Mana Pools National Park

An unforgettable experience!

I have visited Mana Pools about eight times when I was resident In Zimbabwe. This time we stayed with Goliath Safaris lead by the renowned guide Stretch Ferreira. Probably the best guide one can have at wonderful Mana Pools. Walking safaris are the best way to explore and to get a real feel of bush life and we came very close to elephants and lions.

Seemed fairly quiet re the wild animals even though we saw lion, hippos, kudu and elephant. There was an elusive leopard around but we didn't get to see her.

There is no place like it in any country

I think that Mana Pools is one of the most places in the world. There are plenty of elephants,hippos, and buffalo. I've seen wild dogs on both of my visits. I've also seen lions.and plenty of antelope. The canoe trip is really beautiful.

Excellent experience! Lots of animals.

- I would always recommend this park.
- I would not come again at the end of October. It was too hot!
- A park with a lot of things to do.

wonderful - it was a dream

I enjoyed this stay so much - everything was perfect - I loved this stay and one day I'll return to see the Sambesi river again, the wildlife and the kanutrip, the bushwalk - everything ....great - the Service was excellent -

Mana Pools is one of the most beautiful destinations on the planet. Waste disposal upstream and the relaxation of rules around fishing, motor boats and generators are threatening to spoil this once pristine relatively undisturbed ecosystem.
The animals and birds however never disappoint.

Great Wild Experience

I visited Mana Pools in 1999 and Loved it! It was my last trip before leaving Zimbabwe after spending a semester there over the previous 4 months. When I was there it was the only national park in Zimbabwe that A) had big game, and B) allowed you to move around on foot. I did not feel comfortable walking around the bush though, a decision I stand by with all the wildlife I saw!

My first experience there was a close encounter with a baboon as I unloaded my groceries from my vehicle - the baboon grabbed a bag and took off! I was warned by travelers in the adjacent campsite that it is important to bring "zip straps" to "lock" your tent zippers so baboons can't steal your gear and food while you're away from your site.

I also saw an elephant walk through the camp ground, hyenas outside our tent at night, and later, while driving, had a beautiful view of a mother and baby elephant walking together across the road.

Overall it was one of the most exciting camping trips I have ever been on (the fact that I slept in a tent, while most visitors used campers/RVs/caravans, surely added to the adrenaline rush). And I am making that assessment after visiting Hwange, Gonarezhou, Malilangwe (private game reserve), Chimanimani, Matopos, Vic Falls, and other sites around the country.

The Garden of Eden is in Africa

I spent four nights at Mana Pools, in a tented camp overlooking the Zambezi River. During the day we had wild elephants roaming amongst the tents and down on the river flats. Sometimes they swam to mid-stream islands for better grazing. Impala, waterbuck and other smaller gazelles wandered in herds through the bush. At night you could hear the lions roar as they called to each other. Huge herds of buffalo emerged from the bush to drink at the water's edge. And of course the hippos wallowed in the river, or dragged themselves out to graze on the soft grass of the floodplain. All is as one, here in this Garden of Eden.

Sunsets over the river were each unique and beautiful, perfect for sundowners. Just outside the Park you could do night safaris: we saw a lion stalking a herd of buffalo, only to be chased off. One night we came across a male lion on the track. From a handful of metres away we watched as he lowered his chest to the ground and let out a series of roars that took our breath away.

During the heat of the day, in camp, you could sit and waste a lazy couple of hours watching the animals wander by the river on a scene that feels older than time. Everyone should go at least once to Mana Pools. And after you've been once you will want to go again.

So much wild life and amazing birds. Canoed down the Zambezi for thee days - experience of a life time (actual my second time and can't wait to go again)