By Rex Mphisa
GONAREZHOU National Park, located some 130 kilometres east of Beitbridge town, has been listed as the kind of place to put on a 2026 schedule for a seriously wild safari trip.
Suzie Dundas, a writer from Lake Tahoe in the United States who writes travel stories, says Gonarezhouis a good alternative to the Kruger or the Maasai Mara nature parks in South Africa and East Africa respectively.
“But with equally big landscapes, a strong conservation background, thriving wildlife populations, and a growing emphasis on community-based tourism,” she writes.
On the ground Beitbridge Rural District Council chairman Oscar Chiromo says the tourism journey to Gonarezhou is more interesting than any tale.
“We are talking about tourism within indigenous people with vast terrain knowledge coupled with important information wildlife behaviour. Locals who co-exist with wildlife under the Communal Area Management Programme For Indigenous Resources (Campfire),” he said.
Chiromo said for his local authority, voted the best run in Matabeleland South, a visit to Gonarezhou has more meaning than tourist fun.
“That is where we feel that a tourist, long after they have left Beitbridge, will reminisce on how their adventure was not just fun but an upliftment of a community. We have people in the best natural landscape complete with its wildlife yet not reaping rewards of dedicated conservation. We want that changed,” he said.
Chikwarakwara has no secondary school and after Grade 7, children drop out of school and girls forced into child marriages by circumstances.
“We want proceeds from this tourism to translate to development, upliftment of a people, provision of education, health and social skills training centres. Its a possible vision,” said Chiromo.
BBRDC and Chiredzi Rural District Council share Gonarezhou together with other local authorities in Mozambique and South Africa.
Chiromo said there is need now more than before to have the tourist border at Chikwarakwara operational.
He said culture tourism is another attraction.
The Shangaan people (also known as the Tsonga or Hlengwe) are the primary indigenous communities historically and culturally associated with the Gonarezhou Transfrontier Park area.
Their heritage is a key component of the park’s history and conservation efforts.
Historically, the area was the heartland of the Shangaan people, a group formed in the 19th century by Soshangane Manukusa, who conquered and assimilated various local clans including the Tsonga, Hlengwe, Ndau, Ronga, Chopi, and Tswa.
While residents of the area were evicted from the park in the 1950s and 1960s to make way for the giant national park, several local communities now live in adjacent communal actively participating in community-led conservation and tourism initiatives.
These include Chibwedziva, Chizvirizvi, Mahenye, Mtandahwe and the Chitsa communities, all partnering the Gonarezhou Conservation Trust as custodians of the natural resources in and around the park.
Gonarezhou covers nearly 2,000 square miles and is known as “The Place of Elephants” for its large African elephant population.
It also protects a huge swath of baobab‑studded sandstone cliffs, broad floodplains, and three major rivers (Save, Runde, Mwenezi) that support elephants, lions, buffalo, leopards, and standout birdlife — without the congestion of better-known African parks, wrote Dundas.
The Gonarezhou Conservation Trust is a partnership between Zimbabwe Parks and Wildlife Management Authority and the Frankfurt Zoological Society, which runs the park guided by principles that prioritise wilderness, limit infrastructure, and ensure tourism benefits local communities , (something often criticized in countries like Tanzania).
Chiromo said Campfire activities had changed the attitude towards animals of the locals.
“They do not see game meat anymore, but a source of budiness when trohy hunters pay their council which ploughs back the money for development. Its a source of employment rather than a food,” he said.
Chiromo said they are also looking at domestic tourists to visit.
He said the rugged road ro Chikwarakwara continues to discourage and his council was working on that.
“We also want to pay attention to the Chitulifhasi aerodrome which should be handy. We will find ways to improve the road and theairstrip,” he said.
Hi initially the Buffalo Range airport in Chiredzi was closest, the Harare – Beitbridge air route has been opened by Falcon Air.
The plane which comes Fridays has been viewed as an enabler towards the opening of more activities in Gonarezhou park.