Gorongosa National Park

Gorongosa National Park is located at the southern terminus of the Great African Rift Valley in Sofala Province, central Mozambique. Spanning approximately 4,000 square kilometers, the park encompasses a diverse geographic landscape that ranges from the Rift Valley floor to high-elevation plateaus and the slopes of Mount Gorongosa, which reaches 1,863 meters. The park's hydrology centers on Lake Urema and its surrounding catchment, fed by seasonal rivers such as the Vundudzi, Nhandungue, and Pungue. This dynamic water system creates shifting seasonal floodplains, fever tree and palm forests, savanna grasslands, acacia woodlands, and lush rainforests on the mountain slopes.Historically celebrated for holding some of the densest wildlife populations in Africa, Gorongosa suffered catastrophic damage during the Mozambican Civil War (1977–1992) and subsequent poaching, which decimated large mammal numbers by over 95 percent. In 2004, a landmark public-private partnership known as the Gorongosa Project was formed between the Government of Mozambique and the U.S.-based Carr Foundation to rehabilitate the ecosystem and support local human development. Designated a 'Park for Peace', Gorongosa has executed extensive rewilding programs, successfully reintroducing carnivores like lions, leopards, African wild dogs, and spotted hyenas alongside rebounding populations of elephants, hippos, buffalo, and waterbuck.Today, Gorongosa stands as a global hub for conservation and scientific research, anchored by the E.O. Wilson Biodiversity Laboratory and the Pangolin Rescue Centre. The park hosts over 500 bird species, including the rare green-headed oriole, alongside thousands of identified plant and animal species. Visitors to the park can engage in guided open-vehicle game drives, boat safaris across Lake Urema, canoe excursions along the Pungue River, and hiking tours of Mount Gorongosa that feature shade-grown community coffee projects and waterfalls. Tourism in Gorongosa directly finances park protection, ranger anti-poaching patrols, and local healthcare and educational programs.