An untouched and remote wilderness

The Niassa Reserve is the largest conservation area of Mozambique, with open savannah, forests and wetlands

Niassa Reserve is one of the largest protected miombo forest ecosystems in the world, with a surface area of 42,000 km². The Niassa Reserve is the largest conservation area of Mozambique and it contains by far the greatest concentration of wildlife in the country.

The vegetation is mostly Brachystegia (miombo) woodland, interspersed with open savannah and wetlands. Of particular interest biologically are the small isolated forest communities that occur on the mountains and inselbergs found throughout the Reserve, and the riparian forests along the perennial rivers.

Niassa supports a remarkably rich and diverse collection of wildlife. Elephant, sable antelope, Cape buffalo, Lichtensteins hartebeest, eland, zebra, warthog, lion, leopard and spotted hyena are all common. There are smaller populations of kudu, bushbuck, impala, wildebeest, waterbuck, reedbuck, and hippo. The endangered Cape hunting dog (African wild dog) occurs with an estimated population exceeding 200 animals, which makes the Niassa Reserve one of the last best refuges for this species. The Reserve has a rich birdlife including the rare Angola pitta (Pitta angolensis), Pel’s fishing owl (Scotopelia peli), and abundant raptor population. Rovuma River is an Important Bird Area and over 370 bird species have been identified already.