Gorongosa National Park is in the heart of central Mozambique and sits at the southern end of the Great African Rift Valley . The park including the valley floor and some surrounding plateau lands covers 3,770 square kilometres. The plains are fed by rivers coming off the nerby Mount Gorongosa which is 1863 metres high.
Grasslands are dotted with patches of acacia trees, savannah, dry forest on sands and seasonally rain-filled pans and termite hill thickets. The plateaus contain miombo and montane forests and a spectacular rain forest at the base of a series of limestone gorges, this is the last remaining true rainforest in Southern Africa. Seasonal flooding and waterlogging of the valley, which is composed of a mosaic of different soil types, creates a variety of distinct ecosystems.
This combination of unique features at one time supported some of the densest wildlife populations in all of Africa, but Mozambique's 30 year civil war a the end of the 20th centure reduced most of the wildlife populations. The park used to be referred to as the 'Serengeti of the South' and now the wildlife is returning. The park is home to a number of different antelope species including Sable, Reebuck, Lichtenstein's Hartebeest and others. Large Elephant herds and Buffalo are present along with Wildebeest and Zebra. There are Leopard but at the moment rarely seen and Lion have been found regularly. There are good numbers of Hippo and Crocodile and many nocturnal species include Serval, Civet, Genet, Bushbabies, Honey Badger, Mongoose and Porcupine.
Birding is fantastic in Gorongosa with vast numbers of water birds and the rainforest on Mount Gorongosa being home to rare species such as Green-headed Oriole and Emerald Cuckoo.
The Carr Foundation, a U.S. not-for-profit organization, has teamed with the Government of Mozambique to protect and restore the ecosystem of Gorongosa National Park and to develop an ecotourism industry to benefit local communities. Many species have now been (and continue to be) re-introduced from Kruger and other regional parks, including large numbers of elephant and hippo.
