Eminently Eve.
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NB: It is strongly advised to read all the reviews on this site in their entirety to ensure that the destinations really suit all your needs & preferences.
VISITS ARE STRICTLY BY BOOKING.
Click on the subheadings below to jump to their contents:
- Introduction
- Booking & contact details
- Directions to Mana Pools National Park
- Road conditions & best type of vehicle to use
- Lion’s Den Butchery & Saucey Sue’s
- Arrival & experience with the staff members
- Accommodation, meals & fees
- Best time to visit Mana Pools National Park
- Game drive experience & animals spotted
- Activities & fees
- Conclusion
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Introduction
Mana Pools National Park is one place I never prioritised to visit despite hearing so many good things about it. I always thought it would be way too touristy for my liking due to its popularity so I did not make any effort to visit it. I knew it had to be special in some way though because it is one of Zimbabwe’s five UNESCO World Heritage Sites and is also rated one of the best African Safari Parks. However, the thought of the possibility of there being too many visitors, thereby not likely managing to experience the peaceful intimate moments I so dearly love having with nature kept me away… but boy was I WRONG! Mana Pools National Park is definitely a MAGICAL nature haven.
At the time of our visit, there were normal numbers of visitors who were all so respectful to nature and other visitors. I did not hear a single sound of music or feel the obvious human presence in the form of noise. It was just so peaceful with only Mother Nature’s melodious sounds echoing through the bushes. I was in my element. I totally loved every second of our stay and I would visit over and over again!
Booking & contact details
Now, what made us even consider visiting Mana Pools National Park this time around was that we were planning on revisiting Kariba. Considering that they are in the same region, we thought we might as well just visit the famous park. So the plan was to visit Mana Pools first for three nights then spend five nights in Kariba and then a night at the Chinhoyi Caves motel before heading back to Harare.
I went on to look up the WhatsApp contact for Mana Pools National Park Zimparks since they were my choice of accommodation and I found them with relative ease – +263772432148 for Ms Mhuriro and +263773257731 for Mr Samuel George. Zimparks can also be contacted via email info@zimparks.org.zw or calls +263(242)707625/ 8.
[Update – Ms Mhuriro was assigned to a higher office so is no longer taking Mana Pools bookings. Now you contact Noel Manyerere on +263777490390]
My booking was efficiently processed by Ms Mhuriro whose communication was timely and excellent. It was also nice to meet her in person at their Head Office in Sandringham Drive, Harare, where we had gone to make all the required payments in order to secure our booking. Ms Mhuriro and her colleague were quite cheerful and visibly excited for us to visit Mana Pools National Park, especially after we had expressed that it was our first time. The colleague even went on to share her own recent experience at the park and some tips with us which we appreciated.
Directions to Mana Pools National Park
The travel date finally came and I was thrilled. Considering the bad road conditions, we made sure to be on the road by 6:15am so that we could just take it easy while also leaving enough time to arrive in Mana Pools well before dark .
Mana Pools National Park is located in Hurungwe District, Mashonaland West Province, Zimbabwe on the Zambezi River. The river is a distinct landmark that denotes the border between Zimbabwe and Zambia up in the North of Zimbabwe. It is actually the largest river flowing into the Indian Ocean from Africa and the fourth longest river in Africa, after the Nile, Congo and Niger rivers.
The distance from Harare to Mana Pools National Park by road is 406 km. It was therefore important for us to take breaks in between to ensure that we would not be too fatigued by the time we reach our final destination. So from Harare we took the Kariba road (A1) and drove for about 140 km to Lion’s Den Butchery & Saucey Sue’s (just 24 km past Chinhoyi town).
We had our first meal of the day there which was a steak roll and a drink. We also used the opportunity to stretch our legs and just chill for about an hour.
Lion’s Den is such a perfect place to stop for a break as the vehicle is parked in a relatively secure place. Their diverse food options are a plus and these include their famous biltong and steak. There is also a small lovely garden which was frequented by some stunningly captivating birds while we were there.
Around 9am, we went back on the road and drove an additional 151 km to Makuti Energy Park Service Station. We filled up the vehicle’s fuel tank as this would be the last service station available before entering Mana Pools. We also took the opportunity to snack and relax a bit. After about 30 minutes, we proceeded with our journey.
It was emphasised to us to stop at the Marongora Zimparks Offices located just 16 km from Makuti on the left side, so we did. Every person going into Mana Pools National Park has to collect a permit there otherwise entry into the park without the permit is not allowed (there is no additional fee for the permit). If you carried any citrus fruits for the journey, this would be the perfect place to finish or donate them as you can not carry them into the park to avoid hassles with elephants. Elephants looooove citrus fruits.
We collected our permit and thought, “finally, we are doing the last part of our trip“. Little did we know, 30.5km of that last part was going to be an absolute nightmare.
So we drove an additional 16 km and reached the first boom gate (Chimutsi Gate) on the right side. We gave them our receipts, entry permit and at the back of the permit they wrote our time of arrival. They also took down other basic information such as our name, vehicle registration number, among others in a ledger.
As soon as that boom gate was opened for us to proceed, the nightmare began. The next 30.5 km are so heavily corrugated that the vehicle shakes so violently. We knew something was going to give in on our vehicle but at this point we had no other choice. We were driving a 4 wheel drive Jeep Cherokee with an upgraded suspension so a pretty decent vehicle for off roads. However, corrugated dirt roads are not good for any vehicle. The 30.5 km felt like the longest 30.5 km ever in history. Not knowing the total distance this corrugated road covers prior also made the drive on it feel like a never ending torturous time to the vehicle.
Eventually, a glimpse of what looked like a boom gate could be seen from a distance. As we got closer and closer, we could see clearer that it was indeed the second boom gate (Nyakasikana fly gate). We were so relieved that the worst was over but at the same time worried as the vehicle was producing some strange sounds. We submitted our required documents (receipts and entry permit) and the same process as that from the first boom gate was followed.
We finally did the last 31 km, still on dirt road but at least not corrugated so the drive to the Nyamepi Zimparks offices was relaxed. We immediately checked the vehicle and we both took a sigh of relief after seeing that the “only” thing wrong with the vehicle was a blown front shock absorber. Not great but at least it wasn’t as bad as it sounded. The vehicle drove in the park and back home with no further issues arising except for the second front shock absorber getting blown on our way back on the same 30.5 km heavily corrugated road.
Road conditions & best type of vehicle to use
Kariba road is full of trucks coming from the Chirundu border post so depending on the time that you will be driving, the drive can be slow. A lot of patience is therefore needed to avoid overtaking in dangerous situations.
The road has completely chipped edges, so it is very narrow and also heavily covered with potholes in most parts. That again is going to slow down the drive so it is important to factor all that in when planning time of departure and time of arrival.
All the roads in the park are dirt and the ones you are allowed to access are well graded except for the 30.5 km between the first and the second boom gates which is heavily corrugated.
You definitely need a 4 wheel drive with good ground clearance for this trip to Mana Pools National Park. Your vehicle must also have been recently serviced and everything about its suspension in excellent condition. There is still no guarantee that it will come out unscathed but at least it’s a good start.
A good air conditioning system will come in handy if you are someone who loves comfort because the park is in one of the driest and hottest parts of the country. During the time we were there (October), the temperatures were in the range of 38°C – 40°C which is stinking hot. So if you are going to do game drives with your own vehicle and prefer to keep cool then a good air con will be your best friend.
Arrival & experience with the staff members
As soon as we got closer to the offices we started seeing hundreds of Impalas. Everywhere we looked, there were impalas, but before I could even fully comprehend what I was seeing, boom! elephants appeared with water bucks, warthogs, and more water bucks and more warthogs… WHAAAT! WOW! I was stunned! Never in my life had I seen so many wild animals (not tame, not semi-tame), in such large numbers just casually feeding and relaxing in a wild game park. I could not believe my eyes.
As much as I was already excited and getting lost in this experience, we still had to get to the office and go through the check in process. So we proceeded to the office where we paid $2 x 3 days for the vehicle (as accommodated visitors). The same is $3 for foreigners. If you are not staying in Zimparks accommodation the vehicle fee is $5 per day for locals and $10 for foreigners. The whole process went smoothly. The staff members we dealt with from the Marongora office up to this point were quick and efficient at their job which was much appreciated especially considering the heat.
On our way to what was going to be our new home, we continued seeing more elephants and more plains game. One new species we hadn’t seen yet made its debut appearance though and this was the Hippo!… OMG! I was beyond ecstatic to see these hippos. “How is this even real life?”, I kept on uttering these words to my husband. It honestly felt like a dream and even now as I reminisce on it, it still does not feel real!
Accommodation, meals & fees
We got to our accommodation which was the self catering Elephant Creek Tented Camp number 5.
Zimparks offers a number of accommodation options in Mana Pools National Park which include three types of lodges, a tented camp and general campsites. I can not speak to the state of the lodges and campsites since I did not stay in or at them so due diligence is required before making a booking. The prices (which are per lodge, campsite or tent) are as follows:
- Special lodge with 2 bedrooms and occupies 8 people – $145 for locals & $200 for foreigners
- Standard lodge with 2 bedrooms and occupies 4 people – $90 for locals & $130 for foreigners
- Elephant Creek Tented Lodges which occupy 2 people – $90 for locals & $130 for foreigners
- Campsites which occupy 3 to 6 people per site range from $45 to $180 per site per night for locals and $70 to $300 for foreigners.
All the tents overlook the Zambezi River which makes for a phenomenal view to wake up to. I believe the tented camp has a total of five tents and we were right at the far end one, which I loved. For days we were also the only ones there so it was really quiet and peaceful. One of the tents only got occupied the last night of our stay and our neighbours (who were on the other far end) maintained the tranquility of the bush. Our visit being in October, it makes sense that there would be a relatively low occupancy as fewer people travel off-season which is why it is my favourite time to travel.
The tent we were in had two single beds with clean white linen and mosquito nets each. There was also an open wardrobe with duvets and blankets, a table which seemed to have had a mirror at some point in its life and a stool which was put next to one of the beds, presumably to stand in as a bedside table.
Connected to the tent was a clean bathroom with a tiled shower space which had both hot and cold water. It was extremely hot so we did not open the hot tap at all but it is available and powered by solar. Next to the shower was a basin and a toilet. In both the bathroom and bedroom sections were solar lights. The overall room was also pretty clean. Room cleaning service is offered everyday if you want it but we only needed it for the kitchen.
The kitchen is quite spacious and functional. Initially, I thought we would have a communal kitchen but I was pleasantly surprised to find that each tent has its own kitchen. In the kitchen were cups, plates, pans and other utensils. There was also a sink, a gas stove and a gas freezer. All worked perfectly well except for the freezer. It did manage to keep things cool but it did not get to the freezing point. I guess depending on what you need, this might be better as your beverages would just be kept cool and not freeze.
The kitchens are about a metre away from the tents so it would be better to prepare all meals (especially dinner) before dark when you can still see clearly your surroundings. This is because the accommodation in Mana Pools is not fenced so animals like hyenas and honey badgers patrol the camps at night. It would therefore be better to be out of their way to avoid spooking them. Elephants can also be active at night especially when temperatures are high. Considering that they are such silent movers (you only get to see them when they are already very close) you may also want to be careful with moving around in the camp at night. We did enjoy sitting outside on our verandah though for hours every night and those are some of the most memorable nights we have had yet.
The unfenced accommodation is one of the things that makes Mana Pools National Park stand out in quite an exceptional way. Our first night was not short of action outside. I remember waking up hastily and reaching out to my husband to check out the sounds of something giant that felt like it was moving closer and closer to our tent. Turns out it was a hippo which had crossed the river to graze on the other side where the tents are. I will never forget that intensely extraordinary first night in the park.
The next morning, I was having a shower when my husband knocked on the window excitedly to alert me that there was a giant bull elephant right outside our tent. I felt a bit worried because he was outside and the elephant was closer to the tent’s entry point. He assured me though that he was okay and I felt that worry quickly turn into excitement as nothing like this had ever happened to me with an untamed elephant.
I immediately rushed out of the shower to witness what I felt like would be a once in a lifetime moment. Of course I didn’t have to look far because this bull elephant was indeed really casually eating some pods that were on the edges of our tent.
I’ve been to different parks with semi-tame or tame elephants and I’ve been close to these kinds of elephants. However, believe me when I tell you that the feeling of having a completely wild elephant, just coming to your accommodation without gimmicks being performed for it to do that but just because it feels like it, is out of this world. Something else that took me out completely is how graceful this elephant was. He would walk around making sure to avoid the strings and pegs that secures the tent. That was just insane! Literally – why would an elephant care about these pegs. It’s not like it would feel anything at all if it pulled the whole tent down. It was really impressive to see.
This experience would then be followed by two other similar experiences in the coming days. At one time, we were taking an afternoon nap when we vaguely heard footsteps outside. I woke up and immediately saw an adult female with her two young ones walking past our tent. On another time, it was a heavy bull walking past the tent, reaching out to eat pods in the nearby trees – simply out of this world.
Best time to visit Mana Pools National Park
The best time to visit Mana Pools National Park is definitely the dry season. Particularly towards the end of the dry season from August to October. This is because during this period, water is scarce or even nonexistent in other inland water holes or streams. Animals therefore only have access to water at limited water holes in the vicinity or the Zambezi river which then allows a lot of them to be easily seen by visitors. During the rainy season water is in abundance in the park and the bush is also quite thick so very few animals can be seen moving around in the open.
Mana Pools National Park is mostly known for its diverse and vast wildlife which can also be viewed with ease. It would therefore be a bit of a shame to visit but not be able to have the tremendous experience of being completely surrounded by all these different wild animals. The animals in this park include “Mana’s Great Eight” namely Elephant, Buffalo, Lion, Leopard, Painted dog, Hippopotamus, Crocodiles and Spotted Hyena. The former constitute four of the big five with only the Rhinoceros missing.
Other animal species in the park include Waterbuck, Kudu, Eland, Impala, Nyala, Warthog, among others. The park has a rich birdlife with birds such as the African Fish Eagle (Zimbabwe’s national bird), Southern Carmine Bee- Eater (a unique bird that builds its nests on river banks and eats bees together with other insects like locusts, cicadas, etc), Saddle-Billed Stork (Africa’s largest stock and has vibrant beautiful colours), Southern Hornbill (an endangered bird due to habitat loss with a couple only raising two chicks every nine years), African Skimmer (a very skillful bird at fishing which it does by trailing its longer lower mandible in the water until it touches a suitable sized fish), White Backed Vulture (a critically endangered bird species due to being actively poisoned by poachers and also habitat loss), among others.
Game drive experience & animals spotted
Mana Pool National Park is also quite unique in that visitors are allowed to step out of the vehicle during a game drive (Ts & Cs apply). I would strongly recommend one to read the full code of conduct though before visiting. This code of conduct will protect you and also the environment and others. So it is quite important.
While we could see so many animals without even trying as most came to our camp, there were some that we had to go on a game drive to find, such as painted dogs and buffalos. We also definitely wanted to drive around to see the different dynamics of other herds and groups of animal species that we may have already seen.
- Game drive on the next day after arrival
For our first mission, we drove out looking for painted dogs in the direction of the “Mana Mouth“. We enjoyed everything we were seeing along the way, such as Elands that we hadn’t seen yet. We also saw four kudus which looked super stunning under a tree and several impalas, elephants and waterbucks.
We arrived at Mana mouth and it was mind blowing to see how wide the Zambezi river is from that angle. As we got out of the vehicle, we saw another vehicle with a beautiful cute family parking next to us. We exchanged pleasantries, and they asked if we had seen the painted dogs. We hadn’t seen them yet and I expressed that we were looking for them too. We chatted some more briefly before they left, continuing to look for them.
We walked towards the edge of the river and a stunning hippo awaited us. I could never get used to seeing these phenomenal animals for sure. We sat there just observing her going in and out of the water when suddenly I saw the same family that had left a couple of hours back driving towards us.
We walked to meet them in case they needed something and they rolled down their window and excitedly exclaimed, “We saw the painted dogs at Nkupe“. I was beyond thrilled and also grateful that they had shared that information with us. We immediately got into the vehicle but before we could even settle in, they started driving away… Wow! It was at that moment that I realised that they had only driven all the way back to us (in the extreme Mana heat) just to tell us where the painted dogs were. I was so touched. Such a kind hearted family. I was so grateful.
We drove to the river and the entire time I had my fingers and toes tightly crossed, hoping that the painted dogs had not yet moved. The silence in the car right at this moment was deafening. We both had our eyes fixed on the outside world. As we got closer to the dry river crossing point, we saw a couple of vehicles parked and we immediately thought, “This must be it“. We headed in the direction of those vehicles which were already driving away.
Slowly, we continued driving until suddenly, I felt the vehicle stopping and my eyes were staring right at this strikingly beautiful pack of Painted dogs. I have seen painted dogs before but there is something about wild animals that causes a spike of dopamine in your body each time you see them. Absolutely magical!
We stayed with the dogs for a while. They got up from under the tree and started walking around, seemingly stretching their legs. The young ones in the pack were adorably being playful with each other. We only left when another vehicle started approaching to give them a chance to enjoy the dogs in peace as well. The painted dogs were my biggest highlight of this day.
- Game drive on the next day
The next day, we headed out for another game drive and this time I was dying to see as many hippos as I possibly could. In as much as I had already seen quite a few at this point, I was eager to see some out of the water. So we woke up very early in the morning to hopefully catch them before it was too hot and their bodies already submerged in water.
I got out to have breakfast and almost jumped and screamed from excitement when I saw one Hippo grazing right outside our tent, closer to the river. This absolutely made my morning and made me feel really hopeful for the day. I had the best breakfast I ever had this morning because of this spectacular view of the hippo the entire time. Of course the hippo did not show up alone. There were also some Waterbucks drinking water right behind him. It was just a wholesome experience altogether.
After breakfast we crossed the smaller stream that forms part of the Zambezi River and went onto the island. The first thing that caught my eyes were the Southern Carmine Bee-eaters and their fancy nests on the river banks. This site is simply magnificent, especially in person. The birds flying in & out of the nests in what almost seemed like a coordinated fashion was the icing on the cake.
We then proceeded to scour the river and the other island looking for hippos. There were no hippos out, however, we saw two relaxing in the river and a crocodile swimming alongside them. We hadn’t seen a crocodile yet on this trip so it was a good feeling seeing this one. The Zambezi River is well known for its large numbers of the Nile crocodiles. It has an average of 12000 of them and in Zimbabwe, Mana pools is where the highest congregations of this species are found.
After a while, we left the river and started our game drive. We decided to visit all four pools which are said to be the ones this national park is named after – “Mana Pools National Park“. In Shona “mana” means four. It is said that these four pools stand out as they are the last ones to dry up in the dry season hence animals are likely to be seen there if they are not at the river. The four pools are namely, the Long Pool, Green Pool, Chine Pool and Chisasiko Pool.
We went to Mana mouth first since it was in the same direction as the Chine pool and we saw the same hippo from yesterday. It is funny though because each time my husband came into sight, the hippo would go under water but when I was there alone she kept her head out for way longer… Lol, it’s probably just in my head.
The drive to Chine pool came with a huge surprise that I was not expecting – a herd of buffaloes! We almost missed them as they were lying under a shaded tree quite a distance away. At first I thought they were wildebeest and immediately I realised they were buffaloes. We hadn’t seen any buffalo up to this point and I had just thought to myself we were probably not going to see any. I was in disbelief when my eyes landed on these beauties. We chilled there for a while and one eventually got up to stretch its legs. It made for a comely view for sure.
As we approached the Chine pool, I looked with concern as it looked like it was completely dry. I thought we were not going to see anything there but as we got closer, we started seeing some baboons and eventually a couple of young male bushbucks. The bushbucks were trying to drink water in the remaining muddy patches and it was a beautiful surprise to see them as we had not seen their species yet in the park. The muddy patches were not enough to accommodate hippos though.
We stayed at this pool for a while, admiring the young bushbucks but we could tell from how jumpy they were as they lowered their necks into the mud that they were not comfortable drinking that water at all. It could be because of the crocodiles that they always have to be careful of in this vulnerable position, or other predators like lions, or it could also be because they were being careful not to end up getting stuck in this thick, sticky mud. If they ended up getting stuck, the end result would have been either starving to death or death by predation unfortunately.
From the Chine pool, we headed towards the Green pool and we saw yet another animal species we hadn’t seen and that is the Zebra. As we continued to drive, we actually saw more and more of this species. So it seems like that is the general area they like to hang out and live. The green pool was actually bone dry with no sign of life anywhere around so we proceeded to the Long pool.
The Long pool is located quite close to the green pool so within minutes we had arrived at it. I thought it was also going to be bone dry but it actually had some muddy spots where baboons, warthogs, a couple of elands and some birds were drinking from. Sometimes the reality of the African bush can be really gloomy but the dry season has to be there unfortunately, in order to maintain healthy ecosystems.
So after visiting three pools with no luck of seeing any hippos in any of them, we now had only one pool left to visit and since this pool was on our way to the camp we knew it had plenty of water and at least three hippos. So we drove there excitedly, seeing so many elephants along the way.
Eventually, we arrived and not only were there three but four hippos in a group, and other three further out. We stayed there just observing them and surprisingly they decided to move. This gave me exactly what I was looking for – an opportunity to see their humongous bodies. Two of the hippos even decided to play-fight and I got to see their famous extra large mouths which probably secures them the top spot on the list of terrestrial animals with the largest mouths. What a treat it was to see these beauties in those positions.
Activities & fees
Activities offered in Mana Pools National Park & fees include:
* Entry fee – $8 locals, $15 SADC, $20 international visitors
1. Self Game drive – no additional fee
Guided game drive – $50
2. Shore fishing – $5
3. Walking Safari – $5
4. Canoeing
5. Bird watching
Conclusion
Mana Pools National Park is by far the best game park I’ve ever visited because of its uniquely raw safari experience. Every encounter with animals in this park and the general environment screams African bush’s truest form. We saw hundreds of elephants, many hippos, buffaloes, painted dogs, some crocodiles and countless plains games. I’ve never had wild elephants come so close to my residence and actually be so cool and calm. What an all round remarkable experience it was. I truly highly recommend this park without a doubt.
It would of course be great if they can just grade the 30.5 km of the heavily corrugated road between the first and the second boom gate. That really messes up vehicle’s suspensions no matter the type of vehicle. Other than that, the experience there is unmatched.
Remember to have a little intimacy in your life & as always I’m talking about Intimacy With Nature
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