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