GorongoSa. * Gorongosa s ravaged elephant population is still wary of humans. If you happen upon them, best to keep some distance.

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1 GorongoSa Rising After near decimation during the Mozambique Civil War, Gorongosa National Park is now the site of one of the greatest restoration projects in Southern Africa * Gorongosa s ravaged elephant population is still wary of humans. If you happen upon them, best to keep some distance. 58 Country Life December 2012

2 wild earth text and pictures christopher scott Country Life December

3 60 Country Life December 2012

4 THE HERD OF ELEPHANTS HALTED suddenly as they emerged from the raffia palm thicket. Their trunks immediately shot into the air for a taste of what had alerted them, delicately ducking and weaving from side to side like wrinkled periscopes. We sat motionless in the vehicle, unseen in the deep shade some 50 metres away, and watched the herd edge forward, ears flared in semi-warning but still curious as to where we were, their poor eyesight unable to detect us. They advanced another short distance, this time more determined as some had sensed our presence. With a few sharp, uneasy trumpets and grumbles they quickly corralled the young into the centre of the herd. Their small trunks snaked out between large legs and bellies, still inquisitive but bolstered by the safety of their family around them. A few more steps forward, accompanied by flapping ears and several loud trumpets, indicated how nervous and unhappy the herd was with our presence. But starting the vehicle might cause more panic than good and I opted for patience, trusting that the unhappy pachyderms would embrace flight rather than fight, and the uneasy tension would dissipate. Our stalemate lasted not much longer before the herd bunched up and made a bid for freedom across our front. They moved together, keeping the young within their phalanx of legs, their trumpeting disdain fading into the distance and the setting sun. Back at Gorongosa s main camp Chitengo, the guides told us how privileged we were to have experienced such an interaction with the Gorongosa Opposite page: * Gorongosa has some of the largest thickets of fever trees (Acacia xanthoploea) in the region. * Guided day trips in the park can be easily arranged. This page: * Towering trees are home to fantastic birdlife. * Our guide Castro Kaskata calls, successfully, for the iconic Green-headed Oriole, to make an appearance at Mt Gorongosa. Gorongosa MOZAMBIQUE Maputo Durban SOUTH AFRICA elephants, which hold a deep mistrust for anything human. After decades of persecution and annihilation at the hands of poachers and militia, the elephants are only starting to settle down in their new haven and treat humans with less fear and aggression. Gorongosa has a history both colourful and depressing. The park was a favoured hunting ground for the colonial elite and, in the 1920s, the first step towards preserving the park was initiated by the Mozambique Company. The colonial government at the time chartered the company to manage central Mozambique, which it did for 50 odd years. Some 1 000km 2 was set aside as a hunting reserve by and for the company and its associates, and formed the basis of what is now Chitengo, and Gorongosa National Park. Many local and visiting dignitaries made the reserve a popular destination to the point that a new administration block had to be built, the derelict remains of which are fondly referred to as the Lion House due to the resident pride s predilection for hanging out in and on the building. After the Mozambique Company s charter ended in the early 40s, the reserve s management was handed over to the colonial government, when the first warden of the park, Mr. Alfredo Rodriques, set about banning hunting and constructing the restaurant and administration building at what is now the main camp of Chitengo. As a game reserve, Gorongosa became very popular very quickly. Recognising that more of the area needed protection, the colonial government expanded the park by another 2 100km 2 and >> >> declared it a national park in This had a Country Life December

5 staggering effect on the ecology of the area, and the earliest census in the late 1960s revealed that the park hosted 200 lion, elephant, buffalo, wildebeest, zebra, waterbuck, impala, hippo, and eland, sable and hartebeest numbering more than 500. Gorongosa s conservation and tourism high of most of the 20th century came to an end with the onset of the Mozambique Civil War when the Mozambique Resistance Movement (Renamo) attacked Chitengo and killed and captured several parks employees and tourists. The park had to be abandoned from 1983 and for nine years the park, its animals and the surrounding local population suffered the brutal effects of war. By 1992, when the fighting and rampant poaching was eventually halted, most animal populations had been decimated to within 10% of their original number. Various development forums provided the necessary resources to start rebuilding the park and 50 staff returned to help with the turnaround * Detailed maps are available on the website or from the parks reception. * All the staff at Gorongosa were friendly and knowledgeable, and the facilities were clean and well organised. * Waterbuck abound in the park. efforts in the mid 90s. But it was in 2004 that the Carr Foundation, created by millionaire philanthropist Gregory Carr, gave the park s restoration efforts a vital boost. US$10 million (± R80 million) was invested by the foundation in a three-year period and the sustained growth and development prompted the government and the foundation to sign a 20-year co-management plan, a move that should guarantee the successful future of the park. Gorongosa lies at the southernmost end of the Great Rift Valley and is a vessel of biological diversity, with some species of endemic plants and animals supported by the unique geography. It is found in the 7 800km 2 Urema catchment area, where several perennial and seasonal rivers run through the park and feed into Lake Urema. Some start on the slopes of Mt Gorongosa, their constant supply of water the key to biological diversity in the park. Mt Gorongosa, a brooding massif that juts 1 862m from the savannah floor, influences the weather patterns of the area and hosts pristine brachystegia and temperate forests, making it one of the focal points of the Gorongosa restoration project. Areas of the mountain previously considered sacred by locals have been overrun, and more than people living on the slopes contribute to the slow degradation of a unique natural environment. 62 Country Life December 2012

6 Castro Kaskata, our guide, explained how the community was slowly being educated about the importance of the mountain, and how participants from the community, with guidance from the restoration project, had set up 35 tree nurseries around the slopes of the mountain. The indigenous trees are being planted by formerly unemployed members of the community, in the forested areas and to rehabilitate and reforest denuded sections of the slopes. As we slowly slogged our way up the mountain, with the dark shimmer of indigenous forests beckoning from a distance, we had to negotiate maize and banana plantations that are testament to the triumph of agriculture over biological diversity. At first overwhelming, the beauty and coolth of the forest soon became second-string to our desire to see what we had come all this way for. The faint burbling of our quarry echoed tantalisingly through the forest, making our hair stand on end and forcing us to squint through binoculars into the dappled light of the canopy. Castro expertly cupped his hand and, with practiced vocal dexterity, returned * Comfortable Chitengo campsite provides public ablutions with hot and cold running water. * Gorongosa s road network is good but can become sticky after seasonal flooding. Check with reception if any roads have been closed. * As a natural floodplain Gorongosa hosts some of the largest herds of waterbuck I have seen. the liquid notes into the green. Several unsuccessful attempts and repositions later, he gesticulated wildly, not wanting to make a noise and scare away our feathered prize. Lining us up, he pointed high above. Even in the forest gloom the bright green head and luminous yellow body of the graceful Greenheaded Oriole was easily recognisable. One of the area s endemics, it can only be found on the slopes of Mt Gorongosa and is a magnet for keen birders from around the world. The area s diverse geography and geology plays host to a staggering 400 species of birds, some rare and shy like the Narina Trogon, and some under threat like the scores of Crowned Cranes that flock to the park s seasonal wetlands. For any keen or aspiring birder, it s enough to make Gorongosa a must-visit in Southern Africa. Gorongosa National Park travel@gorongosa.net, bookings@gorongosa.net , Country Life December