Victoria Falls
November 6, 2021
Gonarezhou National Park
March 4, 2022Victoria Falls
November 6, 2021Gonarezhou National Park
March 4, 2022
Mana Pools National Park is a World Heritage site and Africa’s most sensational safari area!
A bold claim we realise however the combination of some of the best game viewing alongside the most experienced professional guides, breathtaking scenery, the stunning lower Zambezi river and the most incredible walking safaris really do make this national park stand out. The river frontage which sits just in front of large areas of open, winter acacia woodland with their cathedral-like statures is like no other safari habitat. The feeling you get when you are there for yourself is not something we can accurately describe for you: it is something incredibly special.
It is the walking safaris here that set it apart. Several of Africa’s absolute top guides are found here. Having lived in Mana Pools for decades in some instances, these guides know individual bull elephants and lion very well indeed. So much so that remarkable close experiences on foot with both species, and wild dog too, are a regular occurrence but not for a person of nervous disposition.
There are several "mobile camps" namely Chitake Springs mobile camp and Ruwesi Canoe trail that take the raw wilderness experience of Mana Pools to a whole new level that we believe is absolutely unique to Mana Pools. Being 5 metres from big bull elephants, huge herds of buffalo or even predator kills on your own two feet will have your heart racing at a thousand miles an hour. This is all only possible because of the extraordinary skill of guides that have worked this park with these animals for years and years.
The camps themselves either sit in the riverine area of the Zambezi River or are set back in the bush along one of Mana’s four natural and large permanent “pools”. These pools help make the area so prolific for game viewing. There is no average or poor camp here nor any low-cost options. Deciding between them is usually determined by budget or your safari personality and you can be sure of a great experience regardless of where you choose to stay.
Mana Pools is not open year-round as the soil type when wet becomes a sticky bog. Ideally, the best time to visit this park is a little after dry season begins, around the end of June/middle of July, to give the bush a chance to dry up inland and nudge the game toward the permanent pools and the river. Equally mid-October to November, whilst sensational for game viewing, is extraordinarily hot. Hot enough to have a very serious conversation with us here at Tailormade Africa about your heat tolerances. Only a handful of camps have swimming pools and permanent plumbing for endless cooling showers.
Mana Pools is better suited to clients that have been on safari before or at the very least for those with a strong sense of adventure. It really is a wild frontier only fully felt whilst you are there. Mana Pools is so good that we recommend you plan your entire Zimbabwe safari around it. The rewards for doing so are potentially life-changing.
Mana Pools National ParkCAMPS
- Ruckomechi Camp
- John's Camp
- Kanga Camp
- Zambezi Expeditions Camp
- Goliath Camp
- Vundu Camp
- Little Vundu Camp
- Little Ruckomechi Camp
Ruckomechi Camp, along with its smaller and more intimate sister Little Ruckomechi, are the real luxury offerings in Mana Pools. They both sit on the western edge of the national park in their own excellent private reserve which gives them licence to operate some activities that are not possible within the National Park boundaries. Ruckomechi Camp is owned and managed by Wilderness safaris who are one of Africa's top safari operators and conservationists and who work very hard at delivering high levels of service across the board ... Read more
Named after renowned safari guide John Stevens, John's Camp is an authentic yet charming camp. It offers the most gorgeous view across a floodplain to the Zambezi River and the Zambian escarpment in the distance. A proper safari camp along the lines of Goliath Camp, Vundu and Zambezi Expeditions this is safari at its best. Whilst the experience is intimate and highly personalised guests will enjoy exceptional service, top notch guiding and great game viewing ... Read more
Kanga is located in the heart of the national park in its own "unofficial" private concession next to the Kanga Pan. This is one of the most remote parts of the park and as the pan is the only permanent water source in a 10km radius it attracts a large amount of game to the camp. In fact so much so that an armchair safari on the decks of the camp overlooking the waterhole is a must do activity with large and regular rewards. Lion Leopard Elephant and buffalo frequent the camp often. This is a semi luxurious camp and is really lovely ... Read more
Zambezi Expeditions is a wonderful semi permanent camp that sits along the shoreline of the Lower Zambezi river in Mana Pools National park itself. The camp itself is a bit of a throw back to the original and deliberately simple type of safari camp of a bygone era, of which there are several in Mana Pools alone, and in our opinion the best way to experience Mana Pools. The safari experience as a whole, the game viewing and activities, the camp atmospherics and extremely high level of guiding is the camps primary focus ... Read more
This camp easily makes it into Tailormade Africa's ultimate top 10 safari camps in Africa in its original authentic and deliberately simple form. Goliath Safaris camp is owned and run by one of Africa's premier safari guides, Stretch Ferreira who has operated here in Mana Pools for 25 years. By any standards, that in itself is impressive. His knowledge of Mana pools is extraordinary and along with a couple of other supreme guides in this park he has the ability to transcend the normal safari experience for you ... Read more
A traditional old style safari camp that is not going to win any awards for style. However, what it lacks in safari chic is more than made up for in warmth and character. Owned by professional safari guide Nick Murray, who is supported by a loyal, skilled and dedicated team, Vundu, and its sister camp a few Kilometers away, Little Vundu, are one of a kind type camps. Here the focus is fully on introducing guests to the real Mana Pools where they may experience never to be forgotten close up interactions whilst tracking wild dog and lion on foot ... Read more
A traditionally old style safari camp that is not going to win any awards for style. However, what it lacks in safari chic is more than made up for in warmth and character. Owned by professional safari guide Nick Murray, who is supported by a loyal, skilled and dedicated team, Little Vundu, and its sister camp a few Kilometers away, Vundu Camp, are one of a kind type camps. Here the focus is fully on introducing guests to the real Mana Pools where they may experience never to be forgotten close up interactions whilst tracking wild dog and lion on foot. At this smaller more intimate camp it should be said that to get the most out of little Vundu you should try and book out Nick Murray himself as the private guide for you at camp ... Read more
Little Ruckomechi, along with it's larger equally beautiful sister camp Ruckomechi, is Mana Pools's luxury accommodation offering. It only has 3 guest tents, with a 4th available for group or family bookings, that gives this camp such a wonderful exclusive feel for guests staying there. They both sit on the Western edge of the main national park in their own private concession which gives them licence to operate some activities that are not possible within the national park boundaries. Little Ruckomechi is owned by Wilderness Safaris who are one of Africa's top safari operators and conservationists who work very hard at delivering high levels of service across the board. In both Little Ruckomechi and Ruckomechi Camp, this is very evident ... Read more
