World Heritage Site
A trip to the lower Zambezi's great wildlife reserve at Mana Pools is for travellers who wish to see Africa untamed and truly wild, to live in nature and to be more than a mere observer. For this is Africa at her pristine best, a remote wilderness in an exquisite corner of Zimbabwe - a place of solitude, a meeting place of man and the great beasts, a place of water, big trees and big sky.
Mana Pools is ranked as one of Africa's outstanding wildlife reserves and during the winter months it has the highest concentration of game in the entire continent. Mighty herds of elephant and buffalo are drawn to the sweet Zambezi waters, followed by lion, hyena, kudu, nyala,impala and a multitude of game.
The riverfront scenery is exceptionally grand. Here, the wide Zambezi flows steady, but a series of meandering waterways wind through grassy flats and low lying islands. Set against a backdrop of hills and with magnificent trees creating a park-like effect, Mana Pools deserves its designation as a World Heritage Site.
Paddling in a canoe down the Zambezi at Mana Pools is one of the most unique safari experiences in Africa - coming close to great herds without feeling like an intruder, warm African sun beating the brow, the beauty of great raptors soaring and circling above, the stillness, serenity and awe.
Visitors wishing to visit Mana Pools need to think ahead. The park only allows a limited number of visitors and operates only between April through November. Travellers take a charter flight from Kariba or Harare directly to one of the lodges.
A unique aspect of Mana is that visitors are allowed to explore on foot - an unusual feature and holdover from colonial times. But bear in mind that visitors then were white locals with ample bush experience. In recent years a number of visitors have been injured or killed by wild animals, so exercise extreme caution and walk only in the company of an experienced guide.
If the traveller obeys the law of common sense and respect for animals, then Mana Pools will provide a safari of unequalled fascination and beauty, and awesome encounters with beasts both great and small.
There are few places on earth better or more magnificent than Mana Pools.
