All activities / Trekking / Hiking / Nyanga
Trekking / Hiking in Nyanga
Zimbabwe's Eastern Highlands district on the Mozambique border, a cool green upland of montane grassland, waterfalls and forest around Mount Nyangani, the country's highest peak, within Nyanga and Mutarazi Falls national parks.
Why here
Nyanga is the green, mist-cooled counterpoint to Zimbabwe's lowveld safari country, a highland of montane grassland, trout streams and afromontane forest that rises to Mount Nyangani, at 2,592 metres the highest peak in the land. Trekking here runs from a two-hour scramble to the Nyangani summit to multi-day traverses linking the park's waterfalls and gorges, including the 762-metre Mutarazi Falls, the second-highest in Africa. The signature route is the Turaco Trail, a three-to-five-night guided hike that climbs Nyangani and drops into the Pungwe Gorge along wild rivers and through forest loud with samango monkeys and Livingstone's turaco. It is walking country in a big-game nation, at altitudes that stay comfortable when the rest of Zimbabwe bakes.
Best months
The dry, clear months from April to September are the best for walking, cool by day and cold at night, with a risk of frost and fog on Nyangani. The summer rains from November to March make the grassland vivid and the waterfalls thunderous but the peak treacherous, as Nyangani draws sudden mist and has a real reputation for disorienting walkers. Take a guide on the mountain, carry warm and waterproof layers year-round, and start summit walks early.
Getting there & around
Nyanga is about an hour and a half by road north of Mutare, itself roughly three hours from Harare, so most visitors drive in. The national parks charge entry and the main trailheads for Nyangani and Mutarazi Falls are signposted within them. For the summit and the multi-day trails a local guide is strongly advised given the mountain's fickle weather. Accommodation ranges from park lodges and cottages to trail camps.
Skill levels: beginner, intermediate
Schools & guides (1)
Far and Wide Zimbabwe
OutfitterFar and Wide Zimbabwe is an Eastern Highlands adventure operator based in Mutarazi Falls National Park at Nyanga, offering fully guided outdoor trips. It built and runs the Turaco Trail, a three-to-five-night hiking route that climbs Mount Nyangani, Zimbabwe's highest mountain, and descends through the Pungwe Gorge, with overnight camps along the way. Alongside trekking it runs Pungwe River rafting, mountain biking, rock climbing and fly fishing, and keeps its own cottages and river lodges.