Transit campsites (3 sites)
Wild overnight stops · On the through-routes, maximum two nights · Gonarezhou Conservation Trust
A drawing, because nobody has sent us a photograph of Transit campsites (3 sites) yet. Send five and this page changes the same week.
Budget
Inside the park
Park-run (Gonarezhou Conservation Trust)
Gonarezhou is over five thousand square kilometres and its internal roads are slow, so the Trust maintains three simple transit sites for people moving between the northern Runde and southern Mwenezi sections. Basic in the best way: firepit, bush loo, silence.
Pros and cons
Pros
- The cheapest legal night inside the park
- Built for crossing this very large park at a sane pace
- Two-night maximum keeps them available for other travellers
- Up to five vehicles and twelve people per site
- Firepit, bush loo and genuine silence, nothing more
Cons
- Maximum stay of two nights, so not a base camp
- No water or power; bring everything you need
- Bush loo only, no ablution block
- Park closes to visitors from 10 January to 1 March
What's here
- Campsite
- Self-catering
Read from Transit campsites (3 sites)'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 Transit campsites (3 sites)
From $50 per site (Local). Local $50, SADC $60, International $100 per site per night, covering three adults; maximum two nights, up to 12 adults.
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 Transit campsites (3 sites)
Are the transit campsites good for families?
We found no published minimum age. These are the simplest sites in the park, a firepit and a bush loo with no water or power, meant for a single overnight stop rather than a stay, so they suit self-sufficient families already set up for camping rather than first-timers.
How long can you stay at the transit campsites?
Two nights maximum. The Trust built these three sites specifically for people moving between the northern Runde section and the southern Mwenezi section of a park that covers over 5,000 square kilometres, not as a base to stay put.
What do the transit campsites include?
Just a firepit and a bush longdrop toilet; there is no water, power or staff. Rates run $50 Local to $100 International per site per night, a minimum charge that covers three adults, for up to five vehicles per site.
Can you self-drive to the transit campsites?
Yes, they exist for exactly that: self-drivers crossing between the park's northern and southern sections at a sane pace rather than rushing the slow internal roads in one day. The Trust's general advice is a high-clearance vehicle at least, four-wheel drive preferred.
How do you book the transit campsites?
Book with the Gonarezhou Conservation Trust at reservations@gonarezhou.org or +263 779 788 811. Each site takes 3 to 12 adults and up to five vehicles, for a maximum of two nights, so plan your crossing dates before you call.