ZINAVE NATIONAL PARK.
The Zinave National Park is a protected area in Mabote District of Inhumane Province, Mozambique, created by decree on 26 June 1973.
The park extends to the south of Save River in inhambane Province, covering an area of 4,000 square kilometers. (1500 square miles) it was first proclaimed as a hunting area 1962, run Mozambique safari land, and was promoted on a national park in 1972. The area represents a transition between the wet and dry tropical area and has an annual rainfall of 800millimeters 31 in or less.
The highest elevation is on the southeast boundary at 174 meters 571 feet above sea level. The land slopes down in a north-northeasterly direction to its lowest elevation of 110 meters at the save River. the soil is mostly sandy River.
Mean annual rainfall is 690 millimeters (22.5 in) in the northeast, 571 millimeters in the west. There are seasonal pans scattered throughout PNZ, some quite large.
A 2010 report said that the PNZ had been neglected until recently, and most of its large wildlife had been destroyed by poaching. Species that are locally extinct or close to extinct include black rhinoceros, Cape buffalo, cheetah, reedbuck, eland, elephant, giraffe, Lichtenstein’s hartebeest, roan antelope, sable antelope, spotted hyena, wildebeest and Selous’ zebra. The park has very diverse tree species and at least 41 species of grasses. The Save River channel is under water when the river is in flood, but at other times larger areas of sandbanks are exposed. The riverine forest is found on the banks and levees to the south of the river, with diverse trees reaching heights up to 20 metres (66 feet). Shifting cultivation has degraded this forest. Further from the river is woodland, covering 10.5% of the PNZ, merging into mopane and Miombo landscapes in the south. The mopane landscape is found on heavier soils and covers 37.5% of the park, dominated by mopane-dominated closed woodlands. A sandveld landscape, consisting of open woodlands on deep reddish sandy soils, covers 16.7% of the park. Finally, the Miombo landscape covers 29.5% of the park in the higher, wetter southeastern section and includes open grasslands and wetlands. Mid 2017 6,000 animals were donated to the National Park and will be translocated within three years. A relatively small percentage of the park is cultivated, and environmental impact is probably low. The people selectively cut down trees for wood used to build houses and livestock pens and for carvings. They use grass for thatching, and strip the bark of trees to make beehives, causing the tree to die. They make extensive use of medicinal plants and fruits. Cattle and goats are herded within the park, but only in low numbers with light grazing.
The park is part of the larger Transfrontier conservation area surrounding the Great Limpopo Transfrontier Park, which also includes the Banhine National Park, the Massingir and Corumana areas and other linked regions in Mozambique, and a number of private and state-owned conservation areas bordering on the Transfrontier Park in South Africa and Zimbabwe. The Greater Limpopo Transfrontier Park project includes an initiative to rehabilitate the park. The landscapes are highly suitable for reintroducing the species that used to live there but were exterminated during the civil war. They will initially be introduced into sanctuaries to ensure their security.
Coming to Zinave National Park May include Accommodation.
In terms of accommodation, there is one camp available, modest but charming. There are campaign tents overlooking the Save River and it is also possible to take your own tent. The camp has bathrooms and hot shower, but you should bring food and drinks with you. Sleeping 10 meters away from the hippos will surely be a memorable experience.
And to end this amazing trip, there is that 4×4 adventure we mentioned above because we have to make our way back again, those 5 or 6 hours of chopping. If you have been truly into wildlife, you like road-trips, and have enough time, Zinave is definitely a place to visit. Otherwise, I recommend you wait another year, as soon as the road from Mapinhane to Mabote is recovered, everything will be easier.