Chizarira National Park Overview
As Zimbabwe’s third largest National Park, Chizarira is probably the least known, and yet most diverse in terms of its different ecological zones within the park, ranging from lowveld valley vegetation with Mopane forests and Baobabs, to highveld broad-leaf Miombo woodlands. It is without a doubt one of the most mysterious, dramatic and remote wilderness areas and, unquestionably, one of the most spectacular landscapes with the most breathtaking views available in Zimbabwe today.
Proclaimed as a Reserve in 1958, the National Park was then gazetted to give sanctuary to wildlife driven out of the Zambezi Valley during the formation and rising waters of Lake Kariba. At an estimated 2000 square kilometers, the National Park is primarily situated atop the magnificent Zambezi escarpment mountains which are deeply grooved with thickly wooded gorges. Often referred to as “Home of the Hidden Gorges”, the park contains a number of deeply incised gorges and ravines which slice through the rugged and jagged mountain terrain, particularly in the north of the park where the Sengwa river cuts through on its path to Lake Kariba.
The name ‘Chizarira’ is derived from the local Tonga word, ‘Sijalila’, which means ‘Great Barrier’ and stands as reference to the imposing Zambezi escarpment which drops down to the Zambezi valley floor 500m below. The park’s north-eastern edge is marked by Tundazi, a spectacularly high mountain which, according to local legend, is the home of an immense and powerful serpent. Mountain acacias adorn ridges, flanking the springs and seeps which hold surprisingly lush pockets of vegetation, creating a haven for bird species and smaller mammals alike. Down on the floodplains there is a remarkable similarity to Mana Pools National Park with towering evergreen trees and lush vegetation surrounding deep pans.
Over the years, due to its remote location, its relatively small number of visitors and a lack of tourism infrastructure all led to diminishing resources and the park became easy to exploit suffering a loss of species due to an increase in poaching and vulnerable to fire outbreaks.
Once a refuge for the endangered black rhinoceros, they are unfortunately, no longer present and populations of other species are not as dense as in other parks across the country.
Today however the situation is changing. Zimbabwe National Parks and Wildlife Management Authority have formed an agreement with National Park Rescue and Bhejane Trust to assist in the rehabilitation of Chizarira National Park to ensure it’s future protection and preservation. The work underway as a result of this collaboration will provide the wildlife within Chizarira the much needed protection and an opportunity to bounce back.
Visiting Chizarira has never been about seeing large herds of animals. It has been about appreciating it’s pristine wilderness and biodiversity, savouring the epic landscapes and absorbing the incredible tranquility which the park offers. Securing Chizarira National Park will ultimately preserve one of Zimbabwe’s last great wilderness areas and protect important populations of threatened species including elephant, lion, leopard and the rare Taita Falcon. The result will be an increase of tourism to the area, generating funds for the park and providing livelihood opportunities for the surrounding communities.
When To Travel
Chizarira enjoys a mild, temperate climate across most of the year. The coldest months are May through to August with the warmest months being September through to March. There is a large variance in altitude in Chizarira with changes from 704 – 1,240m (2,310 to 4,068ft). For every 1,000m you travel upward, temperatures fall by approximately 6.5°C, so it is not unusual to experience a variety of climates inside the park.
April to August
April sees the end of the wet season and the temperatures quickly drop as winter sets in. Daytime temperatures are around 26°C, but at night and in the early morning the temperature drops to around 10°C.
September & October
These months are dry, with the first rains usually arriving towards the end of October bringing much needed relief after the high temperatures of October. By late October, temperatures reach over and above 31°C during the heat of the day, with October peaks reaching up to 40°C. As the vegetation dries out, sightings are easier and a number of species can be seen along the rivers and springs in the gorges below.
November to March
November sees the full onslaught of the rains and the vegetation quickly begins to transfer into a lush green haven with a number of the Gorges displaying beautiful waterfalls. These are the wettest months and whilst it will rain most days, it is very seldom that it will rain for the duration of a full day. Rains are usually afternoon showers, followed by hours of sunshine. Daytime temperatures average 28°C, whilst night times drop down to an average of 19°C.
Getting There
Chizarira National Park is remote and historically has been difficult to access. Located in the northwest of the country, just south of Lake Kariba and an estimated 350km by road from Victoria Falls. Self-drives are recommend to allocate an estimated 6 hour drive between Victoria Falls and Chizarira. The condition of the access roads is often bad, and a good 4WD is essential. We do not recommend attempting to access Chizarira without a 4 x 4 vehicle. In the dry season, the road is often a 4WD challenge, with indistinct tracks, washed out river beds and deep ruts, while in the wet season, several of the roads often becomes impassable. Road grading has however been underway for the past few months and new road developments, including 4 x 4 routes for varying levels of experience, is in the pipeline. The airstrip has been refurbished and the Mucheni viewpoint and Mucheni Gorge campsites have had a facelift and now have running water and toilet facilities.
Species
Wildlife
Chizarira is excellent country for leopard which thrive in this kind of rocky, broken and jagged landscape and it has fairly good populations of antelope from kudu and klipspringers to impala and if you are lucky, roan. The park also contains buffalo, elephant, and a small population lion.
Birdlife
Chizarira National Park is, in essence, a birders paradise with close to around 400 different species. The park contains an estimated 70% of Zimbabwe’s total bird species and includes specialties such as the Narina Trogon, Livingstone Flycatcher, African Broadbill, Yellow-spotted Nicator, Racket-tailed Roller, River Warbler, Miombo Double-collared Sunbirds, Black-eared Seed eater, Barred Long-tailed Cuckoo, and the rare and elusive Angola Pitta. Most raptors can be found in the park including the Verreaux’s Eagle which nest in the Mucheni Gorge at the view point and are frequently harassed by the much smaller Peregrine Falcon. The African Crowned Eagle is generally found along the riverine of Makula Spring and the near threatened species of Ayre’s Hawk-eagle are seen as well as Black Storks and Taita Falcon which breed in the cliffs and gorges.
As Zimbabwe’s third largest National Park, Chizarira is probably the least known, and yet most diverse in terms of its different ecological zones within the park, ranging from lowveld valley vegetation with Mopane forests and Baobabs, to highveld broad-leaf Miombo woodlands. It is without a doubt one of the most mysterious, dramatic and remote wilderness areas and, unquestionably, one of the most spectacular landscapes with the most breathtaking views available in Zimbabwe today.
Proclaimed as a Reserve in 1958, the National Park was then gazetted to give sanctuary to wildlife driven out of the Zambezi Valley during the formation and rising waters of Lake Kariba. At an estimated 2000 square kilometers, the National Park is primarily situated atop the magnificent Zambezi escarpment mountains which are deeply grooved with thickly wooded gorges. Often referred to as “Home of the Hidden Gorges”, the park contains a number of deeply incised gorges and ravines which slice through the rugged and jagged mountain terrain, particularly in the north of the park where the Sengwa river cuts through on its path to Lake Kariba.
The name ‘Chizarira’ is derived from the local Tonga word, ‘Sijalila’, which means ‘Great Barrier’ and stands as reference to the imposing Zambezi escarpment which drops down to the Zambezi valley floor 500m below. The park’s north-eastern edge is marked by Tundazi, a spectacularly high mountain which, according to local legend, is the home of an immense and powerful serpent. Mountain acacias adorn ridges, flanking the springs and seeps which hold surprisingly lush pockets of vegetation, creating a haven for bird species and smaller mammals alike. Down on the floodplains there is a remarkable similarity to Mana Pools National Park with towering evergreen trees and lush vegetation surrounding deep pans.
Over the years, due to its remote location, its relatively small number of visitors and a lack of tourism infrastructure all led to diminishing resources and the park became easy to exploit suffering a loss of species due to an increase in poaching and vulnerable to fire outbreaks.
Once a refuge for the endangered black rhinoceros, they are unfortunately, no longer present and populations of other species are not as dense as in other parks across the country.
Today however the situation is changing. Zimbabwe National Parks and Wildlife Management Authority have formed an agreement with National Park Rescue and Bhejane Trust to assist in the rehabilitation of Chizarira National Park to ensure it’s future protection and preservation. The work underway as a result of this collaboration will provide the wildlife within Chizarira the much needed protection and an opportunity to bounce back.
Visiting Chizarira has never been about seeing large herds of animals. It has been about appreciating it’s pristine wilderness and biodiversity, savouring the epic landscapes and absorbing the incredible tranquility which the park offers. Securing Chizarira National Park will ultimately preserve one of Zimbabwe’s last great wilderness areas and protect important populations of threatened species including elephant, lion, leopard and the rare Taita Falcon. The result will be an increase of tourism to the area, generating funds for the park and providing livelihood opportunities for the surrounding communities.
Chizarira enjoys a mild, temperate climate across most of the year. The coldest months are May through to August with the warmest months being September through to March. There is a large variance in altitude in Chizarira with changes from 704 – 1,240m (2,310 to 4,068ft). For every 1,000m you travel upward, temperatures fall by approximately 6.5°C, so it is not unusual to experience a variety of climates inside the park.
April to August
April sees the end of the wet season and the temperatures quickly drop as winter sets in. Daytime temperatures are around 26°C, but at night and in the early morning the temperature drops to around 10°C.
September & October
These months are dry, with the first rains usually arriving towards the end of October bringing much needed relief after the high temperatures of October. By late October, temperatures reach over and above 31°C during the heat of the day, with October peaks reaching up to 40°C. As the vegetation dries out, sightings are easier and a number of species can be seen along the rivers and springs in the gorges below.
November to March
November sees the full onslaught of the rains and the vegetation quickly begins to transfer into a lush green haven with a number of the Gorges displaying beautiful waterfalls. These are the wettest months and whilst it will rain most days, it is very seldom that it will rain for the duration of a full day. Rains are usually afternoon showers, followed by hours of sunshine. Daytime temperatures average 28°C, whilst night times drop down to an average of 19°C.
Chizarira National Park is remote and historically has been difficult to access. Located in the northwest of the country, just south of Lake Kariba and an estimated 350km by road from Victoria Falls. Self-drives are recommend to allocate an estimated 6 hour drive between Victoria Falls and Chizarira. The condition of the access roads is often bad, and a good 4WD is essential. We do not recommend attempting to access Chizarira without a 4 x 4 vehicle. In the dry season, the road is often a 4WD challenge, with indistinct tracks, washed out river beds and deep ruts, while in the wet season, several of the roads often becomes impassable. Road grading has however been underway for the past few months and new road developments, including 4 x 4 routes for varying levels of experience, is in the pipeline. The airstrip has been refurbished and the Mucheni viewpoint and Mucheni Gorge campsites have had a facelift and now have running water and toilet facilities.
Wildlife
Chizarira is excellent country for leopard which thrive in this kind of rocky, broken and jagged landscape and it has fairly good populations of antelope from kudu and klipspringers to impala and if you are lucky, roan. The park also contains buffalo, elephant, and a small population lion.
Birdlife
Chizarira National Park is, in essence, a birders paradise with close to around 400 different species. The park contains an estimated 70% of Zimbabwe’s total bird species and includes specialties such as the Narina Trogon, Livingstone Flycatcher, African Broadbill, Yellow-spotted Nicator, Racket-tailed Roller, River Warbler, Miombo Double-collared Sunbirds, Black-eared Seed eater, Barred Long-tailed Cuckoo, and the rare and elusive Angola Pitta. Most raptors can be found in the park including the Verreaux’s Eagle which nest in the Mucheni Gorge at the view point and are frequently harassed by the much smaller Peregrine Falcon. The African Crowned Eagle is generally found along the riverine of Makula Spring and the near threatened species of Ayre’s Hawk-eagle are seen as well as Black Storks and Taita Falcon which breed in the cliffs and gorges.
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