Gorongosa wildlife safari offering

So I’m sure by now you would like to know the wildlife safari offering in Gorongosa. Thrillingly, we can say you will be impressed and in awe of the wildlife here. Gorongosa was once home to hundreds of lions and one of the missions here is to bring back that stronghold. Right now, there are 50 – 70 lions living in the park and researcher Paola Bouley is studying the lions to better understand behaviours and accurately document their existence for the future of the park and species itself.

Top elephant expert, Joyce Pool is currently studying the population here, identifying each individual, their age and gender and family groups. The aim is to better understand behaviours and from here, the information helps to make well informed decisions to protect them and secure their future. Interestingly, a high proportion of elephants here are without tusks making it hard to distinguish sometimes who is who!

Interesting facts on the elephant – Fully grown adult females are only half the weight of fully grown adult males, making females harder to age than males. Once females have reached their full height they seem to grow in length; old females often appear to have elongated, swayed backs. By age 17 males are as big as a large adult female, yet only half the weight of a large adult male. By age 35, as males are just entering their prime breeding age (35-55), their foreheads have grown significantly larger and their tusks have become thicker, giving their faces an “hour-glass” shape.

Other species here are hippo and crocodile in Lake Urema and its network of rivers and channels and an abundance of bird species (approximately 350 and you can expect to see over 100 in a single day in November when it’s migratory season) including a special bird found nowhere else in the world – the Green-headed Oriole. There are antelope galore from small species like orbit and duiker to medium sized impala, bushbuck, reedbuck and larger species waterbuck, sable antelope, Nyala, greater kudu, eland, blue wildebeest and Lichtenstein’s Hartebeest.   If you are fascinated by the micro-world you will love this place with its impressive array of bugs, frogs and beyond.

Gorongosa wilderness offering

The wilderness and landscapes are as diverse as the wildlife and you can be on a game drive one minute and hiking to waterfalls the next. It is located at the southern end of the famous Great African Rift Valley, an enormous and lush valley that stretches from far North Africa to Mozambique. This means the low-lying areas in the Gorongosa flood plains are home to many species found elsewhere in Africa. You will also explore magical woodlands and savannahs.

What is less common are species in and around Mount Gorongosa, an isolated mountain covered in lush rainforest and pristine waterfalls. This is home to species found nowhere else on earth, hence the focus of science in this area too with researcher Piotr Naskrecki regularly visiting. He found the nearly mythical lizard that was discovered only in 1971 on the mountain one night – only a handful of people have ever sighted this creature called the Gorongosa Pygmy Chameleon. It is a member of a group found extensively in Madagascar but only has a few relatives on mainland Africa.   This species lives on the forest floor amongst the leaf matter rather than high on trees.They do climb up onto branches at night to avoid being eaten by nocturnal predators like the shrew.

Gorongosa Pygmy Chameleon interesting facts – smaller than your pinky finger, their only defence mechanism is camouflage. Should you irritate one of them, expect a sudden, loud buzzing sound that is made to confuse predators. We find this creature fascinating and would love to see it in the wild.