Umfurudzi Park

Umfurudzi Park
Umfurudzi Park
Coordinates	17⁰05′42.58″S 31⁰46′07.17″E
Website	www.umfurudzipark.co.zw

Umfurudzi Park is a national park in the Mashonaland Central Province. Animals found in the park include elephants, giraffe, buffalo, eland and sable antelope, impala and wildebeest and pangolin. The park is managed by Pioneer Corporation Africa (PCA) and Zimbabwe Parks & Wildlife Management Authority ZPWMA.

See Wildlife, Zimbabwe.

Visitors Guide

When to visit: All year around
Hours 8:00 AM - 4:30 PM =
+263 777005763; +2634705432
Fee: Entrance and accommodation fees are charged

Directions: Take the (A2) Enterprise Road, passing through Newlands and Chisipite and continuing until the tollgates. Distances are from the tollgates. 0.2 KM turn left on the (A13) Shamva Road; 15.4 KM pass Ewanrigg turnoff on the right, 21.6 KM reach Bally Vaughn entrance on the left. 44.0 KM reach Murmurgwe rock art turnoff on the left, 68.8 KM reach the Bindura road on the left and continue on into Shamva, but continue on straight. The road becomes a mixture of narrow and double tar here with steep drop-offs from the narrow tar. Beware some minibus taxis do not get off the narrow tar. 73.7 KM cross the Mazowe River; 95.4 KM cross the Umfurudzi River.

At 100.7 KM at Madziwa Mine secondary School turn right, also signposted “Umfurudzi Park 15 KMs.” Proceed approximately 100 metres through the shopping centre, turn right and then left in front of the Madziwa Clubhouse where there is another signpost for “Umfurudzi Park.” The road does a few turns through the old Madziwa Mine processing plant. At 101.6 KM turn left on a tar road that has some potholes and reaches the old Mazaiwa Mine at 108.3 KM. Umfurudzi Park Gate is at 109 KM. The Park Office is 8 kilometres from the Gate on a good gravel road. High clearance is recommended; but 4WD is not required, except during the rainy season from November to April. umfurudzi-safari-park

Background

The Park was opened after independence in 1980. The Park is 76,000 hectares and on its eastern edge, Mazowe River and the Umfurudzi River flow through the southern portion of the park before joining Mazowe River. Umfurudzi Park was a target for poaching and overhunting in the late 1990s.

Activities

Activities which can be done on the park include:

Guided bush walks to see the wildlife, flora and fauna
Camping
Mountain hiking
Day and night drives - Many species of animals can be seen during game drives and there are also
picnic sites along certain routes (visitors are not allowed to deviate from these designated sites and routes.)
Fishing – the Mazowe and Umfurudzi rivers have varieties of fish.
Photography
Canoeing
Bird watching – 340 species have been recorded
Visiting the San rock art and dry-stone walling monuments
Swimming is allowed in the rivers, however, there are crocodiles, visitors are encouraged to be very cautious and keep away from deep pools. ^[1]