Flying Adventure: Mozambique Zimbabwe – Day 8 (FQChitengo – FQBR – FVCZ – FVMH):

We go out for a last early morning game drive in Gorongosa and then enjoy a hearty breakfast back at the Wild Camp before we drive back to Chitengo. We have to clear the border out of Mozambique and into Zimbabwe to reach Gonarezhou National Park. Our next and last destination.

But before we can depart, we have to chase off some animals from the runway. Meeting a pack of Wild Dogs on a runway makes for a spectacular sighting.

Chitengo to Gonarezhou National Park

Our first en-route destination is Beira to exit Mozambique and refuel. Clearing customs and immigration at some places in Mozambique can be a real mission. Paying for stamps at various offices until being cleared to go can cost you valuable time. That’s why he much prefers Vilanculo, it’s a much smoother process. But you gotta keep calm and carry on.

We then fly over to the mountain range bordering Zimbabwe and descent towards Buffalo Range airport. Buffalo Range is a small but very convenient airfield. There’s fuel, and customs, immigration and the civil aviation authority are all together in one small building. It’s an easy and swift process to clear all formalities and take off again for our last leg for today.

It’s a short flight in a southerly direction to the Gonarezhou National Park. We then fly along the Save river to the Mahenye airstrip where a guide is already awaiting us.

It is then only a short drive to Chilo Gorge Safari Lodge, where we check-in for the next two nights. Chilo Gorge is a stunning place to stay with amazing views, right over the banks of the Save river.

Gonarezhou National Park

Gonarezhou, which means “Land of Giants” in the local Shona language, is Zimbabwe’s second largest National Park after Hwange. It borders the Kruger National Park in South Africa and the Limpopo National Park in Mozambique. Together they form the Greater Limpopo Transfrontier Park, one of the largest conservation areas in the world. With its remote location away from main tourist attractions it offers pristine wilderness and breathtaking scenery. And that’s exactly what we strive to explore at N3 Aviation.

Except for a few hours in the early afternoon, we spend the whole of day 7 in the park. It is a truly stunning and breathtaking place to explore.

Also here, like in Gorongosa, the elephants are marked from the poaching during Mozambique’s war. They are very protective and relatively more aggressive in behavior than in other places. At some point there was a poacher by the name of Shadrack who roamed this area. He hollowed out an old Baobab tree and used the cave as his hiding place. Today, Shadrack is fortunately gone, but the Baobab still stands firmly. It’s called Shadrack’s Home.