Official Matusadona Conservation Trust rates
Matusadona National Park entry fees
Matusadona has two published fee systems and they disagree. The trust that runs the park charges a conservation levy above the ZimParks gazette figure, and its own 2026 schedule is not online. Every figure below names its source and date.
If you only want the answer
Budget $30 per international adult per day. That is the conservation levy the Matusadona Conservation Trust charges according to operators' 2026 rate sheets ($24 for SADC visitors). The ZimParks 2026 gazette says $24 international, $18 SADC and $10 for Zimbabwe residents, so the two systems do not match: confirm with the trust at reservations.matusadona@africanparks.org before you travel. A foreign-registered car adds $5 a day.
Conservation fee (per person, per day)
| International adult, trust conservation levy | $30 | per Changa Safari Camp's 2026/2027 rate sheet; the ZimParks gazette says $24 |
|---|---|---|
| SADC adult, trust conservation levy | $24 | per Changa's SADC rate sheet; the gazette says $18 |
| Zimbabwe resident adult | $10 | the gazette and the trust's 2023 schedule agree |
| Children | $15 / $12 | international / SADC levy per Changa's sheets; the gazette row has no child rate |
| On the water (houseboats, Ume and Sanyati rivers) | $30 | gazette rate including fishing, international; SADC $24, Zimbabwe residents $15 |
The gazette charges the same Matusadona rate whether you visit for the day or sleep in the park; there is no staying-inside discount as at Hwange. The trust's levy is quoted per person per night on lodge rate sheets. Figures checked on 24 September 2026.
Updated 24 September 2026
Two fee systems, and they do not match
ZimParks' 2026 gazette has its own Matusadona row: $24 a day for an international adult, $18 for a SADC visitor and $10 for a Zimbabwe resident. But Matusadona is not run by ZimParks alone. Since November 2019 it has been managed by the Matusadona Conservation Trust, a joint venture of African Parks and ZimParks, and the trust sets and collects its own conservation levy.
Changa Safari Camp's 2026/2027 rate sheets list that levy as $30 per adult and $15 per child for international guests, and $24 and $12 for SADC guests, marked 'subject to change without notice'. Tracks4Africa already reported $30 for international visitors in January 2024. The trust's last complete schedule online is from 2023, when the land fee was $20 international, $15 Africa and $10 resident.
Our reading: budget on the trust's $30, because that is what operators are passing on in 2026, and treat the gazette's $24 as ZimParks' nominal figure. We could not confirm whether the gazette rate is ever charged instead. The only way to be sure is to ask the trust's reservations office: reservations.matusadona@africanparks.org or +263 78 677 4616.
Changa Safari Camp international rate sheet 2026/2027 (PDF) ↗
Vehicle entry (per vehicle, per day)
| Car, pickup or 4x4, foreign registered | $5 | same rate for a day visit or when staying in the park |
|---|---|---|
| Car, pickup or 4x4, Zimbabwe registered | $2 | same rate day or staying |
| Minibus up to 25 seats, foreign registered | $10 | Zimbabwe registered: $5 |
ZimParks gazette 2026, page 23, 'Vehicle Entry Fees For: Matusadonha & Chivero North Bank'. The trust's 2023 schedule and Tracks4Africa (January 2024) give the same $5 for a foreign vehicle.
Updated 24 September 2026
Park-run camping and accommodation (per night)
| Tashinga Campsite, foreign adult | Not published | 2023 schedule: $10 per person; Africa and Zimbabwe residents $5 |
|---|---|---|
| Equipped safari tent hire at Tashinga | Not published | 2023 schedule: $30 per tent, beds and linen included |
| Wilderness campsite, foreign adult | Not published | 2023 schedule: $20 per person; Africa and residents $10 |
| Tashinga Cottages, Albida Camp, Jenje Bush Camp | Not published | no rate online anywhere we could reach |
| Vehicle transfer between airstrip, harbour and campsite | Not published | 2023 schedule: $10 per vehicle per trip |
No official 2026 price for camping or the park-run camps is published online. Book with the trust, not ZimParks: reservations.matusadona@africanparks.org, +263 78 677 4616 (the park says WhatsApp works best because signal is intermittent). ZimParks' 2026 gazette lists no Matusadona accommodation at all.
Updated 24 September 2026
Park activities (per person)
| Guided game drive, about 3 hours | $30 | Heartveld Adventures' 2025-26 list; the trust's 2023 schedule said $20 |
|---|---|---|
| Boat cruise, half day | $30 | same agent list; 2023 schedule: $20 |
| Fishing trip, half day | $30 | same agent list; 2023 schedule: $20 |
| Guided walk | $40 | same agent list, subject to a professional guide being free; 2023 schedule: $15 |
| Matusadona Trails, multi-day backpacking | $275 / day | international; $210 for local and African residents; park fees extra, 3 to 6 guests, no under-12s |
| Fish cleaning | $5 / day | by the Matusadona Ladies Committee (information pack, February 2026) |
The trust publishes no 2026 activity tariff. The $30 and $40 figures come from Heartveld Adventures, a Kariba booking agent, in December 2025. Minimum party: 3 for activities out of Tashinga, 4 from houseboats or from outside the park (2023 schedule). The 2023 sheet charged children half; Heartveld says children now pay full rate.
Updated 24 September 2026
Something this page does not answer?
Fees are the one thing park authorities change without telling anyone, and some of them publish nothing at all.
Ask us. We answer questions about the park itself, and we can usually tell you which camps work on one route and who to write to. If what you want is a trip someone else arranges, we will say so and hand you to an operator we know, and we earn a commission if that becomes a booking.
Nothing on this site sits behind the form. Every figure we have is already on the page.