Gonarezhou National Park
Zimbabwe's second-largest national park (over 5 000 km²), Gonarezhou, offers spectacular scenery, including the famous Chilojo Cliffs, wide meandering rivers and extensive woodlands.
Home to over 11 000 elephants, 89 species of mammal and over 500 species of bird, Gonarezhou and surrounding private game reserves should be high on the list of attractions to visit when in Zimbabwe.
Gonarezhou National Park Facts
- Size: +5 000km²
- Location: South-eastern Zimbabwe
- Altitude: 165m to 575m above sea level
- Accommodation: Gonarezhou Lodges
Where is Gonarezhou National Park located?
Located in the remote and wild south-eastern corner of Zimbabwe on the border with Mozambique. The closest recognisable town would be Masvingo (home of the Great Zimbabwean ruins), and that is in the region of 300 kilometres away depending on what road is taken.
Click here to see the exact location of the Gonarezhou National Park on Google maps; Google Maps - Gonarezhou National Park
Best Time to Visit Gonarezhou National Park?
The dry season (winter) in Zimbabwe is the best time to visit the park for wildlife and mild to warm temperatures, May to October are the months one should be looking at when planning a safari here.
Summer is the wet season, and when the rain falls, access to parts of the park are restricted or cut off due to rising water and bad tracks. November to April are the summer months; temperatures can and do exceed 40° Celcius.
Information On Gonarezhou National Park
Gonarezhou, 'abode of the elephant' in the local language of Shona, offers visitors the chance to spot 4 of Africa's 'Big 5" (unfortunately, all rhino have been poached out of the park) hippo, crocodile and a whole host of other mammals.
The flat, undulating country is broken by the valleys of three rivers (Mwenezi, Rundi and Save) and by isolated hills here and there. The Chilojo Cliffs border the Runde River, and the Park includes the Grieve Pans, which fill with water in the rainy season.
A remote and wild corner of Zimbabwe that sees very few international or local tourists resulting in a safari here where one basically has the entire park to one's self.
A little interesting aspect of Gonarezhou is that the National Park officially forms part of the Great Limpopo Transfrontier Park (the Kruger National Park (South Africa) and Limpopo National Park (Mozambique) in which wildlife can move freely between the three sanctuaries.
Main Attractions Of Gonarezhou National Park
- Wildlife
- Birdlife
- Remote and wild
- Chilojo Cliffs
- 11 000 plus elephants
- Incredible wildlife
- Save River
- Singita Pamushana Lodge
Singita Pamushana in the private Malilangwe Reserve offers visitors incredible game viewing and birdlife sightings, including the famed 'Big 5' but some of Southern Africa's most scenic bushveld vistas.
Singita Pamushana Lodge ranks with the best lodges that Africa and Southern Africa have to offer.
- Amalinda Lodge
Amalinda Lodge, situated 45 kilometres south of Bulawayo, is a privately owned and family-run lodge that offers up excellent accommodation options and safari activities.
Take full advantage of all that the Matobo Hills have to offer when staying at Amalinda.
- Singita Malilangwe House
Singita Malilangwe House, with five luxuriously appointed bedrooms, is the ideal destination for a small group of friends or family seeking the ultimate privacy.
Malilangwe House is perched on a sandstone ridge with views of the surrounding landscape and Malilangwe Dam below.
- Bomani Tented Lodge
Bomani Tented Lodge in a private 5000-acre reserve just outside Hwange National Park offers up game drives, horseback safaris, and walking options for guests, birding in the summer months is spectacular.
The perfect Zimbabwe safari lodge and wilderness experience in Hwange for families and romantics alike.
- Victoria Falls Safari Lodge
Victoria Falls Safari Lodge is located just 4km from Victoria Falls, one of Southern Africa's must-visit destinations with excellent accommodation options and, most importantly, access to the Falls, the Zambezi River and the Zambezi National Park.
- Somalisa Acacia Camp
Somalisa Acacia Camp is the perfect hideaway for families, honeymooners or a small group of friends, an intimate and luxurious safari lodge within a private concession hidden away deep in Hwange National Park.
The wildlife surrounding the camp is exceptional no matter the time of year.