Contents
Imagine standing in the heart of a vast wilderness, surrounded by untouched landscapes and the symphony of nature’s untamed melodies. Here at Zinave National Park in Mozambique, this dream becomes a reality.
Let me take you on a journey of discovery, where we delve into the essence of rewilding, exploring its importance in preserving our planet’s biodiversity. Zinave National Park showcases this remarkable concept in action, proving that humans and wildlife can coexist harmoniously.
Reconnecting with Nature
In today’s fast-paced world, it’s easy to lose touch with the wild places that once captivated our ancestors. However, reconnecting with nature is essential, not only for the survival of our world’s ecosystems, but also for our own well-being.
When you visit Zinave National Park, you have the opportunity to escape the chaos of urban life and immerse yourself in the tranquil embrace of raw, unspoiled nature. As you walk through the park’s vast savannas and dense woodlands, you’ll feel a sense of wonder and awe, reconnecting with the earth’s ancient rhythms.
The park’s breathtaking beauty offers a sanctuary for a remarkable array of wildlife. From majestic elephants and graceful antelopes to elusive predators like lions and leopards, Zinave is a haven for both iconic and lesser-known species. Observe them in their natural habitats and witness their intricate interconnectedness, reminding us of our own place in the grand tapestry of life.
The rewilding efforts at Zinave National Park are not only about benefiting the wildlife that call it home, but also about safeguarding the delicate balance of our planet’s biodiversity.
Here, in this vast wilderness, each species plays a unique role in maintaining the intricate web of life. From the smallest insects to the largest mammals, every living being contributes to the health and resilience of the ecosystem. By protecting diverse habitats and working towards the revival of endangered species, we uphold our responsibility to future generations.
We must remember that conservation is a shared responsibility. Through sustainable practices and responsible tourism, we can minimize the negative impact on the environment and create a positive feedback loop that benefits both humans and wildlife.
Join the Movement: Together, We Can Make a Difference
I invite you to be a part of the rewilding movement and embark on a journey to Zinave National Park. By choosing to support conservation efforts and embracing sustainable practices, you contribute to the protection of our planet’s precious biodiversity.
Experience the wonder of Zinave National Park and witness firsthand the power of rewilding. Here, amidst the untamed wilderness, you’ll find inspiration and a deeper connection to the natural world. Let us preserve its beauty and ensure that future generations can also experience the wild spirit of Zinave.
When I went on a trip to Zinave National Park in Inhambane Province, I was amazed by the efforts being made to bring back the wildlife heritage in our neighborhood. The park is doing an exceptional job in wildlife conservation and has become a trendsetter in this field. It is home to a diverse range of animals, providing a unique opportunity for us to experience the wilderness in its true form.
Camping in Zinave National Park is quite an adventure. You can see it in this photo taken by Nico Grundling.
I was with pilot Hannes van Wyk in the cockpit of a Peace Parks Foundation (PPF) plane. We were flying west from Vilanculos on the coast to the interior of Zinave. The plane smelled faintly of aviation fuel, but Hannes didn’t seem bothered. He sat comfortably in the pilot’s seat, filling out paperwork in a calm and methodical manner. Hannes, a tall and slim man, effortlessly slid into the small seat. I sat beside him, my tog bag and a few items filling up the remaining space. There were no snacks or drinks onboard, as this was a short flight dedicated to aerial surveys in Zinave. My purpose for this trip was to join the PPF staff in their wildlife translocation efforts. After years of neglect, Zinave National Park is now being restocked with animals.
When I flew over the vast wilderness, it felt like I was soaring through untouched land as far as the eye could see. There wasn’t a single sign of human life, just endless, rolling countryside in every direction. The moment our plane touched down on the gravel runway in Zinave, next to the sparkling Save River, I was completely captivated by the sheer magnificence of this place.
From high above, it’s impossible to fully grasp the true beauty that lies below. The ironwood, fever trees, and massive mopane forests stand tall, while the lakes sparkle with water lilies. And if you look closely, you’ll spot the graceful waterbirds carefully wading through the shallows. This serene oasis, painted vibrant green after the heavy summer rains, is now once again a thriving haven for wildlife.
Exciting things are happening in Zinave! A whole bunch of animals like waterbuck, reedbuck, nyala, giraffe, impala, kudu, oribi, hippo, warthog, buffalo, and elephant have already made their home in the park. And guess what? Even more animals are coming every month as part of this incredibly massive rewilding project happening in Africa. Can you believe it?
They’ve been moving all sorts of wildlife to Zinave from neighboring countries since October 2016. It’s a huge effort involving 120 people including game-capture experts, vets, ecologists, helicopter pilots, and truck drivers. These amazing folks are working together to make sure that around 7,500 animals from 10 different species get to call Zinave their new home. It’s a big task, but they’re getting it done!
I’m excited to tell you about the ongoing wildlife translocations happening in Zinave! In this massive restocking program, many different species, like the beautiful blue wildebeest, are being reintroduced to the park. This is a crucial step towards restoring the wildlife population in Zinave, which suffered greatly during Mozambique’s long civil war that ended in 1992.
In fact, Zinave became a national park way back in 1972. But unfortunately, the war took a toll on the reserve, causing a significant decline in its wildlife numbers. Thankfully, in 2015, PPF (that’s us!) signed a co-management agreement with the Mozambique government. This partnership aims to develop Zinave as a key part of the Great Limpopo Transfrontier Conservation Area.
You might be wondering what that means. Well, it’s a massive stretch of land that will not only connect animal migration routes but also strengthen tourism links between South Africa, Zimbabwe, and Mozambique. It’s like stitching together different pieces of a puzzle to create something truly incredible!
But that’s not all. We have an even bigger vision for Zinave. We want to identify and create wildlife corridors that will connect Zinave with other national parks in Mozambique, such as Banhine and Limpopo. We believe that by establishing these corridors, we can allow animals to move freely between these protected areas, promoting biodiversity and creating a healthier ecosystem.
As we arrived in Zinave, I had the pleasure of meeting Antony Alexander, our senior project manager for Mozambique. He’s been working tirelessly on this project, and his dedication is truly inspiring. Together with our team and the Mozambique government, we’re committed to making Zinave thrive once again.
I was really excited when I heard that a truck filled with wildlife from Kruger National Park was on its way to our area. The next day, it was expected to arrive, but there were some issues that needed to be sorted out. It seemed like the paperwork was causing some problems, but luckily, they were being resolved. As I sat on the deck of Tondo Lodge, I sent out emails to make sure everything went smoothly. The main goal was to restore the ecosystem in the short term. To do this, we needed to bring in more wildlife as quickly as possible. Thankfully, Zinave has the capacity to support a large number of animals.
However, just bringing in more animals wouldn’t be enough. We also needed to make sure the park was safe and secure. That’s why we were hiring and training additional anti-poaching staff. It was crucial that we protected the animals from any harm or danger.
As we worked on increasing park infrastructure and getting wildlife numbers up, we also had to consider the people living near the park. We wanted to include them in our efforts and help improve their lives too. That’s why we were implementing community upliftment programs. These programs included easier access to water, agricultural assistance, education, and health facilities. Our hope was that the communities living in the park would willingly move to these developing areas, attracted by the benefits and opportunities they offered.
One afternoon, just after lunch, the long-awaited truck from Kruger finally arrived. It rumbled down the sandy track, carrying precious cargo – wildlife that would help us restore Zinave. Over the next three years, we were expecting up to 100 trucks filled with different species of animals to arrive in our park annually. We were incredibly grateful to our neighboring countries for their generous donations. Elephants, giraffes, elands, zebras, buffalos, blue wildebeests, kudus, and many other animals were among the species that had been donated.
One donation that stood out was from the De Beers Group’s Venetia Limpopo Nature Reserve, as well as Ithala and Mkuze reserves. They had given us 100 elephants, and it was amazing to think that these incredible animals had traveled 1,500 kilometers to reach us. It was such a great feeling to know that we were all working together to make our park thrive again.
There are many communities living near Zinave, and Peace Parks is helping them to have better futures.
Even though it was winter, it felt really hot in Zinave, and the sky was a beautiful shade of indigo. As we drove deeper into the park in his Land Cruiser, Bernard van Lente, the PPF project manager for Zinave, pointed out trees along the way. The scenery was like something out of a dream, so peaceful and green. “The loggers got scared and left these poles behind,” Bernard explained, motioning towards long mopane poles scattered across the grass. “We’ve actually been very successful in a short amount of time and have completely stopped the logging. We’ve also managed to get the poaching situation under control. We gave the poachers a chance to turn in their homemade weapons, but now we have 52 rangers who are cracking down on that.”
Zinave National Park is absolutely stunning. I was in awe of a baobab tree with a waistline of 27m – just one of the park’s 200 tree species. “Luckily, Zinave hasn’t suffered any permanent damage,” Bernard told us as we drove under the tree canopy. “So there’s a good chance it can be fully restored. The diversity here is mind-blowing, and it’s an iconic park for game viewing. It has the typical African savannah and a variety of habitats similar to Kruger but with more rainfall, which means there are even more species to see. Predators might not need to be reintroduced because they’ll naturally make their way here. There have already been reports of lions and hyenas in the area.”
It was incredible to see that the animals were not afraid of us. Most of them were in the 18,600-hectare sanctuary area, but there were also plenty of animals in the surrounding 200km of sand roads that are now open for 4×4 self-drive visitors. However, some roads are inaccessible during the rainy season from November to April. “Zinave will always be a 4×4 destination, where the journey is part of the experience,” said Bernard as we stopped at Zinave Pan, covered with water lilies. “It’s a vast park where you feel connected to nature. If you love trees, birds, butterflies, wildlife, and photography, Zinave is the place to be. It’s not easy to find 400,000 hectares of pure wilderness anywhere else in the world.” Despite the challenges, such as the distance to the nearest town (250km away), infrastructure is being developed in Zinave. “We’ve had to start from scratch,” Bernard explained. “But the longer I’m here, the more I love it, and I can see the big picture. There are huge areas of Zinave that we haven’t even explored yet because there are no roads, but we’ve seen them from the air, and they’re absolutely enticing.”
‘I’m Estevão Chiure, one of the rangers here at Zinave National Park,’ I proudly declare. For me, seeing the park being restored is like a dream come true.
In the next decade, Bernard, our leader, envisions a fully restored ecosystem with wildlife corridors connecting Banhine and Limpopo national parks. Unlike other parks, Zinave will not be fenced off. Instead, it will be a vast open wilderness where humans and nature coexist peacefully. Bernard believes that as humans, we need these wild areas for our mental, emotional, and physical well-being.
Sitting around the fire at Tondo Camp, the mouthwatering scent of T-bone steaks sizzling on the braai, and watching the sun set over the Save River, I felt a rare sense of being immersed in true wilderness. It was during this time that Hannes, another ranger, casually mentioned that he had left his luggage in Vilanculos to avoid overloading the small plane. Hannes leaned back in his camp chair and confessed that clean clothes and underwear had become a luxury until his return to “town”. As it turns out, those fuel fumes were not harmless, causing the grounded plane to wait for parts from South Africa. Consequently, our journey back to Vilanculos the next day would be an arduous five-hour drive on rough sand tracks. But before that, we had a delightful steak dinner awaiting us, with plenty of time for conversation and contemplation by the fire until only the glowing embers remained.
Hey there! I’m Keri Harvey, and I’m here with Michelle Hardie. We’ve got some awesome stuff to share with you today, so get ready to be inspired!
Traveling is such a fantastic experience, isn’t it? Seeing new places, meeting new people, and exploring different cultures – it’s like diving into a whole new world. But with so many options out there, where do you even begin?
Well, don’t worry, because we’re here to help you out. We’ve put together some valuable tips and tricks to make your travel planning a breeze.
First things first, let’s talk about the importance of choosing the right destination. It’s crucial to pick a place that aligns with your interests and preferences. Whether you’re a history buff, a nature lover, or a foodie, there’s a perfect spot for you out there. So think about what you love and start researching!
Now, when it comes to finding the best deals, you’ve got to be a savvy traveler. Look for those hidden gems that offer great value for your money. Sometimes, the less popular destinations can surprise you with their beauty and affordability. So don’t be afraid to think outside the box!
Another key factor to consider is timing. By being flexible with your travel dates, you can score some amazing discounts. Avoid peak tourist seasons and opt for shoulder or off-peak periods. Not only will you save money, but you’ll also experience fewer crowds and a more authentic atmosphere.
Alright, now let’s talk about accommodations. It’s essential to find a place where you can feel comfortable and at home. From cozy guesthouses to luxury resorts, there are countless options available. Think about what amenities are important to you, and don’t forget to read reviews to get a sense of what others think.
Packing can be a bit overwhelming, right? Trust me, I’ve been there. But fear not, my friends! With a little bit of planning, you can conquer any packing challenge. Make a checklist, pack versatile clothing items, and don’t forget those essential toiletries. And remember, leave some space in your suitcase for souvenirs!
Finally, let’s talk about staying connected. We live in a digital world, and staying connected while traveling is important. Research local SIM card options or consider getting an international data plan. Having access to the internet will help you navigate, find recommendations, and stay in touch with your loved ones back home.
So there you have it! Our top tips and tricks for planning your next adventure. I hope you feel inspired and ready to hit the road. Remember, the world is waiting for you, so go out there and make some unforgettable memories. Bon voyage!
Follow us on social media for more travel news, inspiration, and guides. You can also tag us to be featured.
