Hwange National Park

Hwange National Park is the largest Park in Zimbabwe occupying roughly 14,650 square kilometres. It is located in the northwest corner of the country, with Botswana bordering the park to the West and the National Railways train line to the East. Trains pass through the park and guests staying at camps near the railway may hear trains tooting to clear the tracks of wildlife during the night. The park is about one hour south of the Mighty Victoria Falls. Hwange boasts a tremendous selection of wildlife with over 100 species of mammals and nearly 400 bird species recorded.

The Park’s elephant population is one of the largest in the world; it is home to over 35,000 elephants who in the dry season dominate all the water points in the afternoons. Other animals that can be seen in the park are lion, leopard, cheetah, rhino, buffalo, impala, kudu, sable, eland, waterbuck, zebra, giraffe, baboon and warthog.

Due to the vast size of the park, the landscape varies from deep Kalahari sands in the south to rocky hilly country in the north. The open savanna woodland in the southeast gives way to the thick teak woodland, which in turn becomes mopane woodland. In so many habitats, there is an abundance of animals, birds and general flora. As the park is in a very arid region, the water points are pumped from deep wells underground. At some of these water points there are very comfortable hides to sit in and watch the animals and birds. This makes the park a great place to visit at any time of the year depending on your main interests.