Greater Limpopo Transfrontier Park sketch map

Great Limpopo Transfrontier Park is a 35,000 km² peace park that is in the process of being formed. It will link the Limpopo National Park (formerly known as Coutada 16) in

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, Mala ...

Kruger National Park Kruger National Park is a South African National Park and one of the largest game reserves in Africa. It covers an area of in the provinces of Limpopo and Mpumalanga in northeastern South Africa, and extends from north to south and from ...

South Africa South Africa, officially the Republic of South Africa (RSA), is the southernmost country in Africa. It is bounded to the south by of coastline that stretch along the South Atlantic and Indian Oceans; to the north by the neighbouring count ...

, Gonarezhou National Park, Manjinji Pan Sanctuary and Malipati Safari Area in

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 ...

, as well as the area between Kruger and Gonarezhou, the Sengwe communal land in Zimbabwe and the Makuleke region in South Africa.

History

The memorandum of understanding for the creation of the peace park was signed on November 10, 2000 as the Gaza-Kruger-Gonarezhou Transfrontier Park. In October 2001 the name was changed to the Great Limpopo Transfrontier Park. By the 5th World Parks Congress held in

Durban Durban ( ) ( zu, eThekwini, from meaning 'the port' also called zu, eZibubulungwini for the mountain range that terminates in the area), nicknamed ''Durbs'',Ishani ChettyCity nicknames in SA and across the worldArticle on ''news24.com'' from ...

, South Africa, in 2003 the treaty had not been ratified in Mozambique and Zimbabwe. Fences between the parks have started to come down allowing the animals to take up their old migratory routes that were blocked before due to political boundaries. On the October 4, 2001 the first 40 (including 3 breeding herds) of a planned 1000 elephants were translocated from the over-populated Kruger National Park to the war-ravaged Limpopo National Park. It would take 2½ years to complete the translocation. The new Giriyondo Border Post between South Africa and Mozambique has started in March 2004. There are new plans that should increase the size of the park to 99,800 km² (36,000 sq. mi.).

Park will include the following

* Great Limpopo Transfrontier Park **

about 18,989 km² (Including private game farms that are Signatories to the Greater Limpopo Trans Frontier Co-operation Agreement (GLTFCA), e.g
Mjejane Game Reserve
.) ** Makuleke region also see: Makuleke (tribe), and Makuleke about 240 km² ** Limpopo National Park (

) about 10,000 km² ** Banhine National Park (

) about 7,000 km² ** Zinave National Park (

) about 6,000 km² ** Maputo Elephant Reserve (

) about 700 km² ** Gonarezhou National Park (

) about 5,053 km² ** Manjinji Pan Sanctuary (

) ** Malipati Safari Area (

) **

Sengwe Safari Area Sengwe Safari Area is an area of protected wilderness in southeast Zimbabwe which forms a transnational corridor between Gonarezhou National Park in Zimbabwe and Kruger National Park Kruger National Park is a South African National Park ...

(

)

Gallery

File:Elephant_crossing_the_road_in_Kruger_National_Park.jpg,

Elephant Elephants are the largest existing land animals. Three living species are currently recognised: the African bush elephant, the African forest elephant, and the Asian elephant. They are the only surviving members of the family Elephantidae ...

crossing the road in Kruger National Park. File:Giraffe crossing the road in Kruger National Park.jpg, A bird (look carefully) riding a

Giraffe The giraffe is a large African hoofed mammal belonging to the genus ''Giraffa''. It is the tallest living terrestrial animal and the largest ruminant on Earth. Traditionally, giraffes were thought to be one species, '' Giraffa cameloparda ...

in Kruger National Park. File:Two lions having a break after an unsuccessful hunt in Kruger National Park.jpg, Two

lion The lion (''Panthera leo'') is a large Felidae, cat of the genus ''Panthera'' native to Africa and India. It has a muscular, broad-chested body; short, rounded head; round ears; and a hairy tuft at the end of its tail. It is sexually dimorphi ...

esses having a break after an unsuccessful hunt in Kruger National Park Image:Makuleke2.JPG, The deep

canyon A canyon (from ; archaic British English spelling: ''cañon''), or gorge, is a deep cleft between escarpments or cliffs resulting from weathering and the erosive activity of a river over geologic time scales. Rivers have a natural tendency to cut ...

of the Luvuvhu River in the Lanner Gorge in the Makuleke

Fauna

This park comprises a gamut of

wildlife Wildlife refers to undomesticated animal species, but has come to include all organisms that grow or live wild in an area without being introduced by humans. Wildlife was also synonymous to game: those birds and mammals that were hunted f ...

including mammals such as

elephant Elephants are the largest existing land animals. Three living species are currently recognised: the African bush elephant, the African forest elephant, and the Asian elephant. They are the only surviving members of the family Elephantidae ...

, southern white rhinoceros,

giraffe The giraffe is a large African hoofed mammal belonging to the genus ''Giraffa''. It is the tallest living terrestrial animal and the largest ruminant on Earth. Traditionally, giraffes were thought to be one species, '' Giraffa cameloparda ...

, blue wildebeest,

leopard The leopard (''Panthera pardus'') is one of the five extant species in the genus '' Panthera'', a member of the cat family, Felidae. It occurs in a wide range in sub-Saharan Africa, in some parts of Western and Central Asia, Southern Russia ...

cheetah The cheetah (''Acinonyx jubatus'') is a large cat native to Africa and central Iran. It is the fastest land animal, estimated to be capable of running at with the fastest reliably recorded speeds being , and as such has evolved specialized ...

mongoose A mongoose is a small terrestrial carnivorous mammal belonging to the family Herpestidae. This family is currently split into two subfamilies, the Herpestinae and the Mungotinae. The Herpestinae comprises 23 living species that are native to ...

and

spotted hyena The spotted hyena (''Crocuta crocuta''), also known as the laughing hyena, is a hyena species, currently classed as the sole extant member of the genus '' Crocuta'', native to sub-Saharan Africa. It is listed as being of least concern by the ...

. Since 2005, the protected area is considered a

Lion The lion (''Panthera leo'') is a large Felidae, cat of the genus ''Panthera'' native to Africa and India. It has a muscular, broad-chested body; short, rounded head; round ears; and a hairy tuft at the end of its tail. It is sexually dimorphi ...

Conservation Unit.

Accommodation

Private Concession: Machampane Wilderness Camp: 10-bed luxury tented camp nestled on the banks of the Machampane River. Specialises in walking safaris. Park Camps: Aguia Pesqueira: self-catering chalets and camping facilities Albufeira: self-catering chalets and camping facilities

Activities

*Shingwedzi 4x4 eco-trail: five-night, six-day fully self-sufficient 4x4 trail. Starts at Pafuri Picnic Site in Kruger National Park, enters Mozambique at Pafuri Border Post and traverses Parque Nacional do Limpopo, the Mozambique sector of the Great Limpopo Transfrontier Park camping at pans and on river banks. *Rio Elefantes Canoeing Trail: three-day paddle down the Rio Elefantes (Olifants River) from its confluence with the

Shingwedzi View of Shingwedzi's office building with the Shingwedzi River in the foreground Visitor accommodation at Shingwedzi Alexander Merensky's map of 1881 shows the unhealthy malarial flats and the range of the tsetse fly (in blue) encompassing much ...

to its confluence with the Limpopo. Camp wild at the side of the river in rustic bushcamps. Guided, fully catered and ported. *Palarangala Wilderness Trail: three nights spent camping out in a rustic bushcamp with days spent exploring the pristine wilderness area stocked with game from the adjacent Kruger National Park. Guided and fully catered. *Lebombo Hiking Trail: three night and four day trail spent hiking through pristine wilderness with good bird and game sightings. Fully catered with overnight accommodation in rustic bushcamps. Guided, fully catered and ported. *Elefantes Gorge Backpacking and Fishing Trail: three night and four day fully self-sufficient guided trail spent traversing the plateau of the

Lebombos The Lebombo Mountains, also called Lubombo Mountains ( pt, Montes Libombos), are an , narrow range of mountains in Southern Africa. They stretch from Hluhluwe in KwaZulu-Natal in the south to Punda Maria in the Limpopo Province in South Afric ...

, camping wild and fishing for Tiger from the shores of Massingir Dam, an important Breeding Ground for the

Nile Crocodile The Nile crocodile (''Crocodylus niloticus'') is a large crocodilian native to freshwater habitats in Africa, where it is present in 26 countries. It is widely distributed throughout sub-Saharan Africa, occurring mostly in the central, eastern ...

.Massingir Dam & Flooding of Olifants Gorge
/ref>

References

External links

Great Limpopo Park

Peace Parks Foundation

SANParks Official Site

Great Limpopo
{{authority control National parks of Zimbabwe Nature conservation in Mozambique Kruger National Park Southern miombo woodlands Zambezian and mopane woodlands