All activities / Wildlife Safaris / Mana Pools National Park
Wildlife Safaris in Mana Pools National Park
A UNESCO World Heritage wilderness on the lower Zambezi in northern Zimbabwe, a floodplain of winterthorn glades famous for walking and canoe safaris among elephants, painted dogs and big lion prides.
Why here
Mana Pools is Zimbabwe's UNESCO World Heritage wilderness on the lower Zambezi, a floodplain of winterthorn glades where elephants rear up on their hind legs to feed on high seed pods and where you can walk unfenced among them with a licensed guide. It is one of the last places in Africa you explore on foot and by canoe rather than only by vehicle, drifting the Zambezi channels past hippo, crocodile and drinking buffalo. The park is a stronghold for the endangered African painted dog and for big lion prides, and its dry-season game viewing along the river is exceptional, with the far bank rising into Zambia's escarpment. Mana rewards slow, quiet, self-propelled safari over the convoy kind.
Best months
The dry months from July to October are prime, when inland pans dry and game funnels to the Zambezi and its pools, with October very hot but dramatically concentrated. Access is largely dry-season only, roughly April to November, and many camps shut in the November to March rains. Canoeing and walking safaris run in the cooler mornings and afternoons. The winterthorn drops its pods from around July, drawing the famous standing elephants.
Getting there & around
Mana Pools sits in the remote Zambezi Valley, reached by charter flight to airstrips such as Mana Main or by a long drive from Harare via Marongora, where the national park entry permit is issued. Most camps operate dry-season only, roughly April to November. Canoe and walking safaris are led by licensed professional guides, who are required for on-foot activity, and visitor numbers are capped, so book camps and canoe trails well ahead.
Skill levels: beginner, intermediate, advanced
Schools & guides (2)
Natureways Safaris
OutfitterNatureways Safaris has specialised in canoeing and walking safaris in Mana Pools National Park for more than thirty years, running mobile trips down the Zambezi for small groups of six to eight guests. It offers two styles: expeditionary Explorer canoe safaris that are self-contained and semi-participatory, and Odyssey safaris with more comfort and support. Trips are led by licensed professional guides and move between fly-camps along the river.
Stretch Ferreira Safaris
OutfitterStretch Ferreira Safaris is owned and led by Stretch Ferreira, a professional guide with nearly four decades in Mana Pools whom the Zimbabwe parks team nicknamed Father Mana. His Goliath Camp sits in a grove on the Zambezi with eight East African-style tents, and stays centre on guided walks among elephant and lion, with canoeing, game drives and fishing alongside. It works from a Harare base on personal, small-group guiding.