Overview
Mana Pools National Park is one of Zimbabwe’s most extraordinary wild places — a UNESCO World Heritage Site spanning over 2,500km² along the Zambezi River in the remote north of the country. The name “Mana” comes from the Shona word for “four,” referencing the park’s four large permanent pools, which draw enormous concentrations of wildlife through the dry season.
This 4-day safari is based entirely at Wilderness Chikwenya, a luxury tented camp set within a private 7,000-acre concession on the park’s eastern boundary, at the confluence of the Sapi and Zambezi Rivers. Reached exclusively by light aircraft, Chikwenya offers a genuinely exclusive, remote safari experience, with views across the water to Zambia’s Rift Valley escarpment.
Across three full days of game drives, you’ll explore one of Africa’s richest wildlife landscapes — elephant, buffalo, lion, leopard, and one of the region’s best populations of African wild dog all call this park home. Mana Pools is also known for a genuinely remarkable and rare sight: elephants here are famous for rising onto their hind legs to reach fruit and leaves in the tall albida trees, a behaviour rarely seen elsewhere in Africa.
Mana Pools’ appeal goes beyond its wildlife numbers — this is one of the few parks in Africa where walking safaris are the centerpiece of the experience rather than an add-on, thanks to the park’s open floodplains and famously high standard of professional guiding.
Highlights
- Fly-in access to Mana Pools National Park, a UNESCO World Heritage Site
- One of the best places in Africa to see the endangered African wild dog
- A rare, remarkable sight: Mana Pools' elephants are known to rise on their hind legs to reach fruit and leaves high in the trees
- Chikwenya's private setting at the confluence of the Sapi and Zambezi Rivers, with views to Zambia's Rift Valley escarpment across the water
