Parque Nacional da Gorongosa Moçambique

More Than Three Thousand Eight Hundred Tourists Visit GNP in 2008

Apr 22, 2009 - Gorongosa National Park

According to data recently released by officials in Chitengo, 3,842 tourists visited Gorongosa National Park (GNP) in 2008. This number represents a 40.5% increase from the previous year, when 2,734 visitors were registered. GNP hopes to receive between 4,500 and 5,000 tourists in 2009.

According to the Tourism Manager, Pedro Canteiro, of the 3,842 tourists that came through GNP last year, more than one thousand were Mozambican citizens. This figure represents the ever-increasing numbers of Mozambicans who have visited the park since its reopening in the late 1990s. Because of the civil war that plagued the country for 16 years, touristic activities at GNP were shut down for an extended period of time.

A look at visitors according to nationality reveals that Mozambicans were at the top of the list with 1,569 visitors, which was 40.8% of total visitors. Other visitors included 441 South Africans (11.5%), 289 Portuguese (7.5%), 246 Dutch (6.4%), 205 North Americans (5.3%), 201 Italians (5.2%), 121 Germans (3.1%), 118 British (3.1%), 96 Asians (2.5%), and 94 Spaniards (2.4%), among others.

During the same time period, GNP was likewise visited by large numbers of community leaders, students and faculty who hail from the GNP Sustainable Development Zone and who were engaged in sharing experiences regarding nature conservation and community environmental education. In addition, there were visits from government authorities at all levels, including the Head of State, Armando Emílio Guebuza
 
Pedro Canteiro thinks that these numbers demonstrate the selfless service of the GNP managements team, who have tirelessly dedicated their energy and professional expertise to the restoration and recuperation of wildlife in the Park. “Thanks to this group of workers, GNP now has improved conditions and tourist attractions,” he said.

In light of this, our interviewee proudly extended an invitation to people from every corner of the globe who like grand adventures and emotions. He invited them to step out of their daily routine of work, school, other obligations, and regular commitments, and come to Chitengo to experience this place and spend some days of pure relaxation here.

 
Tourism Manager, Pedro Canteiro

In addition, our source also explained that tourists who visit GNP, located in a region where nature left us all a precious resource that humanity must preserve and promote, like to take photographic safaris, usually following the network of dirt pathways in the park. During a safari trip, it is possible to see indigenous animal life such as elephants, buffalos, lions, wildebeest, impalas, and other animals, in addition to exotic and beautiful bird species.

Almost all GNP tourists enjoy lion sightings, and the animal serves as a “calling card” for this conservation area.

Likewise, he assured us that tourists like to take game drives, spending long hours on an authentic safari adventure to observe the beautiful landscapes of the multiple ecosystems that exist in the park: prairies dotted with acacia trees, savannas, dry forests in sandy areas, seasonally rain-flooded lagoons, bushes on termite mounds, plateaus forested with miombo trees, mountains, and a spectacular tropical forest at the foot of a series of limestone ravines.

As a reminder, the tourist camp center at GNP, located in Chitengo, is open year round. It offers a wide range of accommodations, from simple space to pitch a tent, set up a caravan, or park vehicles, to modern and elegant bungalows. Moreover, GNP gates are open for game drives each year from April until the rainy season in mid-December, when the camps are inundated with water that reaches almost two meters in some areas.

 
One of the Chitengo bungalows that offers hospitality amid the cultural richness and architectural, landscape and environmental wealth of the region.