Gonarezhou National Park is a game reserve in south-eastern Zimbabwe. It is situated in a relatively remote corner of the country, south of Chimanimani and out of the woods, the park is a region of baobabs, scrublands and sandstone cliffs.

At 5,053 km² Gonarezhou is the country’s second largest game reserve after Hwange National Park. Gonarezhou is a Shona name meaning place of elephants in Shona.

It forms part of the Great Limpopo Transfrontier Park, a peace park that links Gonarezhou with the Kruger National Park in South Africa and the Limpopo National Park in Mozambique. Animals can move freely between the three sanctuaries.

History

The Gonarezhou National Park was formed in 1975, by uniting former hunting areas and tsetse fly control corridors. The park was closed to the public during the Rhodesian War but was re-opened in 1994.

Accommodation

• Mahenye Safari Lodge - a group of Shangaan-style thatched lodges in a riverine forest on an island in the Save River.
• Senuko Safari Lodge - meaning the place where animals drink in Shangaan
• Chilo Gorge Safari Lodge