Situated in the north-west corner of Zimbabwe between Kazungula and Hwange National Park, and south-west of Victoria Falls, the Kazuma Pan National Park is 31 300 hectares in extent. The Park which is an extension of the Matetsi Safari Area was developed to be a refuge for the animals during the hunting season.
The Baboon Trees
-This is a unique feature of the Park which attracts large volumes of animals. The area has natural water springs and large concentrations of animals. Sightings of up to 2000 buffalo have been reported in the area.
Wildlife
The Park includes a series of pan depressions, some of which are continuously pumped from boreholes in the dry season. As a result, large concentrations of game seasonally migrate between Botswana and Zimbabwe, especially from September through to the first rains of November or December.
Species to be seen include: lion, leopard, giraffe, zebra, gemsbok, roan, sable, tsessebe, eland and reedbuck, whilst elephant and buffalo are present in large numbers when water is scarce. White rhino are also often seen.
A special species endemic to the Kazuma Depression is the oribi, a small antelope, not often seen in other parts of the country. Visitors may also occasionally see cheetah or wild dog while lions are fairly common.
The pan systems are also ideal habitat to a large variety of water birds, with a number of species including storks, crowned cranes, stilts, cormorants, ducks and kingfishers occurring throughout the area.
Travel Guide
Access
Take the Robins Camp/ Pandamatenga turn-off from the main Bulawayo-Victoria Falls Road . proceed for some 25 kilometres along this gravel road to the Parks & Wildlife offices in Matetsi where visitors are required to check-in before proceeding. The journey is continued along the Pandamatenga road for a further 39 kilometres to the border post.
These roads are gravel and can be rough. As access to Kazuma is along the Zimbabwe/ Botswana border road, visitors are again asked to check-in with the Zimbabwe Republic Police at Pandamatenga. Kazuma Pan National Park is some 25 kilometres further along, north-west of Pandamatenga.
Access may only be made by four wheel drive vehicles as the roads are rough and sandy in some areas. Access via Kazungula is strictly prohibited.
Best time to go
Kazuma Pan National Park is closed to the public in January and February each year due to the wet conditions over this period that make the roads impassable. The best time ot go on game safaris and drives in during the dry season from September to December. Bird watching is good during the dry season.
Hotels and Accommodation
There are two camp sites available in the park. Only two groups of visitors are allowed to camp in the Park at any one time. The camp sites each have bush toilets, braai points and water supplies. Each camp site can comfortably take 10 persons.
These sites are located in different habitats: Insiza, which overlooks the Kazuma Depression and Kasetsheti, near some natural springs.
