Chirundu Fossil Forest Zambia

The Chirundu Fossil Forest National Monument site contains fossilized or petrified tree trunks of the Karoo age. It is situated in the customary land of Chief Sikoongo of the Gwembe District in the Southern Province of Zambia and is 21 kilometers from the Chirundu border which forms a boundary with Zimbabwe.

The Chirundu fossil site lies within the Karroo supergroup of the coal-bearing Mid Zambezi Valley basin and partly in the Zambezi Mobile Belt of southern Zambia. Some of the fossils are still in their original environment and many of them are in a well-preserved state.  There are those that are barely been moved and those that are scattered.

The barely moved fossils consist of the well preserved and unmoved fossil wood logs in the area. These logs appear to have maintained their position where they have been silicified after failing. Annular rings are also distinguished by color. These logs range in size from short blocks of intact lengths of about 1-1.2m to long trunks of 10metres intact length.

The scattered wood logs appear to have been moved by water action and are mostly associated with low-lying areas such as streambeds. The fragmentation of fossils may have been caused by the smashing of the wood against each other. This implies that these are not in their original setting.

The area covered by both the barely moved and the scattered fossils are approximately 43square kilometers.

The fossils are formed from sandstones of the Escarpment Grit Formation of the Upper Karroo group.

How to get to Chirundu fossil forest Zambia

The Chirundu Fossil Forest National Monument site contains fossilized or petrified tree trunks of the Karoo age. It is situated in the customary land of Chief Sikoongo of the Gwembe District in the Southern Province of Zambia and is 21 kilometers from the Chirundu border which forms a boundary with Zimbabwe.

Chirundu fossil forest is located 130 km from the main capital Lusaka on the Lusaka Kariba road and using a 4×4 safari vehicle travelers can drive to the site and visit.

Where to stay while visiting Chirundu fossil forest Zambia

Day trips are advisable as there are not many places to stay around that area but those with camping equipment can find a nearby place to camp in the area.