• Summary
• Text account
• Data table and detailed info
• Map
• Reference and further resources

Site description
After crashing over the spectacular Victoria Falls, one of the natural wonders of the world, the Zambezi river hurtles through many gorges on its way to the quieter waters of Lake Kariba. From the falls at 17°56’S 25°52’E, the Batoka Gorge system is about 120 km long, reaching to Sidinda Island (just west of the Matetsi river mouth) at 18°00’S 26°34’E, where the plateau drops below 600 m. The river has carved through the basalt rock here, to make a gorge up to 140 m deep, characterized by cliffs and screes. The landscape and the views are stunning.

The Batoka Gorge system lies within the Hwange Communal Land, apart from the first c.12 km below the falls which lies within the Victoria Falls National Park. The flat plain on top supports mopane Colophospermum woodland. Riparian forest occurs in parts along the Zambezi and some of the gorges formed by tributaries, with trees of Diospyros, Trichilia and Rhus among others. The screes are clothed in thick mixed woodland (Commiphora, Entandrophragma, Sterculia, etc., often dominated by Triplochiton), interspersed with grassland. There is virtually no usage of the gorge itself, except for white-water rafting and kayaking along the river.

Key biodiversity
See Box for key species. The Batoka Gorge is a haven for cliff-nesting birds, in particular Falco fasciinucha. A pair can usually be seen in the fifth gorge. In the 1990s, it was estimated that Batoka Gorge hosted up to 10 pairs of this small falcon. In addition, there are about 18 pairs of Falco peregrinus, and another 34 species of raptor occur or have been seen there (including owls). At least four pairs of Ciconia nigra nest in the gorge. A rafting survey counted 103 Glareola nuchalis. No other threatened or restricted-range species occur in the Gorge. No checklist of birds exists for this section of the Zambezi river, except for a list of raptors.

Non-bird biodiversity: None known to BirdLife International.

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Recommended citation
BirdLife International (2023) Important Bird Areas factsheet: Batoka Gorge. Downloaded from http://www.birdlife.org on 20/03/2023.