National Parks in Zimbabwe

The Republic of Zimbabwe is a country in southern Africa that was a British colony until 1901. Despite its relatively small size, it is packed with massive and beautiful national parks. The Zimbabwe Tourism Authority oversees each of these for the hundreds of thousands of tourists that visit every year, maintaining the natural beauty for all to see.

The most famous of all Zimbabwean attractions is Victoria Falls, one of the natural wonders of the world. The falls are only a mile wide, stretched along the border with Zambia. During high flow months, as much 145 million gallons of the Zambezi River turn over the edge to the canyon floor anywhere from 230 to 350 feet below. Nearby, you’ll find The Big Tree, a 65-foot-tall baobab tree that’s 52-feet around and approximately 1,000 years old.

Hwange is the largest national park in the country and is well-known for its massive elephant population. There are three campsites within the park, as well as extensive wilderness trails for traveling between the various spots for viewing the wide variety of local animals, like gemsbok antelopes, brown hyenas and wild hogs.

If you want to see some endangered species, head to Matobo, an Intensive Protection Zone for both the Black and White rhino. This park lies in the scenic Matobo Hills, a range of granite mountains cut away by erosion and weathering. Hikers enjoy the rugged terrain and magnificent array of wildlife, particularly the large number of black eagles that swoop down from rock formations to snap up prey.

Though Hwange has an overflowing amount of elephants, Gonarezhou is actually known as “Place of Many Elephants.” Three rivers – the Save, Runde and Mwenezi – cut across the landscape, forming many pools and oases where many animals come to drink. Everything from large buffalo to small birds can be seen from vantage points in the park. Among the most stunning sights in the area are the Chilojo Cliffs, red sandstone rock formation high above the Runde River valley.

Out in Zimbabwe’s Eastern Highlands, you’ll find Nyanga. Within its borders is the highest point in the country, Mount Nyangani. The area is known for rolling green slopes below its dolerite and sandstone peaks. Many rivers and streams flow out of the park, making it one of the few areas with a rainforest and consistent tree life. This leads to quite a bit of animal diversity, including blue duiker and samango monkeys, which are only found in that area. On top of that, Lake Gulliver and the park’s dams (Mare, Udu, Purdon and Rhodes) are filled with trout for those interested in fishing.

Lastly, Mana Pools is one of the most popular areas for seeing wildlife on the entire African continent. The park is a lush flood plain filled with a variety of trees, meaning the rainy season leaves behind several lakes. As these recede into the four main pools (“Mana” is “four” in the Shona language), some 350 species of birds and many large mammals – hippos, elephants and waterbucks – come in search of water, followed by predators like leopards and cheetahs. In addition, crocodiles are known to lurk in search of their next meal. It is said few visitors make it out of the park without seeing one of these huge beasts, which makes it one of the most popular national parks in Zimbabwe.

Last Updated: 07/19/2011