Matusadona National Park
Matusadona National Park is situated on the southern shores of Lake Kariba and is bound on the west by the Ume River and on the east by the Sanyati Gorge. The Park takes its name from the local Matuzviadonha Hills and is a stunning combination of flat plains and rugged mountain country. The meaning of “Matuzviadonha” is “falling dung” – or more literally “shit falls” - which was probably a comment on the sight of elephants dropping dung balls as they struggled up the hills.
The park size fluctuates depending on the high and low water mark of the lake. As the water recedes the game follows the lush green grass. Two thirds of this 1,500 square kilometre national park is only accessible on foot, ensuring a pristine wilderness experience for hikers. The terrain is harsh and rugged with streams and hardy mopani trees. The lake has estuaries and peninsulas teeming with bird life and game. The area is a photographers dream with “drowned forests” containing fossilised trees still standing from when the dam was flooded. Sunsets are irresistible.
Large herds of elephant and buffalo inhabit the area, along with plentiful antelope and lion. There is also a decent population of the endangered black rhinoceros. The Park is home to what is considered to be the highest concentration of lion per square kilometre in Africa – even greater than the Ngorongoro Crater of Tanzania. Leopard, hyena, cheetah and other predators also occur in good numbers throughout the Park. The cheetah population was introduced in the early 1990s to take care of the bursting population of impala.
Bird life is compelling, with over 240 species recorded in the Park. The fish eagle is common along the lakeshore, and there are good populations of grey and goliath herons, black cuckoo shrike, black-headed oriole, augur buzzard, black eagle, African jacana, bronze-winged, double and three-banded coursers, spotted and water dikkops, trumpeter and crowned hornbills, great white egrets and saddle-billed storks. Plovers, waders and geese are generally abundant and there are notable populations of osprey, woolly-necked and open-billed storks, white-winged plovers and red-winged pratincoles. Several large colonies of darters and reed cormorants can be found within the many fossilised trees on the lake.
The best way to explore this Park is undoubtedly on foot, although there is also the opportunity for game drives, boating and canoeing, making it an excellent all-round safari location.
|
 |
|
Victoria Falls