Natureways Safaris
- Located In:
- Size:
- 10-20 employees (Founded in 1987)
- Member Of:
- ZTA & SOAZ
- Tour Types:
- Budget & mid-range canoe safaris
- Destinations:
- Price Range:
- $286 to $500 per person per day (USD, excl. int'l flights)
Reviews
50-65 years of age | Experience level: over 5 safaris
A wonderful experience
I did the short classic 8 day trip and it was amazing! The guides were exceptional - experienced, knowledgable, professional and lovely people. Everything went very smoothly, from booking to transfers to the trip itself. I would highly recommend using Natureways.
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Email Mike "Guns" core | 50-65 years of age | Experience level: over 5 safaris
I dodged hippos on water, tracked lions on land, ate and drank like roylaty, yet slept like a baby.
This was my twentieth trip to Africa and one of the most exciting. It is hard to describe the adrenalin rush when canoeing so close to hippos. The natural beauty of the Mana Pools shoreline is something I will never forget. The steadfastness, experience and knowledge of our canoe guides, Mark and Takeshore, was reassuring as we glided down the river. It also helped knowing that at the end of each day, our mobile safari camp would be waiting for us with a selection of fine beverages, delicious food, a warm fire and a comfortable bed. The bird life is amazing and we encountered lots of hippos, big crocs, elephants, buffalo, lion and a large cross section of antelope. I intend to return.
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Email Holly | 65+ years of age | Experience level: first safari
3 day canoe safari at Mana Pools
The 3 day canoe safari in Mana Pools was one of the highlights of our 25 day safari trip to Africa. Our guides were outstanding in their knowledge of the river, animals, and ensuring our safety . The ground support staff were also the best, especially cooking our delicious meals over an open fire at breakfast and supper, and packing our food that was taken in the canoe for our lunch. We saw hundreds of hippos in the river plus animals on land while canoeing. The scenery is spectacular with mountains rising up on the Zambia side of the river. Canoeing for 3 days was not hard physically with a mid morning tea and biscuit break , and a lunch break with a siesta! We had no prior canoe experience, although we both love boating, and felt very comfortable at the outset. Enjoying camping is also a plus. The tents and beds were comfortable. The whole experience exceeded our expectations!
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Email Natasha | 20-35 years of age | Experience level: over 5 safaris
Great experience with fantastic guiding
We were a bit nervous canoeing on the Zambezi River, but our guides TK, Trust, and Emmanuel made us feel welcome and at home in their wonderful country. Some of the meals we had were better than what we have in the fancy lodges and there was just a very personal feeling to the whole experience. I wouldn't pick anyone other than Natureways to guide me down the Zambezi!
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Email Chris F | 20-35 years of age | Experience level: over 5 safaris
Absolutely amazing....normal safaris will no longer be the same!
I did a trip to Zambia/Zimbabwe/Malawi and when I researching my trip, I stumbled upon Natureways. 4 days on a canoe in one of the top national parks in the world??? Sign me up! We opted for the 4 day Tamarind Safari that went from Chirundu to Mana Pools. This involved packing up all of our food, drink, and tents for the 4 days of the trip. I had high expectations for the trip and they were blown out of the water (ha!). We had two canoes with a guide in each. Our guides, Zira and Manny were absolutely amazing. Super professional, highly skilled, and awesome to talk with.
We saw an absolute insane amount of wildlife up very close - there's an advantage of not having a motor to scare away the animals! I made it very clear that I wanted nothing to do with the hippos at the start of my trip, and our guides did an awesome job keeping us far away from them! We saw loads of elephants, crocodiles, hippos, and even saw two lions mating!
Every night we set up camp on islands on the Zambezi and had some of the most amazing food of our entire trip (while camping for 4 days - how is that possible??). It was crazy to see elephants sharing the island with us in the distance! The only negative was that at point the wind really picked up while we were canoeing. Had to paddle against the wind/current for about an hour, but then we pulled over to land and waited for the wind to die down - can't control the weather!
I've done a few other vehicle safaris - including South Luangwa on this trip. Honestly, they just can't compare to doing a safari on a canoe. I've always felt like safaris can be a bit like Disneyland - constantly being surrounded by an army of other cars. Our Natureways trip wasn't like that whatsoever - just the Zambezi, our canoes, and nature. We rarely ran into other people on the river during our trip - felt like we had the river to ourselves and we really 'out there' (which we were!). If you going to be going to Zambia/Zimbabwe, definitely look into doing a canoe safari with Natureways! You won't regret it!
FR
Email Stan & Vic | 20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Once in a life African adventure
Magic Honey moon trip down the Zambezi River, surrounded by the amazing landscape of the Zambezi valley and his extraordinarily rich wide-life. Unforgettable journey guided by Gus and his assistant Campell. Timeless days canoeing slowly passing between hippos and giants crocodile, watching groups of elephants drinking, and walking into the wild to track and to approach lions. Memorable camp on the edge, having diner under the starry sky in the light of the campfire, with the background noise of lions roaring and hyenas laughter. Thanks Gus and Campell for theses amazing days and long conversation on the campfire sharing your passion, knowledge and experience of the bush - it will fuel us with exciting memories for a long time
DE
Email Susanne & Johannes | 20-35 years of age | Experience level: over 5 safaris
Fantastic way to experience nature
We spent 5 nights on the Fisheagle canoeing safari from Kariba to Mana Pools and 3 nights hiking at Chitake. It was the most amazing experience!
Canoing down the Zambezi is awesome: the landscape along the river and the river itself keeps changing throughout the trip and you see more and more game the closer you get to Mana. Our guides Takesure and Manu were very professional and entertaining: we felt perfectly safe at any time, heard lots of interesting facts and stories and enjoyed very good meals every day.
Chitake is a very special place. It is very remote and you hardly see any other people. Our camp was set up right at the riverbed which turned into an elephant highway every night. Exploring the area with our very experienced and knowledgable guides Craig and Elijah, we saw lots of plains game but also elephant, buffalo and lion close by.
Highly recommended to everyone who loves nature and wants to travel off the beaten track!