Lowveld Elephant Hunting in Zimbabwe | Mateke Hills
Booking Season: 2026
Hunt Difficulty: Difficult
Designed by Hunters, for Hunters
Hunters stay in a comfortable hunting lodge located within the Mateke Hills concession, offering private accommodation, excellent meals, and traditional Zimbabwean hospitality. After a day tracking buffalo through the Lowveld, the lodge provides the perfect place to relax, share stories around the fire, and prepare for the next day's hunt.
Expect a combination of rugged hills, thick bushveld, and open Lowveld valleys. The varied terrain creates excellent buffalo habitat and rewards hunters willing to follow spoor through challenging country.
| Fence Type: | Free-range |
| Hunting Ground Size: | 75000 ha |
| Nearest Airport Name: | Bulawayo International Airport (BUQ) |
| Transfer From Airport: | Yes |
The Mateke Hills lie within Zimbabwe's renowned Lowveld region, an area long respected for its exceptional buffalo hunting in Zimbabwe and traditional free-range hunting opportunities. Characterized by rugged hills, granite outcrops, thick bushveld, and open grassland valleys, the terrain creates ideal habitat for Cape buffalo and delivers a very different hunting experience from many of the country's other dangerous game areas.
Large buffalo herds move throughout the concession, while mature dagga boys often retreat into thick cover and broken terrain where tracking becomes both physically demanding and immensely rewarding. The varied landscape requires hunters to adapt constantly, moving between open country and dense vegetation as spoor leads deeper into some of the Lowveld's most productive buffalo habitat.
Bordering important wildlife areas and benefiting from decades of conservation management, the region supports healthy wildlife populations and retains much of the wild character that has made Zimbabwe hunting safaris famous among international hunters. It remains a place where traditional tracking skills, patience, and perseverance are often rewarded with close encounters and exceptional trophies.
Like many successful wildlife areas in Zimbabwe, the Mateke Hills also benefit from community-based conservation initiatives that help ensure wildlife remains an important asset for local communities. For hunters, this means participating in a system where conservation, rural livelihoods, and sustainable hunting work hand in hand.
Pursue Cape buffalo across more than 150,000 acres of free-range wilderness in the rugged Mateke Hills of Zimbabwe's renowned Lowveld region.
The Mateke Hills form part of Zimbabwe's renowned Lowveld region, an area long respected for its exceptional Cape buffalo hunting and traditional free-range hunting opportunities. Characterized by rugged hills, thick bushveld, and expansive wilderness, the Lowveld has built a reputation as one of Southern Africa's premier dangerous game hunting regions.
Bordering some of Zimbabwe's most important wildlife ecosystems, including the Save Valley Conservancy and the greater Gonarezhou landscape, the area supports healthy populations of buffalo, elephant, leopard, and a variety of plains game species. The combination of diverse habitat, strong wildlife numbers, and vast hunting areas continues to attract hunters seeking an authentic African safari experience.
The region also benefits from Zimbabwe's well-established CAMPFIRE conservation model, where wildlife generates meaningful benefits for local communities. Through regulated hunting and sustainable wildlife management, the Lowveld remains one of the country's most successful examples of conservation and rural development working together.
The safari price includes your Cape buffalo trophy fee, daily rates, accommodation, meals, professional hunter services, and government taxes. The following costs may apply depending on individual travel arrangements and safari requirements:
Operating since 2013, Storm has guided hunting safaris throughout Zimbabwe, Mozambique, and South Africa, earning a strong reputation among both dangerous game and plains game hunters. His experience ranges from traditional plains game safaris to some of Africa's most sought-after dangerous game species, including Cape buffalo, lion, leopard, and elephant.
Storm's focus is on delivering professional, ethical, and memorable hunting experiences while ensuring every safari is tailored to the hunter's goals and expectations.
Accommodation is provided in a comfortable safari camp situated within the Mateke Hills concession. Hunters can expect private accommodation, excellent meals, daily housekeeping, and a welcoming atmosphere after a day spent tracking buffalo through Zimbabwe's rugged Lowveld terrain.
Evenings are often spent around the fire sharing stories from the day's hunt, while enjoying African hospitality and cuisine under the stars.
International hunters will typically arrive via Bulawayo International Airport, one of Zimbabwe's primary international gateways. Major airlines provide convenient connections through Johannesburg, Addis Ababa, and Doha, making travel to Zimbabwe straightforward from most international destinations.
Many hunters choose to overnight in Johannesburg when connecting through OR Tambo International Airport, particularly when traveling with firearms. From Bulawayo, the Mateke Hills concession is approximately a three-hour road transfer, with transportation arranged prior to arrival.
Hunters traveling with rifles will find Zimbabwe's firearm import process straightforward, and assistance with the required documentation can be arranged before departure.
Cape buffalo may be hunted throughout the year in Zimbabwe, however the cooler and drier months from April through October are generally considered the most productive. During this period, vegetation becomes less dense, tracking conditions improve, and buffalo are often easier to locate as they concentrate around reliable water sources.
The warmer summer months bring thicker vegetation, increased insect activity, and higher temperatures, which can make tracking more physically demanding. That said, buffalo hunting is ultimately about spoor, patience, and perseverance, and experienced hunters enjoy success throughout the year in the Mateke Hills.
Regardless of season, a free-range Cape buffalo hunt remains one of Africa's most rewarding dangerous game experiences.
Cape buffalo have earned a reputation as one of Africa's toughest and most respected dangerous game animals. While the legal minimum caliber is generally a .375 H&H, many hunters prefer larger calibers such as the .404 Jeffery, .416 Rigby, .458 Lott, or traditional double rifles chambered in .470 or .500 Nitro Express.
The truth is that caliber alone does not guarantee success. The best buffalo rifle is the one you can shoot accurately and confidently under pressure. Many experienced professional hunters would rather see a well-practiced hunter carrying a .375 H&H than a larger rifle they struggle to manage.
Regardless of caliber, buffalo shot placement remains the single most important factor in a successful hunt. A properly placed bullet into the heart and lung area will always outperform a poorly placed shot from the biggest rifle in camp.
Zimbabwe maintains a straightforward firearm import process for visiting hunters. Temporary firearm permits are issued upon arrival, there is currently no permit fee for hunting rifles, and hunters may import up to 100 rounds of ammunition per rifle. Automatic firearms are prohibited, while handguns require special authorization and are generally not permitted on government hunting concessions.
If your idea of buffalo hunting involves tracking fresh spoor through rugged country, following old dagga boys into thick cover, and hunting free-range buffalo on their terms, the Mateke Hills deserve serious consideration. This is traditional African buffalo hunting in one of Zimbabwe's most respected Lowveld hunting regions.
Contact the Game Hunting Safaris team to discuss availability, travel arrangements, observer options, and custom safari requirements.
Please note that terms, conditions and price are subject to change without notice and rates at the time of the hunt will apply
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