Chizarira National Park
Encyclopedia
Chizarira National Park lies in Northern Zimbabwe
. At 2000 square kilometres (494,210.3 acre), it is one of the larger National Parks, and also one of the least known because of its isolated situation on the Zambezi Escarpment
. It has good wildlife populations and some majestic scenery.
The vegetation ranges from highveld Brachystegia
species in the north to lowland mopane
scrub and woodland in the south. The escarpment falls steeply through some 600 metres (1,968.5 ft) to the Zambezi River valley floor and offers magnificent views towards Lake Kariba
, 40 kilometres (24.9 mi) north. Rivers such as the Mcheni and Lwizikululu have cut almost sheer gorges in the escarpment. The park's north-eastern extremity is marked by Tundazi, a mountain on which, according to local legend, resides an immense serpent. The southern boundary is marked by the Busi River which is flanked by floodplains supporting Acacia albida woodlands.
Chizarira was gazetted as a non-hunting reserve in 1938 and as a game reserve in 1963; it attained full National Park status under the Parks and Wild Life Act (1975). The park headquarters are at Manzituba.
Zimbabwe
Zimbabwe is a landlocked country located in the southern part of the African continent, between the Zambezi and Limpopo rivers. It is bordered by South Africa to the south, Botswana to the southwest, Zambia and a tip of Namibia to the northwest and Mozambique to the east. Zimbabwe has three...
. At 2000 square kilometres (494,210.3 acre), it is one of the larger National Parks, and also one of the least known because of its isolated situation on the Zambezi Escarpment
Zambezi Escarpment
Zambezi Escarpment is a name used for the escarpments forming both sides of the rift valley or graben in which lie the middle Zambezi river and Lake Kariba...
. It has good wildlife populations and some majestic scenery.
The vegetation ranges from highveld Brachystegia
Brachystegia
Brachystegia is a genus of tree of the sub-family Caesalpinioideae that is native to tropical Africa. Trees of the genus are commonly known as Miombo, and are the predominant tree in the Miombo woodlands of central and southern Africa.-Species:...
species in the north to lowland mopane
Mopane
The mopane or mopani tree grows in hot, dry, low-lying areas, in elevation, in the far northern parts of southern Africa, into South Africa, Zimbabwe, Mozambique, Botswana, Zambia, Namibia, Angola and Malawi. The tree only occurs in Africa and is the only species in genus Colophospermum...
scrub and woodland in the south. The escarpment falls steeply through some 600 metres (1,968.5 ft) to the Zambezi River valley floor and offers magnificent views towards Lake Kariba
Lake Kariba
Lake Kariba is the world's largest artificial lake and reservoir. It lies 1300 kilometers upstream from the Indian Ocean, along the border between Zambia and Zimbabwe...
, 40 kilometres (24.9 mi) north. Rivers such as the Mcheni and Lwizikululu have cut almost sheer gorges in the escarpment. The park's north-eastern extremity is marked by Tundazi, a mountain on which, according to local legend, resides an immense serpent. The southern boundary is marked by the Busi River which is flanked by floodplains supporting Acacia albida woodlands.
Chizarira was gazetted as a non-hunting reserve in 1938 and as a game reserve in 1963; it attained full National Park status under the Parks and Wild Life Act (1975). The park headquarters are at Manzituba.