Wilderness campsites (11 sites)
Wild, undeveloped camping · Spread through the park · Gonarezhou Conservation Trust
Budget
Inside the park
Park-run (Gonarezhou Conservation Trust)
The core of what makes Gonarezhou special for overlanders: eleven wild sites with a bush loo and a firepit and nothing else. Carry your water, carry out your waste, and expect elephants rather than neighbours. Site allocations are agreed with the Trust at booking.
Pros and cons
Pros
- Eleven wild sites for fully self-sufficient campers
- True 4x4 country on the remote access tracks
- The signature Gonarezhou experience for self-drivers
- Up to four vehicles and twelve people per site
- Expect elephants rather than neighbours at camp
Cons
- Bush loo and one firepit only, nothing else provided
- No water or power; carry in water and carry out waste
- True 4x4 required; ordinary high-clearance may not be enough
- Remote sites close roughly late November through March or April
What's here
- Campsite
- Self-catering
Read from Wilderness campsites (11 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 Wilderness campsites (11 sites)
From $63 per site (Local). Local $63, SADC $80, International $120 per site per night, covering four adults; up to 12 with a per-person supplement. Bush loo and firepit only.
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 Wilderness campsites (11 sites)
Are the wilderness campsites good for families?
We found no published minimum age, and these are the park's most basic sites: a bush loo and a single firepit, with no water, power or staff. The Trust pitches them at fully self-sufficient campers, so they suit older children on a proper camping trip rather than young families.
Do you need a 4x4 for the wilderness campsites?
Yes. The Trust calls this true 4x4 country, reached on remote access tracks to eleven wild sites scattered through the park. Its general guidance recommends travelling in two vehicles with recovery gear for sand-river crossings, since no fuel, water or assistance is available on site.
What do the wilderness campsites include?
Just a bush longdrop toilet and one firepit per site; everything else, including drinking water, food and a way to carry out your waste, is yours to bring. Site allocations are agreed with the Trust at the time of booking.
When are the wilderness campsites open?
The Trust says these remote sites close from late November to March or April; confirm exact dates when you book since no fixed date is published. The wider park also closes to visitors from 10 January to 1 March.
How do you book the wilderness campsites?
Book with the Gonarezhou Conservation Trust at reservations@gonarezhou.org or +263 779 788 811. Each site takes 4 to 12 adults and up to four vehicles; the Trust agrees the exact site with you at the time of booking.