From its warm tropical ocean and white sand beaches to dusty roads that stretch as the eye can see, Mozambique is an adventurer’s playground. In showcasing all that this magnificent country has to offer, Peace Parks Foundation’s CEO Werner Myburgh and his wife Kozette, are taking a group from the COmON Foundation, one of Peace Parks’ most loyal and long-standing donors, on a roadtrip of a lifetime through southern Mozambique.
The Roadtrip Route
Their trip starts in the quaint coastal town of Vilanculos, where the team gets a safety briefing and a quick overview of the journey ahead. After that, an early night is in order before the first day of driving.
Their route will lead them inland to Zinave National Park. Here they will go on a game drive to see the reintroduced wildlife, as well as get a behind-the-scenes look at the park’s operations. After spending two nights here, they will head south to Banhine before finishing their trip in Limpopo National Park.
And They’re Off!
The next morning, it’s time to hit the road and get a taste of what 4x4ing in Africa entails. Although the distance to Zinave looks short on paper, travelling in remote places often takes longer than expected due to the bad conditions of the roads.
After driving for about 5 hours, they reach Zinave where they set up camp at Fig Tree Pan, an area that Peace Parks Foundation and Mozambique’s National Administration for Conservation Areas (ANAC) hope to soon start developing into a luxury lodge.
With the recent translocation of leopard and both white and black rhino, Zinave is now home to the big 5, which is a major tourism drawcard. Tourism development continues to be a core focus of Mozambique’s national parks, with 20% of the revenue generated by conservation areas shared with neighbouring communities. For this reason, the income generated through eco-tourism will help to make the park self-sustainable and lift communities out of poverty.
From Zinave To Banhine
After an adventurous and rather action-packed time in Zinave, the convoy begins to make their way to the open grassy plains of Banhine National Park. Banhine is an enormous 700 000 hectares and lies within an important wildlife corridor that flows between Zinave and Limpopo national parks. The park is largely inaccessible to humans, but it does attract thousands of migratory birds to its plains that turn into crystal lakes during the rainy season when this wetland region bursts into life.
After camp has been set up, everyone is left to enjoy the rest of the evening as the golden sun starts to sink from the sky.
Don’t miss out on Part 2 on Monday, where we promise more action-packed adventure on this amazing roadtrip!
