| Duration: | 4 Day(s) - 3 Night(s) |
| Tour Category: | Adventure Tours |
Gonarezhou National Park, one of the world's few remaining pristine wildernesses, is waiting to share its secrets with you. The Chilonjo Adventurer is a 3 day/night journey, taking you across the Save and Runde rivers to Tembwehata and Machanu Water Pans (part of an internationally recognized Important Bird Area), before ascending to the highest part of Gonarezhou to enjoy spectacular views.
The journey showcases the diverse wildlife and exceptional birdlife that concentrate in Gonarezhou.
Detailed Itinerary
Day 1: Arrive at Chilo Gorge Lodge
Upon arrival at Chilo Gorge Lodge, you will be met by your guide and shown to your accommodation. Settle in, relax around a campfire, listen to grunting hippos in the Save below and discuss any particular hopes and interests for your trip with your Guide. Fall asleep listening to the sounds of the wilderness calling you.
Day 2: Start Wilderness Adventure
After an early breakfast, you will leave the Lodge and begin your wilderness adventure in earnest. Descend into the gorge and cross the Save river into Gonarezhou. Look around to see the area's antelope species, including greater kudu, impala, steenbuck, bushbuck, and the elusive nyala. Look up high for the white-backed vultures nesting atop the baobab trees.
Your first bush camp is located just south of Tembwehata Water Pan, affording spectacular game and bird viewing. The Pan is a haven for hippos and crocodiles, as well as a huge diversity of water birds, herds of eland and buffalo, and the ever-present elephants. Staying at the bush camp will enable you to feel very close to nature, whilst maintaining the comfort and luxury of modern tents. You will enjoy listening to the sound of the wilderness from our campfire and be guided to your bed by your Guide and a hurricane lamp.
Day 3: Arrive in Machanu Pan; visit the iconic Chilojo Cliffs
Wake early to the dawn calls of Grey-headed parrots and Spurfowl coming to the river for a cool, morning drink. After breakfast, your Guide will take you on foot, to assess a multitude of tell-tale overnight tracks. Perhaps you will be lucky and get close to a large elephant herd.
After crossing the Runde by safari vehicle, you will arrive at Machanu Pan where you can select a quiet spot overlooking the water and see who visits next. The Pan's resident Goliath Herons, a multitude of Ducks, Spoonbills, Sacred Ibisis, argumentative Jacanas, and Openbilled storks are ready to provide entertainment and an elephant herd may decide to visit for a noisy, family bath.
After lunch, we head to the iconic Chilojo Cliffs, which rise 600 feet from the Runde River. The sandstone is layered in a series of horizontal beds, each varying in color from white, cream, yellow, ochre, and pink to brown. The bedding planes are a photographer's delight. Our second wilderness night is spent here, enjoying spectacular views of these cliffs.
Day 4: The Adventure Tour Ends
After a leisurely breakfast served on the shore of the Runde, we wind our way through baobabs looking for the rare Suni antelope, families of dwarf mongoose, wildebeest, zebra, bushbuck, buffalo, and kudu. We may also catch a glimpse of the shy, shaggy-coated nyala or the small and elusive duiker.
We take in a Chilojo Cliffs viewpoint, where you can see Verreaux's eagle and Black stork soaring far below you! Cheetahs, porcupines, roan antelope, and ostriches thrive in this semi-arid zone. Your adventure ends back at Chilo Gorge Safari Lodge where you can relax, share stories and relive the sounds, sights, and smells of your adventure.
