Malilangwe Wildlife Reserve
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Purchased to safeguard the sustainability of the local environment and wildlife, the Malilangwe Wildlife Reserve comprises 130,000 acres of protected land. Situated off Zimbabwe's typical safari route, remote Malilangwe’s expansive landscape undulates with sandstone hills, broad lakes, massive baobab trees, ancient rock art, and grassy plains dotted with animals such as cheetah, lion, leopard, wild dog, sable, Lichtenstein's hartebeest, prolific bird life and much more.
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The Safari Experience
Set aside to protect an abundance of endemic wildlife living north of Gonarezhou National Park, the 130,000-acre Malilangwe Wildlife Reserve in southeastern Zimbabwe envelopes visitors in unparalleled exclusivity and remoteness. Near dawn and again at dusk, you traverse the reserve by open 4-wheel-drive vehicle to view and photograph predators and endangered mammals passing over plains dotted with baobab trees. Put your feet on the ground on guided bush walks, where you settle into the pure quiet of nature. Lake Malilangwe is the perfect setting for fishing and sundowner cruises. Enjoy epic stargazing, as there is virtually no light pollution in Malilangwe. Interact with the local Shangaan people and visit ancient San Bushmen rock art sites. Experience awe as you watch lion cubs nuzzle their mother or a giraffe loping in slow motion across the savanna. Few places offer such rare privacy—on average, guests have more than 5,000 acres of land to themselves at any given moment.
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Wildlife
Formed in 1994, the Malilangwe Wildlife Trust’s key goal was to restore the historic biodiversity of the area, including the reintroduction of many endemic species that had become locally extinct. Today on the reserve, you can see lion, leopard, cheetah, African wild dog, hyena, sable antelope, giraffe, zebra, large herds of buffalo, elephant, black and white rhinos, Lichtenstein's hartebeest, elusive pangolin, 14 species of eagle, 17 species of antelope, and 400 species of birds. Hippo and crocodile bask in the lake while other animals come down to drink. Reintroduction of various species has proven successful, and now Malilangwe Wildlife Reserve offers a diverse variety of animals with healthy populations. Ongoing wildlife surveying, monitoring, research and security efforts continue to advance this conservation success story.
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How to Include Malilangwe in Your Safari Itinerary
Recommended Number of Nights
Nature Travelers: 3 nights
Photographers: 3-4 nights
Families: 3-4 nights
Active Travelers: 3 nights
Other Regions to Include
Due to its location off the typical tourist route, Malilangwe is especially exclusive and unique. Flights come from Johannesburg, South Africa, and Victoria Falls, Zimbabwe, on certain days of the week so you can combine a visit here with other complementary areas, such as Hwange National Park in Zimbabwe and another exclusive private reserve, Tswalu Kalahari in South Africa. To create a safari circuit that combines an abundance of animals with luxury accommodations, merge Singita Pamushana, the only lodge in Malilangwe Wildlife Reserve, with Singita Boulders or Singita Lebombo in South Africa.