Visit Matusadona National Park

How to get there: Matusadona National Park

• By Air; A small, 800 metre landing strip is available at Tashinga Camp and can take small aircraft. The strip is licensed Category II.
• By Boat; Visitors can come in from Bumi Hills located14 kilometres from Tashinga, or 50 kilometres across the Lake from Kariba town.
• By Road; Normally the Park is reached via Karoi, but it can also be accessed from Victoria Falls, via Binga. If traveling from Karoi, 8 kilometres north of Karoi on the Harare-Chirundu Road turn left through the Hurungwe communal land. 115 kilometres from Karoi you cross the Sanyati River. You continue on the Binga Road for a further 62 kilometres and then turn right and continue for 82 kilometrs to Tashinga which is the headquarters of the Park. Except for a short distance of narrow tar, when one leaves the Harare-Chirundu Road, the roads are either gravel or dirt. The last 82 kilometres are rough and not suitable for saloon and low clearance vehicles. It is advisable to enquire about the condition of the road before starting your journey. Game viewing roads are closed during the rainy season

What to take with you

• Camping equipment
• Food supplies

Activities:

• Unbridled adventure in the extreme wild
• Hiking and escarpment climbing
• Game viewing along the lake shoreline from the safety of houseboats
• Fishing in the rivers and inlets
• Bird watching in the breathtaking Sanyati Gorge
• Game drives
• Boating and canoeing safaris

Attractions: Matusadona National Park

The Environs of Matusadona:

• The southern boundary of the Park is the Omay communal land and the northern boundary is the lakeshore. The eastern side of Sanyati Gorge and the middle of the Ume River provide the east and west boundaries respectively.

Flora and Fauna:

• Matusadona has three distinct ecological areas. First is the lake and shoreline grassland; second, the Zambezi Valley floor, a mass of thick jesse and mopane woodland, and; third, the Escarpment area of Julbernadia and Brachystegia woodlands.
• The Jesse/ Mopani area is sparsely grassed, but provides habitat for browsers, most notably the black rhino. Elephants range throughout the Park, seeking the shade of the Jesse in the heat of the day.
• The Escarpment rises some 700 metres above the Valley floor and is extremely rugged. Over the years, elephant and fire depredations have caused the once substantial woodlands to dwindle, and in parts, grasslands have taken over. It became necessary to take control measures to reduce the elephant population to a manageable size. It also became necessary to carry out early burning programmes in the upper escarpment, to prevent later, hot fires from raging through and causing serious damage to tree growth.The effectiveness of the programmes can now be seen by the tremendous regrowth apparent in the Escarpment area.
• Animal species that are found in abundance include elephant and buffalo. Other common species are those of: night ape, honey badger, civet, small spotted genet, slender mongoose, banded mongoose, spotted hyaena, wild cat, lion, leopard, yellow spotted dassie, black rhinoceros, zebra, warthog, common duiker, grysbok, klipspringer, waterbuck, bushbuck, scrub hare, porcupine, vervet monkey, chacma baboon, side-striped jackal, hippopotamus, roan antelope, kudu and bush squirrel. Some of the more elusive species include: clawless otter, white-tailed mongoose, reedbuck, sable antelope, eland, civet, rusty spotted genet, caracal and bush pig. Animals that are present but only sighted on rare occasions include wild dog, cheetah, roan and pangolin.

Where to Stay: Matusadona National Park

Facilities;

• Lodges & Campsites

Tashinga Camp;

• The Park has a camping site at Tashinga on the lake shore. There is an ablution block with hot and cold water, showers, toilets, wash basins and baths. Firewood and braai facilities are available. Some of the camping sites have sleeping shelters.

Sanyati Camp;

• There is a smaller camping site at Sanyati consisting of 6 sites, each with a braai stand. There is an ablution block with hot and cold water and laundry trough.

Changachirere Camp;

• Changachirere Camping Site is an exclusive camping site that caters for one party of a maximum of 10 persons. The facility has a mini-ablution block and shelter.

Undeveloped Bush Camps;

• There are also 2 totally undeveloped bush camping sites at Jenje and Kanjedza for up to a maximum of 10 persons per camp. Visitors must be fully equipped and have a four wheel drive vehicle for this section.

Exclusive Campsites;

• Ume; Situated close to Tashinga airstrip on the east bank of the Bumi River, 55 kilometres from Kariba by boat.
• Muuyu; Situated at Elephant Point, 44 kilometres from Kariba by boat.
• Mbalabala; Also situated on the Bumi River upstream around 300 metres beyond Ume Camp.
• Other exclusive camp sites can be found at Maronga close to the Chifudzi substation and Kautsiga sited on the escarpment which is ideal for hikers and climbers.