Chizarira National Park
Overview
Zimbabwe Parks
Philip has traveled through Zimbabwe several times and is the author of more than 20 guidebooks to various African destinations.
Although Chizarira has four of the Big Five (rhino is missing), animal densities aren’t huge. The terrain is excellent for leopard, and there is a good variety of herbivores. The main attraction is its enormous wilderness appeal. Walking safaris are a big part of the experience.
Pros & Cons
Wildlife
Elephant and buffalo are regularly seen. There are good populations of antelope including klipspringer, impala and greater kudu. Roan and tsessebe, rarely seen in other parks, are also present. Lion, leopard and spotted hyena are the main predators and Nile crocodile can be found lying on the shoreline.
Scenery
The park’s rugged and dramatic terrain is dominated by the Zambezi escarpment. The park encompasses seven ecological zones, from lowveld valley savannah to highveld broadleaf woodland. Lush pockets of vegetation, fed by natural springs, are found in the valleys between the mountain ridges.
Weather & Climate
Chizarira’s mild climate is subject to two distinctive periods. The Dry season (April to October) is marked by generally warm days and cold nights. Everything changes with the coming of the very warm Wet season (November to March), especially in October when the park’s lower altitudes bake in temperatures of up to 40°C/104°F.
Best Time To Visit
From the middle to the end of the Dry season (July to October) is the best time to spot animals at Chizariria’s waterholes and rivers. Sunny, clear skies and an absence of mosquitoes are other advantages of visiting at this time of year. The greenery does flourish when the rains come, but this tends to be outweighed by unreliable roads.
