Mutirikwi (Kyle) Recreational Park Review (all you need to know about visiting it)

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Click on the subheadings below to jump to their contents:

1. Introduction
2. Booking, contact details & charges
3. Directions, road condition & best type of vehicle to use
4. Arrival and experience with staff members
5. Crocodile pit experience
6. Lake Mutirikwi (Kyle) experience
7. White rhinos experience
8. Other activities

NB: It is strongly advised to read all the reviews on this site in their entirety to ensure that the destinations really suit all your needs & preferences.

Introduction

Even though I had been to Mutirikwi Recreational Park before, I wanted so badly to visit this park again. I guess it is just that good & of course it is home to white rhinos, one of my absolute favourite animal species on Earth…

Booking, contact details & charges

We decided to visit this park just for the day, which I feel like is far from being enough for a park this big with so much to offer. For a day visit, you do not have to make a booking so we pretty much arrived unannounced. It is however important to make a booking if you wish to stay overnight at their lodges or campsites. I never got a chance to check out their lodges so if you wish to stay there make sure to ask for pictures & ask pertinent questions about the condition of the chalets, furniture & appliances to avoid any disappointments.

For this trip, we opted to stay at one of the hotels in town as the reasons for the visit were a mix of business & pleasure. The entry fee for a day visit at Mutirikwi (Kyle) Recreational Park is $5 per adult and $5 per vehicle. Their accommodation fees range from $50 to $100 per lodge per night, each lodge accommodating two to eight people depending on the size. Their camping and caravan sites are $15 per person per night. All fees are payable in rtgs at the bank rate. Their contact number for enquiries and/or bookings for WhatsApp is +263776134164 and Calls is +263242706077 – 8

Directions to Mutirikwi (Kyle) Recreational Park from Masvingo, road condition & the recommended type of vehicle

Mutirikwi Recreational Park is located just under 30 km from Masvingo CBD. You take the Birchenough bridge/ Mutare road and drive for about 12.1 km from the railway crossing, then you will find a right turn off with the Mutirikwi (Kyle) Recreational Park sign post. Bearing in mind that you are on a highway, it is easy to pass this turn off so the easiest way would be to use google maps which will show you exactly where & when to turn. After the turn, you drive the remaining 16 km or so on the same road until you get to the recreational park entry point. The road is relatively okay for smaller vehicles too, however, if the plan is to do a game drive then a vehicle with high ground clearance would be highly recommended during the dry season. If the visit is during the wet season then a 4 wheel drive would be a better choice.

Arrival and experience with staff members

As our vehicle started approaching the gate, the lady who was in the ticket office immediately came out to greet us. That was quite impressive. We most definitely felt welcomed. Her knowledge of the park was also unmatched. She intelligibly explained to us the different places of the park that we could check out & what to expect. I was excited to visit the lake of course but after chatting with her, the white rhinos went to the top of the list. I am so obsessed with white rhinos you have no idea. We agreed that the first stop would be the crocodile pit though, as that was just right at the main offices.

Crocodile pit experience

One thing that surprised me was the number of crocodiles in this pit. Crocodiles are so well camouflaged that when they are lounging on the grass with some patches of bare ground, they are not easy to spot. I felt chills down my spine as I started to spot them one by one, & now I was thinking, “if this was on some river margin, I would never have seen them“. Can you also imagine that, out of 100 crocodile hatchlings, an average of only 1 crocodile survives to adulthood due to heavy predation on their species at that younger stage of their life. A female crocodile lays between 30 to 60 eggs per clutch.

Lake Mutirikwi (Kyle) experience

Lake Mutirikwi is the third largest man-made water body in Zimbabwe (after Kariba and Tokwe Mukosi dams) with a capacity of 1425 megalitres. You can not visit Masvingo (whether for business or pleasure) and not spare some moments to unwind at this mesmerizing lake. The rocky margins on most parts of the lake that are accessible provide one with a convenient place to sit & enjoy the picturesque view of the lake.

The lake is so large that the eye can not even see its next periphery. It is such a perfect place to have a romantic picnic or one with family/friends under a nice shady tree, hearing the sound of the waves lapping on the lake edges. Because of how large it is, both the times I have visited it, I have always had the whole lake-side to myself & the people I would have travelled with. I know you’re probably itching to find out if you can fish there, go on a boat ride or do other aquatic activities. Yes you can, however, sometimes just sitting in silence & allowing your body, mind & soul to be consumed by nature while absorbing the negative ions (that increase the serotonin/ feel good hormone) is needed by your body more than any other activity. On this day, I did not feel like I enjoyed this serene atmosphere enough unfortunately due to time constraints so I definitely can not wait to visit again. 

White rhinos experience

I honestly don’t know what this animal species does to me but the moment I hear that a place has white rhinos, I can not even contain myself. If you haven’t already, do check out my experience with the white rhinos at Chivero Recreational Park here. 

When we left the Mutirikwi Recreational Park entry point, the plan was to go to the crocodile pit,  then relax a bit at the lake but I would be lying if I say that the whole time we were driving to these places I was not obsessing over the idea of seeing the white rhinos. Part of the obsession is driven by fear too I guess. White rhinos are such well camouflaged animals which blend so well with their natural environment. It’s pretty easy to miss them even when they are right in front of you. That possibility of not being able to spot them is a huge fear of mine… a definite mood spoiler whenever that happens. Lucky for me, my partner enjoys a good challenge especially when it comes to finding animals in the bush so we don’t give up in our searches so easily. 

The first thing we took note of as we were driving was the dung. At first the one we were seeing was slightly dry so we knew we were not quite close yet. Until we got on this other road where the dung was just becoming fresher & fresher the further we drove. We were so sure we were close to these stunning giants…. But then… we got to the end of the road without finding anything. 

I could feel my heart cracking a bit & the thought of the rhinos possibly being too far in the thick bush where they can’t be seen started creeping into my mind. Hubby then suggested that we drive on the same road one last time. Of course I was up for it. It was getting late & at this point I was anxiously clutching my seat so tight, my eyes focussing outside the window when I heard a voice from my right hand side exclaiming, OH! THERE THEY ARE… My goodness me! I was beyond ecstatic! Even as I type this I still feel the overwhelming joy I felt on the day upon landing my eyes on these two white rhinos. They were so immersed in grazing on the grass like the giant lawnmower machines they are. We stayed there for a while but nowhere near enough time as we now had to leave unfortunately. Day trips suck but I am definitely grateful that I got a chance to see them & in that moment my spirit was fulfilled.

Other animals

The other animals that we spotted include Kudus, impalas, warthog & monkeys. Unfortunately they were extremely skittish that they never gave me the chance to take a shot of them. It was interesting to observe how cozy the warthog was with the monkeys though. They all looked like besties with him following them everywhere. I noticed while other monkeys were jumping up & down the trees, there were some which would remain walking or running on the ground as if to accommodate the warthog. That was just a heartwarming thing to observe.

Other animals you can expect to see in this park are giraffes, zebras, wildebeests, eland and many other plains game. Mutirikwi Recreational Park is also home to buffalo and leopards, making it a home to three of the big five animal species. The only two species missing are therefore lions and elephants. However, from 2020 if you visit the other side of the lake, at Sikato Lion Park (details about the park can be found here) you will be able to see the lions too. I really love this new development for Masvingo, especially for the local children who now have an opportunity to see most of these big 5 species. We hope that elephants will be added into this part of the province soon. Yes there is Gonarezhou National Park & Save Valley Conservancy in the province, however, they are hundreds of km away so unfortunately not easily accessible.

Other activities

Other activities you can enjoy at Mutirikwi Recreational Park besides game drive (with own vehicle) include :

• Fishing
• Boating
• Horse riding
• Picnicking
• Guided walks

I hope that you make Masvingo your next holiday destination of choice soon & when you do, do check out Mutirikwi (Kyle) Recreational Park for some quality intimacy with nature.

Safe travels… remember to always have a little intimacy in your life, & as always I’m talking about Intimacy With Nature 🙂