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UNESCO park · Zimbabwe

Mana Pools National Park

The wild lower Zambezi — walking and canoeing among elephant and lion, on foot, in expert hands.
Getting there
Charter flight from Victoria Falls or Harare to the airstrips
Best for
Walking safaris, canoeing the Zambezi, big elephant and lion on foot
The land
Floodplain terraces, winterthorn forest and the Zambezi channels below the escarpment
Good to know
A UNESCO World Heritage Site; camps are seasonal and close in the green-season rains
What it is
Mana Pools is where you walk — among elephants standing on their hind legs to feed, with lion and wild dog on the same floodplain.
A UNESCO site on the lower Zambezi, Mana is famous for the intimacy of its game and the freedom to explore on foot and by canoe. The winterthorn forest and dappled light have made it one of the most photographed wildernesses in Africa. Zimbabwe's elite guides make the walking both thrilling and safe.
PhotoMana Pools National Park — unesco park.
The reason to come

On foot among giants

Mana is a walking and canoeing park first. The Zambezi and the forest are best met at ground level.

Walking safaris

Approaching elephant, buffalo and even lion on foot, led by a licensed pro guide.

Canoe the Zambezi

Drifting past hippo and elephant, with the escarpment behind.

The light

The famous dust-and-sun cathedral light through the winterthorns.

Worth knowing

Where guiding is everything

Mana's walking is only possible because of Zimbabwe's exacting guide licence — the people who lead you are the best in the business.
PhotoAn elephant on its hind legs in the winterthorns of Mana Pools.
When to come — honestly

A dry-season park.

June – October
Best
Dry season. Walking and canoeing at their best; game on the floodplain, big skies.
April – May
Good
Early dry. Green fading to gold, fewer vehicles, comfortable days.
Most Mana camps close in the green-season rains (roughly November–March), when access is difficult. The walking window is the dry months.
Context

Wild, and kept that way

Mana is deliberately low-volume and seasonal. There are few camps, access is by air or rough road, and the experience is built around being on foot rather than in a vehicle.

This is a place to slow down — fewer sightings, deeper ones, met at walking pace.

Beyond the obvious

More to Mana Pools National Park.

PhotoA full-day walk

A full-day walk

Out from camp on foot with a pro guide, reading tracks to the game.

PhotoCanoe trail

Canoe trail

A half or full day drifting the Zambezi channels.

PhotoForest photography

Forest photography

The winterthorn light that made Mana famous.

Why Wild Voyager

We send you with Zimbabwe's best guides.

Zimbabwe's professional guides are the most rigorously qualified in Africa. We pair you with the camps and pro guides who make walking and canoeing here both thrilling and safe.

Handpicked camps

We choose the camp and guiding that fit your dates and pace, not whatever is left.

We time it right

We build your visit around the season that delivers — water levels, migrations and access.

Wildlife you may see
Elephants Lion

Plan your Mana Pools National Park journey.

Walking safaris and canoeing on the Zambezi with a licensed professional guide. Tell us your dates and we will build the route around it.

Plan a Mana Pools National Park trip

Field notes, now and then.

Where to go · When to go · Wildlife in season

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