Parque Nacional da Gorongosa Moçambique

New "Chikalango" Restaurant Opens in Chitengo

Feb 22, 2009 - Gorongosa National Park

A new restaurant opened in Gorongosa National Park’s Chitengo Safari Camp on December 10, 2008. The restaurant is named Chikalango, which means clay pot in the local Sena language. The Chikalango building is an original design conceived by the renowned Nelspruit architect, Tom Hattingh. The elegant restaurant has unique spatial and decorative features that invite tourists and nature lovers to enjoy the calm, silence, and fresh air of Gorongosa National Park. 

In June 2008 Chikalango hosted its inaugural luncheon honoring President Armando Guebuza, four ministers from his government, and various other dignitaries for the signing of the Joint Management Accord of Gorongosa National Park.  Eighty people dined together to celebrate the 20-year long-term Accord that formally outlines management of Gorongosa National Park between the Mozambican Ministry of Tourism and the Carr Foundation. The special event had extra meaning because it took place in Chitengo Safari Camp, the heart of the Park.  Further work on the restaurant was needed, so Chikalango did not officially open to tourists until December. 

The restaurant offers visitors a wide variety of regional, national, and international dishes for breakfast, lunch, and dinner. Ingredients are gathered based on what is locally in season, including organic produce grown by farmers in the nearby village of Vinho. The arrangement between the Vinho farmers and Chitengo’s restaurant grew out of local initiatives to improve farming techniques, a program which is being supported by the Gorongosa Restoration Project’s human development program. (See July 2008 Gogogo Newsletter for more details.)

The restaurant seats nearly 80 people in an open-air space next to Chitengo’s centrally-located swimming pool and gardens, with additional seating around its patio.  Chikalango will serve as the main dining area and bar for tourists, while the old restaurant will continue to serve as the dining area for Park staff.

First constructed in 1941, Chitengo hosted thousands of visitors from all over the world.  Between 1963 and 1965 it was expanded to accommodate 100 overnight guests. By the late 1960s, it had two swimming pools, a restaurant serving 300-400 meals a day, a post office, a petrol station, a first-aid clinic, and a shop selling local handicrafts. In 1983 Mozambique’s civil war caused Chitengo to shut down.  The war destroyed most of its infrastructure, but Chitengo re-opened in 1995.  Since 2004, we have been restoring and rebuilding it with many modern conveniences.  The new Chikalango restaurant is the latest of many recent improvements that have been made.  Other improvements include nine new bungalows for a total of 18 double-occupancy rooms, a new safari game-viewing vehicle, and a new conference center (to be completed in 2010).

Chitengo is the main camping and accommodation area for safaris in Gorongosa National Park. It is situated approximately 30 kilometers from National Highway 1 (EN1), along the sign-posted turn off, in the stretch between Inchope and the village of Gorongosa. Buildings and houses in Chitengo embellish the unique and fascinating natural beauty of the area, which is awash in shades of green.