Rugged and mountainous Safari Area in the extreme north of Zimbabwe (east of Mana Pools and Sapi). Part of the World Heritage Site and including the Mupata Gorge on the Zambezi River.
For a long stretch of its middle reaches, the Zambezi River separates Zimbabwe from Zambia. Downstream of Lake Kariba and Chirundu, on the southern (Zimbabwean) side of the great river, lies a vast wilderness complex that has been declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site because of its outstanding natural beauty and its magnificent ecological and cultural qualities.
Three separate state-protected areas together make up this huge wilderness complex and front onto the Zambezi River: Mana Pools National Park and its downstream neighbours, the Sapi and Chewore Safari Areas.
Wildlife
Wildlife populations and wilderness landscapes here are second to none in Africa. Healthy populations of many large Africa mammals are present, except for giraffe and wildebeeste (which are not found anywhere in the Zambezi valley), and the black rhinoceros which is endangered and now restricted to a few specially protected areas like the Matusadona and Hwange National Parks.
Mana Pools is a fully protected National Park where only photo-safari and limited fishing activities are allowed (no motorboats).
Sapi has been recently converted from hunting use into an exclusively tourism and conservation area. It is hoped that, with the change of use, wildlife populations will gradually recover and increase, offering another extraordinary wildlife and wilderness area to rival Mana Pools. There are already some fishing camps along the Zambezi River in the Sapi area, and new photo-safari camps and activities are bring developed during the coming years.
Chewore remains a hunting area in the interior, with some fishing and photo-safari activities along the river.
Fishing
Fishing is excellent in deep waters of the Zambezi River here. Apart from Tigerfish and Bream, other species to be caught including giant Vundu, as well as Bottlenose, Cornish Jack, Chessa and Nkupe. Catch and release is encouraged, especially for Tigerfish and Vundu. Many productive fishing spots on the Zambezi River can be accessed by boat, including the spectacular Mupata Gorge, where the river narrows considerably and the flow is deep and swift.
Fossil remains
In the Chewore and Sapi areas, west of Mupata Gorge, there are extensive "forests" of fossil wood. Inland, in the remote, wild southern section of the South Chewore Safari Area, several spectacular trackways of fossil footprints of "Theropod" carnivorous dinosaurs of the mid-late Jurassic period have been discovered in a river bed. These remains are millions of years old and seldom visited except by small parties of visitors in the company of an experienced and armed professional guide.
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Big game: hunting for dinosaurs in Zimbabwe's wilderness - Nov 2015
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UNESCO declares Zambezi Valley a Biosphere Reserve - June 2010