Gonarezhou National Park

Overview

Gonarezhou National Park, Zimbabwe's second-largest park, is strategically located in the Masvingo province, in the country's south-eastern corner. 

Established as a game reserve in 1934 and proclaimed a national park in 1975, this area represents pristine wilderness due to its remote location. 

Gonarezhou National Park forms a part of the Great Limpopo Transfrontier Conservation Area, a peace park linking it with South Africa's Kruger National Park and Limpopo National Park (Link Opportunity: Limpopo National Park) in Mozambique. 

It covers an area of over 1,951 square miles (5,053 km²) of dense woodlands and open grasslands. Dubbed one of Zimbabwe's most picturesque parks, Gonarezhou boasts a diverse landscape and breathtaking scenery. 

The park’s beauty is unparalleled, from its dramatic sandstone cliffs (656 feet high and 12.4 miles long) to stunning rivers, flood plains, impressive baobab trees, mopane woodland, and palm tree forest. It's no wonder it's an elephant's paradise. 

It is dominated by three major rivers, Save, Runde, and Mwenezi, which form beautiful pools of refreshing water and natural oases that sustain hundreds of bird species and wildlife. 

From the majestic African elephant to the elusive leopard, and from the colorful Lilian's lovebird to the impressive Martial eagle, the park's refreshing rivers, extensive plains and woodlands, and an estimated population of over 11,000 gentle giants make Gonarezhou National Park a wildlife enthusiast's paradise. 

Gonarezhou, known in Shona as "the place of elephants," boasts one of the highest densities of pachyderms in any protected area in Africa, truly deserving of its vernacular name. 

Since 2007, the Zimbabwe Parks and Wildlife Management Authority (ZPWMA) and Frankfurt Zoological Society have jointly managed the park, transforming it into a thriving conservation area. 

These organizations strengthened their partnership in 2017, forming the new Gonarezhou Conservation Trust (GCT), which aims to manage the park for 20 years.