Gonarezhou National Park
Gonarezhou National Park is situated in the southeastern corner of Zimbabwe, south of the lowveld sugar plantations. Zimbabwe’s second largest game reserve (after Hwange National Park), Gonarezhou borders Kruger National Park of South Africa and Limpopo National Park of Mozambique. Of course the wildlife does not abide by political boundaries and moves freely between the three parks. In particular Kruger’s elephant and eland migrate to Gonarezhou seasonally. There are plans to combine the parks into one large peace park.
The main feature of this Park is the Chilojo Cliffs, which are visible from 50 kilometres away. Morning and evening light give the cliffs a rich hue and dramatically silhouette the distinctive baobab trees. These trees are said to be the source of the famous ‘cream of tartar’. The flowers are pollinated by bats and are a delicacy for antelopes.
Gonarezhou (Gona-re-Zhou) means “Place of the Elephant” in Shona. These majestic beasts have had a tough time here over the years. During the war of independence, this was a no-go area and elephants suffered badly from landmines which were seeded along the Zimbabwe/South Africa border. Combine this with a history of poaching and harsh living conditions and it is easy to understand why the elephants are grumpier here than anywhere else in the country and have little tolerance for mankind.
The Park is divided into two main regions: the Chipinda Pools section in the north and the Mwenezi region in the south. Covering an area of 5,000 square kilometres, the terrain is mainly open grasslands and dense mopane and acacia woodlands. The broad Runde River runs through the Park, flanked by the dramatic red Chilojo cliffs. Composed of oxide-rich sandstone, the cliffs are spectacularly colourful at sunset. The Save and Mwenezi Rivers also wind their way through the hot, semi-arid lowveld, supporting an extensive variety of wildlife including the rare suni antelope and striped king cheetah, Lichtenstein’s hartebeest, bushbuck, buffalo and kudu. The Park is also home to the shy kudu/sitatunga like antelope with a shaggy coat called nyala.
Gonarezhou is a great place for botanists and the southeast section of the Park offers some of the best birding in Zimbabwe. The living-fossil lungfish and Zambezi sharks occur in the rivers. This is an excellent place to walk and explore the real wilderness.
Around the Park are villages of a highly respected tribe called the Shangaani, whose origins are from South Africa. They have retained their traditional way of life and it would be a privilege to visit one of the homes to share the rich culture of these peaceful people.
Visitors should note that game densities are not high in Gonarezhou due to the extremely dry conditions combined with a history of poaching. The appeal of the area lies in its harsh and wild terrain and stunning scenery.
Malilangwe Private Wildlife Reserve
The Malilangwe Wildlife Reserve comprises 105 000 acres of private fenced land to the north of Gonarezhou in south-eastern Zimbabwe.
Image supplied courtesy of Singita Game Reserves
Rich in game and bird life, the Reserve is able to boast not only the big five but also the small six: klipspringer, Sharpe’s grysbok, grey duiker, steenbok, Livingstone’s suni and oribi. This combination of small antelope is unique and has not been recorded together anywhere else in Africa. Other game includes rare species such as wild dog, Lichtenstein’s hartebeest, roan and sable antelope, and high concentrations of black and white rhino. Over 400 species of bird have been recorded at Malilangwe, with the highest concentration of raptors in the world. Rock art can be found on the sandstone cliffs.
The Malilangwe Wildlife Reserve is funded by the Malilangwe Trust, founded by the donations of concerned conservationists around the world. All of the revenues from tourism are channeled back into the Reserve to further the conservation, research and ecotourism efforts and to provide a source of livelihood and development for the surrounding communities.
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Chizarira National Park