Mana Pools Safari - Sensational Africa - Everything You Need To Know

Summary

Mana Pools

Mana Pools National Park is located in the wild, northern region of Zimbabwe and sits in the Zambezi Valley on the banks of the mighty Zambezi river. It shares this region with its neighbour across the border, the Lower Zambezi National park which is situated in Zambia. This makes for an incredible wilderness area on both sides of the river and adds authenticity to your Zimbabwe safari experience.

The name Mana pools stems from word ‘mana’, which in the local Shona language means “four” and that refers to 4 naturally formed pools created by river channels of an ancient period. These pools fill during the rainy season and 2 hold water year round. Large numbers of wildlife come to drink from these pools and from the rivers edge. Predator numbers are high and are seen frequently waiting for game to come and drink from the cool waters. Mana is still fairly untouched with only a small selection of lodges to choose from. Elephants frequent camps often to come and eat the highly sort after acacia pods that they so enjoy feeding on. Mana Pools truly is one of Africa’s finest national parks and a must do for safari connoisseurs.

Activities

Visitors can enjoy game drive safaris and walking safaris in Mana Pools. Mana is a fantastic place to do a guided walking safari as the acacia woodland situated along the river offers clear ground and good vision. Mana is also renowned for it’s river-based safaris namely canoeing down the Zambezi, but also boating that is offered from the river based camps where one can enjoy fishing, sundowners and game drives from the water. This is a great combination for those who want to truly experieince an authentic wilderness area by foot, river and game drive vehicle.

Zimbabwe’s guide qualification is world renowned and very difficult to attain. Zimbabwean guides have a sound reputation as one of the continent’s best and this ensures that your safari guide is professionally qualified and competent to deliver walking safaris and approach big game on foot. Experiencing wildlife in its natural habitat up close is second to none especially in a wilderness setting such as Mana Pools.

Mana Pools is located in the lower reaches of the Zambezi Valley. Walking safaris in the region provide visitors with astonishing vistas of the brilliant Zambezi River and up-close interactions with wildlife in their natural habitat. The mountainous Rift Valley Escarpment forms a breathtaking backdrop as the river terraces through studded Faidherbia Albida (a type of acacia tree) and offers easy-going and safe terrain for walkers.

Time of year to travel

Mana Pools is one of the most authentic safari zones in Africa. During the dry winter period between the end of April to October, Mana is an incredible destination. May through to July has perfect weather with cool nights and sunny days that make doing activities in this rugged wilderness a pleasure. Mana Pools is very much a dry season Park. Many of Mana’s camps close during the rains as access in and around the area is limited due to muddy conditions.

Wildlife

Mana Pools has an impressive number of wildlife both on land and in the Zambezi River which is home to large concentrations of hippos and crocodiles. Big game thrives here with large numbers of buffalo and elephants. Lions, hyena, cheetah, leopard and wild dogs are share this landscape preying on the large numbers of plains game that live in the area. The game here is familiar with operators in the area and is relaxed in their presence which makes for great sitings and photographic opportunities. Mana Pools has over 360 different species of bird species making it a twitchers dream come true.