Mozambique to Gonarezhou through the back roads

[gulliver2937]

Hi all,
Since I could not find much information on this route before we did it, I thought it would be worthwhile to post a short trip report. Completed this trip in september 2022, 3 of us in a 2007 Rav 4.

Started the trip in SA - Kruger and Blyde river. Then through to Maputo and Tofo Beach. All very easy so far (except the Moz cops fishing for cold drinks!). Then up to Vilankulos which really is a smooth drive. Passed the turnoff to Zinave NP which is the one we would take the following day, so we were able to assess the road: sandy gravel road, quite wide but would definitely be slow going.
From Vilankulos, set off in the direction of Mabote and Machaila in the morning. We had thought there was a fuel station at the turnoff, there was, but not operational. So we had to go back to the turnoff to Vilankulos and fill up there. Rav 4 fuel tank is not huge, so we were carrying 20L extra fuel, giving us a total range of ~800km.
First section to Mabote is bumpy and there are some soft sections, but nothing too bad. Mabote has nothing except a small convenience store.
40km after Mabote the road turns in to a thin sand track, quite soft in places. The saving grace is that it is a reasonably straight road with barely any traffic, so we were able to maintain speed and not get bogged down. On iOverlander there is a wild camping site marked about 50km from Machaila which we stayed at. Fantastic site!
Following day there was a large lorry stuck in the sand on the road, meaning we had to forge a track around it. Fortunately the friendly truck driver had a machete with him which he used to help us clear a track. This was the first time we put the car in to AWD as it was quite soft sand, but we pulled through.
From Machaila the road gets wider and more gravely, there has clearly been some work done. There is also a fuel station at Machaila, but no fuel.
The last section to Mapai is not bad at all, and we made it to Mapai by about midday.
Fuel station at Mapai also did not have fuel, but there was bottled fuel available in the market, so we bought some of that. Road to Chicualacuala border with Zim is very good, and empty. No fuel at Chicualacuala either, which worried us slightly but we still had the jerry cans.
Border crossing was slow but very friendly, again some fishing for cold drinks but if you have all your documents in order you are fine.
From the border in to Gonarezhou the road is very corrugated indeed, and the car had developed a strange metallic rattle on these roads (still cant figure out what it is). The turn off to Mabalauta is not signposted, so dont miss it! That road was rough on the car as our clearance is just not high enough, the tracks are deep so plenty of scratches on the bottom.
Spent the night at Rossi Pools which is a fantastic exclusive site, with an incredible view of the Runde river. From there we had planned to cross through the park to Chipinda pools, but opted to exit on the west side and drive outside the park to the north to spare some of the bottom of the car. There was fuel in bottles available at Boli, and we could pay in ZAR.
The river crossing at Chipinda pools was exciting, but again the Rav 4 ploughed through just fine. The reception convinced us that we would be fine to cross the Fishans river, so we headed that way to our campsite at Chinguli.
Fishans crossing was fine until the sand on the other side... this was simply too soft so we got stuck. Let the tyres down, and with a good push and a bit of clutch smoke we were able to get out.
Chinguli is another fantastic site, with a great river view. The drive up to the top of the cliffs was totally fine, some of the better roads in the park.
Road back to Chipinda pools via the south side of the river (to avoid having to cross Fishans again) was very rough and really gave the car a beating... more clearance needed!
From Chipinda we set off direction Beitbridge, passing through Chiredzi where there was plenty fuel available! The road to Beitbridge is very smooth after about 50km from the Ngundu turn off, so we sailed smoothly towards the Lion and Elephant Motel, which is a great stopping point.
Following day headed to Beitbridge, which is really quite organised on the Zim side, just make sure to get your ZimBorders barcode scanned at every desk (they have a tendency to forget...).
SA side was chaotic, and ended up spending 2.5hrs queueing in the sun..

On the whole, doable in a Rav 4 or similar, although then I would suggest really sticking to only the main roads in Gonarezhou, and not attempting Fishans crossing. Fuel is an issue, especially on the Moz side so bring at least 20L extra, and the car will take a beating, but that's part of the fun.

Hope this helps people planning the same trip, I think it's much more interesting than taking the southern route through Xai Xai to Chicualacuala