Matusadonha National Park
Matusadonha National Park is located on the southern shores of Lake Kariba in the Mashonaland West Province of northern Zimbabwe and comprises 1400 square kilometers of diverse flora and fauna.
Most of the animals we see today in this park were rescued from the rising waters of the newly formed Lake Kariba (back then) by conservationist Rupert Fothergill and his teams during Operation Noah in 1958 into the Matusadona National Park.
Operation Noah saved the lives of around 5,000 animals, many of which were placed in Matusadona National Park.
The National Park is known for being one of the last wild sanctuaries for the endangered black rhino and is one of the best wildlife spots in Africa.
Matusadona is an Intensive Protection Zone (IPZ) and home to several relocated black rhinoceros. It was also set up to rejuvenate other herds of endangered species. This park is one of the few that has all the members of the Big 5 in Zimbabwe.
Matusadona was proclaimed a non-hunting area on November 7, 1958, before being declared a game reserve in 1963, and then, in 1975, it became a national park under the Parks & Wildlife Act of Rhodesia.
One of Matusadona's most compelling features is its diverse bird life, with over 240 species being recorded in the park. In 2021, 223 Burchell's zebra were relocated to the park to boost game populations. Ten elephants were collared, providing valuable information for better protection.
Some of the activities one can partake in once in Matusadonha are listed below:
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
The Matusadona National Park is best accessed from the capital city of Harare on the A1.
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