Hwange National Park was founded in 1929 and encompasses over 14 000 square kilometers . The north and north-west of the park are drained by the Deka and Lukosi rivers and their tributaries, and the far south of the park is drained by the Gwabadzabuya River, a tributary of the Nata River . There are no rivers in the rest of the park, although there are fossil drainage channels in the main camp and Linkwasha areas, which form seasonal wetlands. In these areas without rivers, grassy pan depressions and pans have formed. Some of these pans, such as many of the pans in the Shumba area, fill with rainwater, while others, such as Ngweshla, Shakwanki and Nehimba, are fed by natural groundwater seeps. Many of the pans are additionally supplied by water pumped from underground boreholes.

In 2008 , Colin Gillies of Wildlife Environment Zimbabwe approached the National Parks of Zimbabwe and suggested a 2 day 100 kilometer Mountain Bike Ride through Hwange National to raise funds to supplement the cost of pumping water in Hwange National Park as National Parks Department had limited funds and resources to maintain the engines and pumps .The recent poor rains had forced most of the game to concentrate around the available water holes and any break downs with the engines or pumps created more demand on the remaining water resources. So in July 2008 a mixture of 28 old and young , new and experienced mountain bikers set off from Main Camp to Guvalala for day one of the ride . Day two saw us return along the Tshebe loop road.

10 years later as Pumping Legs for Water, we have averaged 100 cyclists per year from as far as the UK to the staff at Main Camp and most countries in between.

The money raised from Pumping Legs for Water together with Wildlife Zimbabwe purchases has insured that Hwange National Park and its wildlife has been provided with much needed tanks, solar panels, tools, fuel, spare parts and borehole pumps.