Developed campsites: Chipinda Pools, Chinguli & Mabalauta
Communal camping with shared ablutions · Chipinda Pools and Chinguli on the Runde; Mabalauta on the Mwenezi · Gonarezhou Conservation Trust
Budget
Inside the park
Park-run (Gonarezhou Conservation Trust)
The three serviced campgrounds are where most self-drivers base themselves: Chipinda Pools near the northern gate, Chinguli further along the Runde and Mabalauta in the south. Braai areas, ablution blocks and river frontage. Camps are unfenced and wildlife walks through at night.
Pros and cons
Pros
- Running water and shared ablutions, the comfortable end of camping
- Riverside pitches on the Runde and Mwenezi
- Each site is booked exclusively, just your group
- A thatched rondavel and braai area at every site
- Tree shade at Mabalauta in the quiet far south
Cons
- Shared ablution blocks, about one block per three sites
- No power at any of the three campgrounds
- Unfenced camps; wildlife walks through at night
- Park closes to visitors from 10 January to 1 March
What's here
- Campsite
- Self-catering
Read from Developed campsites: Chipinda Pools, Chinguli & Mabalauta's own website in July 2026. Anything not listed we could not confirm, which is not the same as it being absent.
What the park charges on top
The rate above buys you a bed. Gonarezhou National Park charges its own entry fee for every day you are inside. Here is what that adds up to.
- Park entryThe rate for guests staying in a park camp.
- $15per person, per day
- VehicleRoughly $5 to $10 a day depending on the vehicle.
- $8per vehicle, per day
Three nights means three days inside, so two adults sharing one vehicle pay $114 in park fees before anyone pays for a bed.
Sleeping inside the boundary is what keeps that low. $15 if you sleep in a park camp, against $25 a day for anyone driving in from outside.
The full fee schedule for Gonarezhou National ParkRates at Developed campsites: Chipinda Pools, Chinguli & Mabalauta
From $55 per site (Local). Local $55, SADC $66, International $104 per site per night, covering the first 3 to 4 people; up to 6 per site with a per-person supplement; 9 sites at Chipinda Pools, 5 at Chinguli, 5 at Mabalauta.
What the rate covers is not confirmed. We do not know yet whether meals, drinks and activities are included, so read this as the bed only.
Every figure on this page is in US dollars.
Rates are the Gonarezhou Conservation Trust's own published figures and operators' rate cards, gathered July 2026, quoted Local / SADC / International where the Trust publishes all three tiers. Accommodation rates generally exclude the daily conservation fee; confirm the total with the Trust when you book. Two names you may still find elsewhere, Mahenye Lodge and Senuko, could not be verified as currently operating: their websites no longer resolve and neither appears on any current operator list.
Questions about Developed campsites: Chipinda Pools, Chinguli & Mabalauta
Are the developed campsites good for families?
We found no published minimum age for these campsites. Chipinda Pools and Mabalauta sites take 4 to 6 people and Chinguli 3 to 6, each with shared ablutions and running water, which makes them more comfortable for children than the wilderness sites. Camps are unfenced, so supervise children closely at night.
Can you self-drive to the developed campsites at Chipinda Pools, Chinguli or Mabalauta?
Yes, the Trust describes these as the campgrounds where most self-drivers base themselves. Chipinda Pools and Chinguli sit on the Runde in the north, reached via the Chipinda Pools gate, and Mabalauta is on the Mwenezi in the south. The Trust recommends a high-clearance vehicle at least.
What's included at the developed campsites?
Each site has a braai area, a thatched rondavel, a shared ablution block and a running water tap, though the water itself is unfiltered borehole or sand-abstracted supply. There is a shared camp attendant. Rates of $55 to $104 a night are a minimum charge for the whole site, not per person.
When are the developed campsites open?
Chipinda Pools and Mabalauta are the Trust's core camping areas and run for most of the year, but the whole park closes to visitors from 10 January to 1 March. Confirm current access with reservations@gonarezhou.org before a wet-season trip.
How do you book the developed campsites?
Book with the Gonarezhou Conservation Trust at reservations@gonarezhou.org or +263 779 788 811. Each site is let exclusively to one group, maximum two vehicles, across 9 sites at Chipinda Pools, 5 at Chinguli and 5 at Mabalauta, so name your preferred camp when you enquire.