ZimParks | Zimbabwe National Parks & Game Reserves | A-Z List

Zimbabwe National Parks & Game Reserves

Wildlife watching isn’t the only attraction in Zimbabwe’s national parks, though. Hike through the Eastern Highlands or Matobo Hills to see old rock formations and stunning vistas, or go on a boat ride around Lake Kariba to see the wildlife display.

Immerse yourself in the adventure of discovering Victoria Falls, one of the Seven Natural Wonders of the World, and immerse yourself in the country’s unique natural beauties. If you want to go on a safari vacation to Zimbabwe that will be out of this world, our specialists can help you choose the best parks and reserves to visit.

1. Chimanimani National Park

Located in eastern Zimbabwe, Chimanimani National Park is a famous trekking destination and one of the best mountain wilderness places in the country.

On its 17,110 acres, you’ll find springs, breathtaking scenery, cultural and aesthetic treasures, and natural waterfalls like Bridal Veil Falls.

An Important Bird Area (IBA) and Afro-montane forests make it a biodiversity hotspot. Among the 2,182 plant taxa found there, 74 are unique to the Chimanimani Mountains; this accounts for more than 30% of the country’s overall plant diversity. Eland, bushbuck, and blue duiker are among the few animals found in Chimanimani National Park.

2. Chizarira National Park

Perched atop the huge Zambezi escarpment in northwestern Zimbabwe, Chizarira National Park offers breathtaking views of the expansive Zambezi Valley and the upper waters of Lake Kariba.
Amazing canyons, a plethora of natural springs, and a vast picturesque environment are the park’s most recognisable features.

Covering 1910 square kilometres, this park is the fourth biggest in Zimbabwe. It is home to a wide variety of animals, including lions, leopards, buffalo, and elephants, as well as uncommon ones like roan antelopes, sables, and klipspringers.

With more than 360 species recorded, Chizarira is also a haven for birdwatchers. Roosting on the cliffs are the uncommon Taita falcon and the Angolan Pitta. Undeveloped wilderness featuring rugged terrain.
Miombo woodland covers much of the park, with Baobab and Mopane scrubland covering the lower elevations.

3. Mana Pools National Park

Mana Pools National Park lies in the far north of Zimbabwe, bordered to the north by the Zambezi River, which empties into the Indian Ocean.

Covering around 21,96 square kilometres, the park is one of the most breathtaking natural wonders on Earth. It is part of a UNESCO World Heritage Site that also includes five safari areas: Charara, Hurungwe, Sapi, Chewore, and Dande, as well as Lower Zambezi National Park in Zambia.

Being one of the world’s few really wild places, Mana Pools is secluded and unspoiled. The four pools—Green Pool, Chisasiko, Chine, and Long Pool—are together known as “Mana,” which means “four” in the indigenous Shona language. Out of the four, the latter is the largest at six kilometres and is home to a big population of hippos, crocodiles, elephants, and a variety of water birds.

Approximately 380 bird species, as well as painted dogs, antelope of all kinds, and the “big four”—lion, elephant, buffalo, and leopard—call this park home.

Mopane, dense jesse bush, and towering baobab trees cover the regions farther from the Zambezi River, but mature riverine woodlands of natal mahogany, rain tree, and apple ring acacia grow on the alluvial soils of the floodplain area.

4. Gonarezhou National Park

Nestled in the southeastern region of Zimbabwe, Gonarezhou National Park is the country’s second-largest park. It shares a border with South Africa’s Kruger National Park and Zimbabwe’s Limpopo National Park.
The Great Limpopo Trans-frontier Conservation Area encompasses 5,000 km and is a portion of it.

At the confluence of the Save and Runde, which is also the lowest point in Zimbabwe at 162 meters above sea level, you can find all five of the big five animals—elephants, buffalo, rhinos, lions, and leopards—along with more than a hundred different kinds of mammals, four hundred different kinds of birds, and fifty different kinds of fish, including the rare Zambezi shark and small-tooth sawfish.

Wooded grasslands dotted with miombo, alluvial, and mopane woods and tall baobab trees characterise the semi-arid environment.

5. Matobo National Park

Situated in the southwestern region of Zimbabwe, Matobo National Park extends over around 424 square kilometres.
The Matobo Hills, formed by the gradual wear and tear of the granite plateau, are its most distinctive feature. One of three rigorous rhino protection zones under the Parks Estate, the park runs along the Thuli, Mtshelele, Maleme, and Mpopoma river basins.

Among the more than two hundred tree species found in Matobo are the mountain acacia, wild pear, and paperbark acacia. Plus, you can find more than a hundred different kinds of grass, as well as several aloes and wild herbs.

Among the many bird and animal species found in Matobo are sable antelopes, impala, black and white rhinos, and many more. The quantity of hyrax, which constitute half of the leopards’ diet, contributes to the park’s densest population on record. Also present are giraffes, zebras, wildebeests, ostriches, hyenas, and hippos. Furthermore, there are more black eagles and breeding pairs in Matobo National Park than any other park in the world.

Mount Malindidzimu is where the tomb of Cecil Rhodes, creator of the former British colony Rhodesia, is engraved. Rhodes and two of his companions, Sir Charles Patrick Coghlan and Sir Leander Starr Jameson, were laid to rest at this location, which is also called World’s View. An identical stone memorial was built on the spot to commemorate the 35 British soldiers who perished in combat with the Matebele army and were cast into the Shangani River. In addition to showcasing Rhodes’s work as an entrepreneur, explorer, and politician, a compact gallery details his life story in chronological order.

6. Matusadona National Park

The gently undulating Matusadona hills, which are a feature of the park’s water-rich environment, are the inspiration for the park’s name. Lake Kariba forms its northern border, while the perennial rivers Ume and Sanyati form its southern and western edges.

This 1470-square-kilometer park is the first in Zimbabwe to be included in the African Parks mandate; it is remote and rugged.

Located on the southern coast of Lake Kariba, Matusadona National Park is a secluded and picturesque wilderness region with grasslands, thickets, and mopane woods. The Zambezi escarpment’s rocky terrain provides ideal conditions for birdwatching and game viewing, with chances to observe a wide variety of birds as well as plains wildlife like kudu and impala, as well as the big four (elephant, lion, buffalo, and leopard).

7. Nyanga National Park

To the north of the Eastern Highlands in Zimbabwe is Nyanga National Park. At 2,592 meters (8,504 feet), Mt. Nyangani is Zimbabwe’s highest mountain, and in the park’s southern corner lies Mutarazi Falls, the country’s highest waterfall, at 762 meters.

Hilly, verdant landscapes adorned with wattle and pine woods, flat-top acacias, and dwarf msasas are typical of the area. Sprawling orchards brimming with fresh fruit, protea species, and everlastings call the chilly valleys home. With more than 300 species, including migratory birds that fly in from November to April, birdwatching is as abundant as the plant life. The best fly fishing in Mare, Rhodes, Gulliver, and Purdon lake is on the perennial streams that are stocked with rainbow trout. Bream fishing is exclusively done in Udu.

Zebras and various antelope species, including as waterbuck, wildebeest, klipspringer, kudu, and eland, call Nyanga home as well. In the lowlands of Mozambique, you might see leopards, hyenas, and perhaps the rare lion.

8. Hwange National Park

Located in the country’s far northwest, the world-famous Hwange National Park is the biggest national park in Zimbabwe. Scattered across 14,650 square km.

Here you can see more endangered wild dogs than anywhere else in Africa, as well as elephants, sables, and other unique animals, including the largest population of wild dogs in Zimbabwe.

Hwange is home to about 400 bird species and 100 mammal species, including four of the big five: elephant, lion, leopard, and buffalo. Woodlands of teak and mopane and savanna grasslands make up the bulk of the landscape.

9. Zambezi National Park

On a combined area of 56,000 ha, Zambezi and Victoria Falls National Parks form a massive national park system. The park has four of the five big cats—elephants, lions, buffalo, and leopards—and spans forty kilometres along the Zambezi River.

Among the many smaller animals seen in the park are herds of sable, kudu, impala, zebra, and giraffe. Birdwatchers have identified more than 400 bird species, including lanner falcons, goliath herons, and African skimmers.

With over 75 different fish species present, the Zambezi River is well-known as a fishing paradise, especially for its plentiful bream and tough tiger fish. The park is mainly covered by forests of the Zambezian and Mopane savannas.

10. Victoria falls National Park

In the northwest region of Zimbabwe is Victoria Falls National Park, which is crowned by the world’s tallest waterfall—108 meters (355 feet) in height and 1,708 meters (5,604 ft) in width.

Among the seven natural wonders of the world, Victoria Falls is known for its breathtaking scenery and rich cultural history; in 1989, it was included to the list of UNESCO World Heritage Sites. The lush rainforest in this park, which spans around 23.4 square kilometres, receives its water supply from the Falls’ spray.

The powerful Zambezi River, which begins in northwest Zambia and runs 2,700 km across six nations before emptying into the Indian Ocean, is the source of the majestic Falls.

While leopard sightings are somewhat rare, baboons, warthogs, and monkeys make up the bulk of the local wildlife. Mahogany trees, liana vines, palms, and ferns make up the vegetation.

Which are the best National Parks in Zimbabwe to visit?

Discover the best National Parks in Zimbabwe

A few of the top national parks in Zimbabwe are Hwange, Mana Pools, Matusadona, Matobo, Gonarezhou, and Chizarira. The richness of wildlife, the unspoiled natural beauty, and the genuine safari experience are all hallmarks of these national parks.

The Zimbabwe Parks and Wildlife Management Authority (ZimParks) oversees the majority of Zimbabwe’s protected areas. Wildlife from all around the nation can be found in these parks, which protect a variety of ecosystems. The colossal elephant herds and predatory animals like cheetahs and lions make Hwange National Park famous, while walking safaris and canoeing across the Zambezi River among crocodiles and hippos make Mana Pools National Park famous, a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

Matusadona National Park is located on Lake Kariba’s beaches and is a great place to see wildlife and stunning sunsets from a boat. The famous black and white rhino herds and striking balancing rock formations of Matobo National Park are well-known attractions. Gonarezhou, which translates to “Place of Elephants,” is a wild and mountainous safari area in Zimbabwe that is part of the Great Limpopo Transfrontier Park.

The Chilojo Cliffs, balancing rocks, old caves, and baobab-dotted grasslands are just a few of the breathtaking vistas you may expect to see, along with a wide variety of animals. Parks in Zimbabwe provide visitors with more than simply the opportunity to see animals; they also provide an immersive experience of nature and conservation heritage.