 Approximately 90% of the world's terrestrial biodiversity can be found in this eco region, which represents only 2% of the earth's surface. Gorongosa National Park is one of these regions, an area of high species diversity and ecological features found nowhere else.
Situated in the middle of the country in the Sofala province between Tete and Beira the park covers 5300 square km, including a 1500 square km sanctuary.
Before the civil war in the 1980s which destroyed 95% of the fauna, the park was famous for its quantity and diversity of wildlife and was seen as equal to the Kruger National Park. Today it is nearly recovered and is one of three parks from a total of six which is ready to receive visitors. While Kruger become a quasi-zoo, Gorongosa convinces with exciting game experiences, making you feel you've relegated to the years of Hemingway.
The park harbors several small herds of elephant, an increasing lion population, rhinos, leopards, zebras, kudus, cheetahs, warthogs and the rare roan and sample antelope. But its real attraction are the over 500 different bird species including some which only can be found in the Gorongosa area- the green headed oriole, white breasted alethe, bluethroated sunbird, blackcap tchagras, Livingstone's Flycatcher, Vanga Flycatcher, chestnut fronted Helmut shrike, singing cisticola, blackheaded apalis, redwinged warbler, moustached warbler, Eastern saw-wing swallow, mascarene martin, Nyasa seedcracker, Mozambique batis, oliveheaded weaver, green tinker barbet, Bohm's bee-eater and sooty tern. The habitat of these birds distinguishes itself through its variety and beauty.
The Park comprises dry plains dropping away from Gorongosa Mountain range at the southern end of the Great Rift Valley. Comprised of a great diversity of grasslands, tall miombo woodlands, Afro-Montane forests, valley thickets and seasonally inundated flood plains. The Urema Lake, which is fed by rivers originating from the Gorongosa Mountain, is the main ecological feature of the park. Situated right in the center of the park, it is the main source of water in the peak of the dry season.
The Eastern side of the Park is, the Cheringoma Plateu, an extensive natural forested area considered to be the richest in the country.
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