.
The main lodge has been recently refurbished. It offers a large partially open dining room, bar and living room area which incorporates huge boulders, a garden, and a water feature into its design. Furnishings are made from quality natural materials from the area, such as hard wood, iron and heavy textiles. Antique caned chairs from Rhodesia's colonial past complete the effect. Set on the rock outside are tables and chairs, by the side of a stone pool, a welcome juxtaposition against the dry stone.
Sunset at Big Cave is an exceptional experience. The glow of the setting sun turns the boulders all shades of gold and red. Once evening descends, paths are illuminated with flickering lanterns leading up to a natural boma (enclosure) in the rocks, where a pre and post dinner fire is lit. Mysterious Kalanga grain bins remain hidden amongst the rocks and can just be made out in the flickering golden firelight. Cuisine at Big Cave is hearty and good, and the intimate ambiance is enhanced with abundant candlelight.
Big Cave offers a very wide range of activities. Tracking black and white rhinos on foot in the adjacent Whovi Game Park is an adventurous highlight, while traditional game-drives and horse-riding in the park are also available. Around camp, guests can enjoy fabulous bird watching - the Matobos are home to the greatest variety and density of raptors anywhere in the world - as well as hiking and nature trails on the 2,000 acre Big Cave private wilderness area. Guests also enjoy guided tours of some of the ancient rock-art sites in the Matobo Hills, a reminder of the san bushman, southern Africa's earliest human inhabitants, and the first of many to be drawn to the power of the Matobo Hills.
Cecil Rhodes, the driving force behind Britain's colonial ambitions in Africa (as well as founder of De Beers and the Rhodes Scholarship), was also drawn by the spirituality of the Matobos, and visitors can marvel at the vistas from his grave at "World's View" (or Malindidzimu "the Place of Spirits" to the Ndebele people).
Contemporary Ndebele people also consider the Matobos a very sacred place, and continue to hold important religious ceremonies in the area. Guests at Big Cave are offered the opportunity to meet some of the Ndebele villagers who live in the vicinity of the Camp, an encounter which provides great insight into the African solution to reconciling traditional lifestyles and beliefs with the advances of the modern world.
The Matobos Hills offer a Pandora's Box of African delights, in a setting that is at once spectacular, spiritual, and profoundly tranquil. Big Cave Camp, set in the heart of the rugged landscape, offers a wonderful base from which to explore the natural wonder of this undiscovered African gem.
To find out more about Big Cave Camp, or to make a reservation, call on
27-11-463-7889 or email us.
LIYATSHWA SAFARIS PORTFOLIO - Matobo National Park
Photo credits: Big Cave Camp