The Closest Rhino Encounter In The World

We experienced the closest rhino encounter in the world when we visited Amalinda Lodge in the Matobo region of Zimbabwe. It’s thrilling to know that there are still places where rhinos are safe, and can be approached easily on foot.

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Elaine got to within 20 feet of this rhino family. Yes, she was a tiny bit nervous.

Our Previous Rhino History

We have tracked rhino on foot in several places. In Botswana, we got only distant glimpses before the rhinos took off in a cloud of dust. We were mock charged from some distance in Hluhluwe game reserve in South Africa. On a walking safari in Kruger National Park, we got within 100 yards of a mother and calf before she let us know that to approach closer would be foolhardy in the extreme. We’ve even stalked rhinos on horseback (which you can see here).

So if you’re planning on a close encounter in the wild with the world’s second largest land mammal, it pays to find a place where you can actually approach them safely. Amalinda Lodge at the Matobo National Park in Zimbabwe is such a place.

Up Close and Personal Is Hard to Find

As with swimming with whale sharks or sitting down with gorillas, walking closely with rhinos is a lifetime experience that’s not easy to find. Consider this: White Rhinos (the species we were viewing, and the largest) weigh about 5,000 lbs and stand 6 foot at the shoulder. Also know that they have poor eyesight, but a great sense of smell, and can accelerate from 0 to 30 mph in a few steps. You, on the other hand, if you’re very fast, can run at about half that speed for maybe 100 yards. So, in most places it’s smart to approach very carefully and remain at a distance because rhinos who feel threatened are apt to charge first and ask questions later. You usually want to be downwind of them so they can’t smell you, and have a tree handy in case they charge. Derek’s mother, Renee, vividly remembers scaling a thorn tree as her only refuge while a rhino stormed past. She described it as an express train coming at her at full speed. Probably something to avoid. So, getting up close is a rare experience, and one we highly recommend.

Why Zimbabwe’s Matobo National Park Offers The Closest Encounters With Rhinos.

Matobo National Park is set in the fabled Matobos Hills (also known as Matopos – the former “colonial” name). Faced with extensive rhino poaching in other reserves, the Zimbabweans decided to concentrate their rhinos in a beautiful reserve where there are plenty of wild animals – just no predators, like lions or leopards. They have also taken strict anti-poaching measures to keep poachers out. This means that the rhinos, while completely wild,  can relax free of worry about predation from big cats or humans. The result is that they are comfortable with benign visits from harmless humans who tread softly and bear cameras, and will allow them to approach really, really close.

Our Closest Rhino Encounter Ever

Amalinda Lodge is located right on the edge of the Matobo National Park, and they run daily safaris to see the rhinos up close. Within minutes of boarding our open jeep, our guide had spotted a crash of rhinos (yes that’s term for a group of rhinosceri!). We dismounted and stealthily followed an armed anti-poaching ranger into the bush. Hearts beating fast, we walked as quietly as possible into a position downwind of the feeding family. Two adults and a calf were the first we saw. When you’re on foot their huge size relative to, for example, you, is immediately apparent. Did we mention that they weigh about 5,000 lbs? In addition, they are not always known for their good tempers, especially when a calf is present. So we were highly motivated to keep extremely quiet.

When we got to within about 20 yards, the adults caught our scent and raised their heads suddenly. We froze in place, until they seemed to relax. Our guide waved us on, and we came as close as 10 feet from these giants. We stood silently n wonder at this unique opportunity to observe this highly endangered animal’s behavior at first hand.

We watched this mother rhino and calf from just a few feet away. She became used to our presence.

An Exciting Privilege

We were awed by the privilege of being able to spend so much time with these beautiful, prehistoric animals at such close quarters. This is not an experience enjoyed by many people. Amalinda and other nearby lodges are small, and our group of 6 guests were the only people tracking the rhinos. You will not see bunches of safari vehicles jockeying for position. This is all about a private, one on one encounter.

More About Amalinda

Our room at Amalinda Lodge

Amalinda is the perfect place from which to stage your rhino encounter. It’s a very comfortable lodge cleverly built right into the gorgeous rocks of the Matobo Hills. The rooms are all unique, and have fabulous views and amenities. And the pool is to die for. Other great activities are the walks to see the San rock art paintings: ancient artworks are dotted all over the rocks in these hills. They’re older and more colorful than the cave paintings in say, France, – and you don’t have lines of people and restricted viewing.

Another great site is the mystical valley where Cecil John Rhodes’ grave lies (the man responsible for the Rhodes scholarship among many other things.)

Check out the details in this video. You can book your Amalinda safari and read reviews from other guests here.

Another dimension: The Mother Africa Trust

Another unique feature at Amalinda is the ability to do safari-tailored volunteering. Amalinda runs the Mother Africa Trust, which supports locals schools, conservation education and so on. Guests can combine a safari with volunteer work to help Mother Africa Trust in its work to elevate the local communities. Your safari can be much more fulfilling than you think! We had a wonderful experience visiting the local schools, and we highly recommend adding this dimension to your trip.

This video will give you an idea of what’s being done. In partnership with US Africa Childrens’ Fellowship, we donated digital library devices to Mother Africa Trust, which is designed to bridge the gap between rural and city students. The devices provides massive amounts of teaching material on a solar-powered local area network, meaning that schools without electrical power or internet access can nevertheless access a new world of information. The kids and the teachers really appreciated the effort, which we hope will help transform some lives in the long run. The fact is that Zimbabwe is struggling and needs all the help it can get.

About The Amalinda Collection

Apart from the its namesake Amalinda Lodge, the Amalinda Collection owns 4 other lodges around the massive Hwange National Park. So you can combine the closest rhino encounter we describe above with volunteering and/or with a safari at Hwange, one of Africa’s greatest, with a population of about 40,000 elephants.

So Amalinda gave us both the closest rhino encounter we have ever had – and the closest elephant interaction as well! We stayed at their Ivory Lodge, and you can read all about that here: Ivory Lodge review

Here’s our video of that action:

Conclusion

Amalinda Collection lodges are really comfortable, family run exclusive oases which only host a very limited number of guests. The Stead family owners have a deep commitment to conservation, the community and ensuring that their guests have amazing experiences. Their lodges are also much reasonably priced than comparable lodges in neighboring countries – and they offer the closest rhino encounter anywhere! Find out everything you need to know at https://www.amalindacollection.com/

If you’d like to book a one-on-one consultation to discuss your safari plans with us, go to https://clarity.fm/ittakes2totravel and send us a message.