Chirundu Fossil Forest

Scattered across a patch of dry bush in the Zambezi valley are the petrified remains of trees that grew around 150 million years ago, their trunks turned to stone and broken into sections lying where they fell, with the grain and the growth rings still legible in the rock. The site is a national monument and entirely undeveloped: a sign, a track and the trunks in the scrub. Taking pieces away is prohibited and has still stripped the site over the years.

What you actually see

• The petrified trunks - stone tree sections lying broken across the bush.
• The preserved grain - growth rings and wood structure legible in the rock.
• The age - trees from around 150 million years ago in the Karoo sequence.
• The undeveloped setting - a monument with a sign, a track and nothing else.

When to go

May to September is dry and cooler in a valley that gets extremely hot. October and November are punishing. Grass in the wet season hides the fossils.

Honest expectations

The site is unmanaged and much has been carried off over the years. Nothing is labelled or interpreted. The valley heat is severe outside the cool months.

Nearby

Lower Zambezi is downstream, and Siavonga is west.