Gorongosa National Park
Expert Reviews (5)
Mozambique Parks
Sue is an award-winning writer who specializes in African travel and conservation. She writes for national newspapers, magazines, Rough Guides and Lonely Planet.
6 people found this review helpful.
Glorious Gorongosa
Gorongosa is a special place: I love it as much for its romance and history as for its wildlife and scenery. Although it’s not the easiest or cheapest place to get to (a flight to Beira is the best way, then it’s a drive of at least four hours), once there, you’ll be part of one of the most incredible conservation projects on the continent.
In the 1950s Gorongosa attracted Hollywood A-listers like Ava Gardner and Gregory Peck, but later took center stage in the internecine conflicts in Mozambique, with both Renamo and Frelimo forces decimating the wildlife. Greg Carr, an American philanthropist, stepped in to save the park in 2004 and has since helped regenerate it to such an extent that it is now thriving. It’s been described as the most biodiverse park on the planet and new species previously unknown to science have been discovered here.
It’s beautiful too, with expansive golden plains, lakes and mountains, and fabulous fever-tree forests and palms. The wildlife is returning with lion populations being restored, wild dogs making an appearance and absolutely masses of antelopes. I visited twice, five years apart, and was blown away by its progress during those intervening years. It’s been bruised and battered, but its beauty still shines through and I desperately want to return…
Philip is an acclaimed travel writer and author of many guidebooks, including the Bradt guides to Uganda, Tanzania, Kenya and South Africa.
6 people found this review helpful.
Mozambique’s Conservation Flagship
One of Africa’s finest safari destinations during the colonial era, Gorongosa went through a lean time during the post-independence civil war, when it virtually served as a laager to the troops based within it. Since 2004, however, it has gained ground as a genuinely worthwhile safari destination, and the best non-marine wildlife-viewing destination in Mozambique. Our visit focused on the floodplains, where we saw plenty of waterbuck, reedbuck, impala and other antelope, as well as lion, elephant and buffalo, all at close quarters. We also enjoyed the dazzling variety of waterbirds on the floodplain, and made a side trip to climb nearby Mount Gorongosa, home to southern Africa’s only population of the eagerly sought green-headed oriole (we missed out, but our guide reckoned the odds of a sighting are 50/50). Overall, this is a fabulous work-in-progress, and it should only get better, though recent instability along the Beira Corridor – the main access road – has put an end to self-drive exploration.
US
Mary is an acclaimed travel writer and author of many Lonely Planet guidebooks, including South Africa, Tanzania, East Africa and Africa.
3 people found this review helpful.
A Conservation Success Story in the Making
Beautiful Gorongosa, with its mix of grasslands, lake and forest, is a completely unique safari experience. The park, once a gem on the southern African safari circuit, was plundered during Mozambique’s long war and it was only in the early 2000s, with the support of American philanthropist Greg Carr, that it began to breathe again. Over the past two decades, Gorongosa has experienced a remarkable revival. The best places for spotting wildlife are at Lake Urema and on the surrounding floodplains. With luck you may see some of the park’s once-famous lions, as well as elephant, buffalo, wildebeest and waterbuck. The lake itself hosts hippos, crocodiles and a wealth of waterbirds. At the park’s only lodge, vervet monkeys play in the trees and warthogs wander on the lawn. Wild dogs were reintroduced in 2018, and are now seen with some regularity, and the abundance and variety of birds is almost immediately obvious, even to the untrained eye and ear. Community involvement has been a hallmark of Gorongosa’s rehabilitation, and one of the park’s attractions is being able to visit surrounding villages and learn about efforts to integrate conservation with improvement of local livelihoods. Another Gorongosa highlight is the chance to hike on the lower slopes of nearby Mt Gorongosa, with its pretty waterfalls and vistas. Due to seasonal flooding, Gorongosa is closed from December to April.