Chimanimani National Park (

Portuguese Portuguese may refer to: * anything of, from, or related to the country and nation of Portugal ** Portuguese cuisine, traditional foods ** Portuguese language, a Romance language *** Portuguese dialects, variants of the Portuguese language ** Portu ...

: Parque Nacional de Chimanimani) is a

protected area Protected areas or conservation areas are locations which receive protection because of their recognized natural, ecological or cultural values. There are several kinds of protected areas, which vary by level of protection depending on the ena ...

Manica Province Manica is a province of Mozambique. It has an area of 62,272 km² and a population of 1,945,994 (2017 census). The province is surrounded by Zimbabwe in the west, Tete Province in the northwest, Sofala Province in the east, Save River in t ...

Mozambique Mozambique (), officially the Republic of Mozambique ( pt, Moçambique or , ; ny, Mozambiki; sw, Msumbiji; ts, Muzambhiki), is a country located in southeastern Africa bordered by the Indian Ocean to the east, Tanzania to the north, Malawi ...

. It is located in the

Chimanimani Mountains The Chimanimani Mountains are a mountain range on the border of Zimbabwe and Mozambique. The mountains are in the southern portion of the Eastern Highlands, or Manica Highlands, a belt of highlands that extend north and south along the internatio ...

on the border with

Zimbabwe Zimbabwe (), officially the Republic of Zimbabwe, is a landlocked country located in Southeast Africa, between the Zambezi and Limpopo Rivers, bordered by South Africa to the south, Botswana to the south-west, Zambia to the north, and Mozam ...

. Together with Zimbabwe's

Chimanimani National Park The Chimanimani Mountains are a mountain range on the border of Zimbabwe and Mozambique. The mountains are in the southern portion of the Eastern Highlands, or Manica Highlands, a belt of highlands that extend north and south along the internatio ...

it forms the Chimanimani Transfrontier Park. It was designated a national reserve in 2003. In 2020 it was designated a national park.

Geography

The park has an area of 656 km². It protects the Mozambican portion of the Chimanimani Mountains, including

Monte Binga Monte Binga is the highest mountain in Mozambique and the second highest mountain in Zimbabwe. It is located in the Chimanimani Mountains, on the border between Zimbabwe and Mozambique in the Chimanimani Transfrontier Park in Manica Province. It ...

(2436 m), Mozambique's highest peak. The park has a larger buffer zone (1723 km2), which extends into lower-elevation areas to the south, east, and north, and includes the Moribane, Mpunga, Maronga, and Zomba forest reserves. The forest Moribane, Mpunga, and Maronga reserves were established in 1953.

Flora and fauna

The park contains rare species such as the

Red-capped robin-chat The red-capped robin-chat or Natal robin (''Cossypha natalensis'') is a species of bird in the family Muscicapidae. It is found in Angola, Botswana, Burundi, Cameroon, Central African Republic, Republic of the Congo, Democratic Republic of the C ...

and the Welwitsch's bat.

Culture

The locals preserve the cave paintings, ancient traditions and beliefs, all of which give the park a cultural identity.

Access

The Reserve can be reached across the border from Machipanda, the city of Beira (Beira Corridor) from the city of Chimoio. The reserve has several road connections with the north, center and south of Mozambique, as well as with Zimbabwe.

References

External links

Eastern Highlands Eastern Zimbabwe montane forest-grassland mosaic Geography of Manica Province Protected areas established in 2003 National parks of Mozambique Important Bird Areas of Mozambique {{Africa-protected-area-stub