Things to do in Mana Pools National Park
And where to stay, the best time to visit, what a day costs, and the traps to skip.
Best time to visit Mana Pools National Park
• a note or something on ✦ an occasion worth the trip
Dry season and the safari season, when wildlife concentrates on the Zambezi, the four pools, Kanga Pan and Chitake Springs.
Peak dry season with elephant and buffalo in large numbers. October is very hot by midday but often the most dramatic.
Cold nights and early mornings on the river and on walks, with warm days. Pack serious layers.
Camp season shoulder in April, May and early November, with fewer visitors and lower rates at camps still open.
Green season with lush bush, newborns and top birding, but most private camps closed, difficult roads and the highest malaria risk.
What's on
- Carmine bee-eater season August to October nesting season
Southern carmine bee-eaters nest in colonies in the Zambezi riverbanks in late dry season, a birding highlight.
- Painted dog denning season June to August denning
Mana packs den in early dry season and pups emerge, improving the chance of repeated pack sightings with a good guide.
Best things to do in Mana Pools National Park
Mana Pools National Park
The park itself is the sight, an open Zambezi floodplain under winterthorn trees with the escarpment across the river.
Long Pool
The largest of the four Mana pools, with hippo, crocodile and elephant herds drinking in the dry season.
Chine Pool
One of the named Mana oxbow pools, smaller and quieter than Long Pool, where dry season water concentrates game.
Chitake Springs
A spring in dry southern Mana where buffalo, elephant and lion converge in the dry season, far from the river.
Kanga Pan
An inland pan that is the only reliable dry season water for a wide radius, so game comes to the pan all day.
Sapi Safari Area
The wilder safari area east of Mana Pools in the same World Heritage listing, reached as a guest of its camps.
Where to stay in Mana Pools National Park
Zambezi riverfront, in-park
classic Mana Pools walking, canoeing and floodplain game
The riverfront camps and Nyamepi sit on the floodplain under winterthorn trees, with the Zambezi and the pools in one base.
Inland pans and Chitake Springs, in-park
dry season pan game, Chitake lions and a second inland base
Kanga Pan, Ingwe Pan and Chitake Springs concentrate game at inland water, away from the riverfront circuit.
Kariba town, outside the park
gateway night, fuel, supplies and lake stopover
Kariba is the nearest town to the park, with a resort hotel, a budget safari camp, fuel, shops and an airport.
Harare, access hub
flights, charters, 4x4 handover and supply run
Harare is where most Mana trips start, five to six hours by road or about an hour by charter flight from the park.
Think twice about
- Harare to Chirundu highway and the park road at night
Potholes, unlit vehicles, stray livestock and a rough, slow park road make night driving on this route a bad idea.
- Chitake Springs campsite on foot after dark
Lions, hyenas, elephants and buffalo move through the unfenced campsites at night. Stay in a vehicle or tent after dark.
- Zambezi riverbank scrub at dawn and dusk on foot
Hippos leave and return to the water and crocodiles hunt at the edge. Keep to open ground with a guide and good visibility.
Best restaurants in Mana Pools National Park
Hornbill Lodge
A small lodge on Mica Point above Lake Kariba serving cooked dinners, the gateway meal before Mana Pools.
Emmanuel's Restaurant
The Bronte Hotel restaurant in Harare, the reliable sit-down meal before an early Mana Pools departure.
Outdoor things to do in Mana Pools National Park
Mana Canoe Trail
A multi-day guided canoe trail down the Zambezi through Mana Pools, camping on the riverbank at night.
Ruckomechi Concession
A private concession where inclusive camp guests get walking, night drives, boat and canoe time on the Zambezi.
Camp Zambezi
A mobile tented camp on the floodplain used as a base for guided walking, drives and canoeing in Mana Pools.
Chitake River
The dry riverbed at Chitake, explored on foot from shaded vantage points as game comes to the spring water.
Zambezi River
Fish with a daily ZimParks licence and birdwatch along the Nyamepi riverfront, keeping well back from hippos.
Best hotels in Mana Pools National Park
Ruckomechi Camp
The flagship Wilderness riverfront camp, fully inclusive with walking, canoeing, boat time and a star bed.
Nyamatusi Camp
A luxury riverfront camp with six tented suites, private plunge pools and decks facing the Zambezi.
Chikwenya Camp
A secluded Wilderness camp near the Sapi and Zambezi confluence, a strong base for photographers.
John's Camp
A small traditional Robin Pope camp known for expert guiding, walking safaris, drives and fishing.
Vundu Camp
A small camp on the floodplain valued for guiding, walking and canoeing at rates below the luxury camps.
Zambezi Expeditions
An expedition-style riverfront camp with six Meru tents, often paired with inland Kanga Camp.
Nyamepi Camp
The main ZimParks campsite on the floodplain, the genuine cheap tier, fully self-catering and unfenced.
Kanga Camp
An inland luxury camp around Kanga Pan, famous for an armchair safari as game comes to drink at the deck.
Is Mana Pools National Park expensive? What a day costs
| Budget | $110 a person |
|---|---|
| Classic | $600 a person |
| Splurge | $1,400 a person |
A day of food, drink, sights and getting around, before the room
What to book ahead
- Chitake Springs: weeks ahead
- Sapi Safari Area: weeks ahead
- Mana Canoe Trail: months ahead
- Ruckomechi Concession: months ahead
- Camp Zambezi: months ahead
- Chitake River: weeks ahead
- Ruckomechi Camp: months ahead
- Nyamatusi Camp: months ahead
- For August to October, book top and mid-range camps, the Mana Canoe Trail and Nyamepi and Chitake campsites months ahead.
- Confirm ZimParks fees, campsite numbers and charter flights in writing, in US dollars.
- Confirm each camp's exact season dates, as most private camps only open roughly April to November.
Is Mana Pools National Park safe?
- Poor driving standards, potholes, unlit vehicles and stray livestock are risks on the road journey in, and emergency services are limited.
- Mana Pools is a serious malaria area year round, highest in the wet months. Take prophylaxis advice, use nets and repellent, and cover up at dusk.
- Walk only with a licensed professional guide or a parks ranger, or under a ZimParks unguided walking permit in the open floodplain, and carry evacuation insurance.
- Carry US dollar cash in small notes, fill up on fuel whenever you can, and never swim in the Zambezi or the pools.
Mana Pools National Park travel tips: tourist traps to skip
- Assuming there is a restaurant or shop inside the park leads to hunger: eating is at your camp or self-catered from supplies bought outside.
- Treating unguided floodplain walking as a casual stroll is dangerous for first-time visitors. Walk guided first.
- Scheduling a same-day international arrival in Harare and a self-drive park entry leaves no margin for the rough park road.
Getting around Mana Pools National Park: public transport and more
- Fly Harare to a Mana airstrip in about 1 to 1.5 hours by charter, or self-drive five to six hours via Marongora and a rough 70 km park road.
- Self-drive needs a high-clearance 4x4, a full-size spare and offline maps, and there is no fuel for sale inside the park as a rule.
- Kariba town is the nearest gateway for fuel and supplies, reached by road back over the escarpment to Makuti and Marongora.
Who Mana Pools National Park suits
| Solo travellers | OK |
|---|---|
| Groups of friends | Good |
| Couples | Great |
| Bachelor parties | Not ideal |
| Families | Good |
| Bachelorette parties | Not ideal |
Make Mana Pools National Park your trip
Swearby drafts the days from places people swear by. Swap any stop, then invite the crew by text, even friends without the app. Vote on dates, track costs as you go, and everyone gets one number at the end.
Get Swearby on the App Store