Mana Pools National Park
The wild and remote Mana Pools National Park is situated at the northern tip of Zimbabwe on the Zambezi River. The Park is a breathtaking wilderness haven and World Heritage Site. Just across the river is Zambia’s Lower Zambezi National Park, forming a naturally defined peace park.
The meanders of the Zambezi in years gone by have left behind the remains of old ox-bows, shaping small seasonal pools scattered over an area of 2,000 square kilometres. The Park is named after the four main pools on the old riverbed, with Mana meaning “four” in the Shona language. The pools support a variety of game and numerous species of bird life, along with the unique vegetation of the Zambezi valley, dominated by Nyala berry, natal mahogany and winterthorn trees.
Whilst Mana Pools is bordered by Ruckomechi to the south and the Sapi River to the east, it actually forms part of a 10,500 square kilometre Parks and Wildlife Estate that stretches from the Kariba Dam in the west to the Mozambique border in the east. There are no physical boundaries and wildlife can freely move through the area, even crossing the Zambezi River into Zambia’s Lower Zambezi National Park without clearing customs.
The Park attracts an abundance of big game including elephant, buffalo, kudu, eland, sable, zebra and waterbuck. Marine fauna like fish, hippo and crocodile are prolific. Lion, leopard, cheetah, hyena and wild dog are all present although less frequently seen. The leguminous Acacia albida tree is common along the riverbanks and the protein-rich pods attract many herbivores, particularly elephants. Mana Pools also abounds with over 300 species of bird life. During August to December the banks of the Zambezi are burrowed by nesting carmine, white-fronted and little bee-eaters. Colourful kingfishers include the malachite, brown-hooded, chestnut-bellied, woodland, pied and giant. Black-winged stilts, African skimmers, goliath herons, little and black egrets are also found here.
The open Albida woodland provides good visibility and allows visitors the unique privilege within Zimbabwe of walking escorted by a guide or unaccompanied in an area with carnivores and larger mammals. A guided canoe safari is another unforgettable experience, as you negotiate your way past territorial hippos and sly ‘flat dogs’ as the crocs are known locally. As you drift slowly downriver herds of elephant and cantankerous ‘dagga boys’ – the nickname for old grumpy male buffalos thrown out of the herd - swim across the river in front of you.
Although Mana Pools can be visited year-round, the best time to visit is May to early October during the dry season. In June and July, the atmospheric early morning mists on the Zambezi are highly photogenic. July to November is the prime game-viewing period when animals concentrate around the Zambezi River in a quest for water. During October and November the valley gets incredibly hot, prior to the first rains. During the rainy season game drives become more difficult due to the thick silt soil of the floodplains and canoeing is the best option.
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Victoria Falls