The Niassa Game Reserve is the largest conservation area in Mozambique, roughly twice the size of the famous Kruger National Park. This huge wilderness preserve, covering 42,000 sqkm, is only just being discovered and contains by far the greatest concentration of wildlife in Mozambique.

The wildlife remains free and unfettered and the results of an aerial census in 2002 estimated over 12,000 elephant, 9,000 Sable Antelope and several thousand Cape Buffalo. Lichtenstein's Hartebeest, eland and zebra roam the plains and river valleys against a backdrop of towering inselbergs (or island mountains) that dominate the topography here.

Niassa Reserve is a wildlife paradise, providing refuge for over 200 endangered Cape Hunting Dog (African Wild Dog), as well as other predators such as lion, leopard and Spotted Hyena, and general game such as kudu, bushbuck, impala, wildebeest, waterbuck, reedbuck and hippo. Three sub-species, the Niassa Wildebeest, Boehm's Zebra and Johnston's Impala are endemic to the Niassa area. This is one of the last areas in the world where such a wide array of wildlife thrives without any management by man.