Bunga Forest Botanical Reserve- Travel Tips

What to See, How to Plan & Tours

Nestled along the southern slopes of Zimbabwe's mist-shrouded Bvumba (Vumba) Mountains, the Bunga Forest Botanical Reserve protects nearly 5 km² of regenerating and primary subtropical cloud forest—a rare remnant of Eastern Highlands biodiversity and the largest conserved area in the highlands. Dominated by Syzygium guineense in mature stands, the forest also nurtures understory Dracaena fragrans and pioneering regrowth such as Aphloia and Macaranga. Visitors can wander along narrow pathways winding through ferns, tree-ferns, orchids, and flowering epiphytes, while listening for elusive species like Swynnerton's robin, the stripe-cheeked greenbul, Marshall's pygmy chameleon and other restricted-range birds and reptiles. The reserve occupies land once belonging to Hon. Lionel Cripps, a founder of Zimbabwe's Commission for the Preservation of Natural and Historical Monuments and Relics, who bequeathed it to the nation, and the site also features dramatic cliff-top vantage points known as "Bunga Views", where woodland meets sweeping Burma Valley panoramas.