All 4 in 3 days here: ~60%
Gonarezhou National Park
🇿🇼 Zimbabwe
Southern Africa, Zimbabwe 949 spp. recorded
Gonarezhou is a protected tropical savanna located in southeastern Zimbabwe, featuring expansive acacia woodlands and winding sandy riverbeds. This remote wilderness stands apart from other reserves through its sweeping acacia thickets and seasonal watercourses. The African Bush Elephant serves as the defining species of the region, frequently sighted gathering near seasonal pools during the dry afternoons.
-21.391° S 32.070° E
🦜 Nature
470 Species sighted
10,671 Verified sightings From 2019 to 2026
Oct Best month
⭐ Iconic Species
📊 Most Spotted
⭐ Iconic Species
📊 Most Spotted
📊 Most Spotted
📊 Most Spotted
📊 Most Spotted
📊 Most Spotted
🌙 Most active after dark
+ 677 more species with insufficient data
Challenges you can complete here
All 4 in 3 days here: ~40%
All 4 in 3 days here: ~30%
All 5 in 3 days here: ~30%
Recent sightings in Gonarezhou National Park
LIVEiNaturalistSighting Calendar
How many species you'd see in a day
9.5Jan
60Feb
16Mar
24Apr
87May
17Jun
69Jul
79Aug
85Sep
97Oct
81Nov
14Dec
Sighting Zones
Warmer areas are where all species together are recorded most often.
-
Chipinda Pools
Daily sight. prob.vs avg -
North-east park edge
Daily sight. prob.vs avg -
Chilojo 2
Daily sight. prob.vs avg
🏕️ Experience
Essentials
Entrance
Paid
Tourism
Low
Typical stay
2–3
daysTrails
Easy
World Heritage
No
Climate
Temp °C Rain mm
JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec
0.0 World-class
Wallace's Line Score
How good is this park for seeing wildlife? 🦜
Biodiversity
GoodHow rich is the wildlife?
4.0
Species by taxon
🦅 Birds 602
🐒 Mammals 179
🦎 Reptiles 127
🐸 Amphibians 41
949 Total Species
828 Global average across 316 parks
32 Threatened 16 Endemic
🔭
Sighting
ExcellentHow likely to see animals?
5.0
🎯
Top-12 Avg Probability
72% 📊
Coverage (352 species at ≥5% of 949 in the inventory)
37% 🔀
Taxon variety in top 12 (11 bird, 1 mammal)
20% 🔭
Species per 10 outings (distinct species a visitor would meet over 10 outings — effort held equal across parks)
214 🌟
Iconic-group species (≥15%) (every species from the 19 iconic groups — monkeys, cats, toucans, macaws, sloths, crocodilians… — not just the 4 highlighted above)
52 ⭐
High-prob species (>40%)
73 🏕️
Experience
ExcellentHow easy and pleasant is the visit?
4.8
Climate Pleasant High
Entrance Paid Low
Tourism Low High
Trails Easy High
World Heritage No —
What visitors say
As we checked out of the campground we spotted some baboon and Hadeda Ibis grazing the wet grassland.
We also spot the Small Five: antlion, leopard tortoise, elephant shrew, buffalo weaver, rhino beetle.
I saw fresh lion tracks and heard distant roars at night, but it took several days before I finally glimpsed two lions at dawn, silhouetted against the riverbank far away.
Our two Land Cruisers had zero issues with the fords, but as we returned on the first day after exploring the north side of the Runde River we noticed some fellow campers (they were in an adjacent site and were in Gonarezhou to fish - locals from Chiredzi) struggling with the ford.
Before you go
What animals can you see in Gonarezhou National Park?
949 species
Gonarezhou National Park has 949 recorded vertebrate species. The ones wildlife watchers report most often on a given day are Egyptian Goose (about 80%), Emerald-spotted Wood-Dove (about 80%), Meves's Glossy-starling (about 80%), Cape Turtle Dove (about 70%) and Fork-tailed Drongo (about 70%). Among mammals, the most-seen is African Bush Elephant (about 70%); among reptiles, Nile Crocodile (about 60%); among amphibians, Grey Foam-nest Treefrog (about 40%).
When is the best time to visit Gonarezhou National Park for wildlife?
May and July–November
In those months the park's 12 most-seen species average about 70% on a given day, against about 60% in February. Those are among Gonarezhou National Park's driest months, with about 20 mm of rain a month against 150 mm in January.
Can you see an African Bush Elephant in Gonarezhou National Park?
Yes
About 70% of wildlife watchers report an African Bush Elephant sighting in Gonarezhou National Park on a given day, based on 43 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data from 2019 to 2026. The best time is April (about 90%).
Can you see a Nyala in Gonarezhou National Park?
Yes
About 60% of wildlife watchers report a Nyala sighting in Gonarezhou National Park on a given day, based on 21 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data from 2019 to 2026. The best time is August (about 80%).
Can you see a Painted Hunting Dog in Gonarezhou National Park?
Yes
About 20% of wildlife watchers report a Painted Hunting Dog sighting in Gonarezhou National Park on a given day, based on 9 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data from 2019 to 2026. The best time is April and July (about 40%).
Where in Gonarezhou National Park is wildlife easiest to see?
Around South-west park edge
The richest sighting zone is around South-west park edge, followed by Chipinda Pools and North-east park edge, ranked by how many of the park's headline animals visitors can expect to see in each. See the zones on the map.
Is Gonarezhou National Park good for wildlife watching?
4.7 out of 5
On the Wallace's Line Score, Gonarezhou National Park rates 4.7/5: 40th of 316 parks worldwide and 29th in Africa. 98 of its species are reported by about 40% or more of wildlife watchers on a given day.
.jpg/330px-Mount_Gorongosa%2C_Gorongosa_National_Park%2C_Mozambique_(46316615492).jpg)
