Travel Guide Mana Pools National Park

Poorly developed and isolated, Mana Pools Park is only open during the dry season (from the end of April to the end of October) and is only accessible by 4WD. Rising from 400 to 900 m above sea level, it is a very hot place (more than 50 °C in summer), where malaria is rampant and where the tsetse fly has not been eradicated. In spite of these inconveniences, Mana Pools is dear to the hearts of Zimbabwean naturalists and ecologists and to all travelers who have the opportunity to stay there. Covering an area of 2,870 square kilometers, Mana Pools is characterized by its diversity of habitats and scenic beauty. Two-thirds of the park is covered by vegetation similar to that of other protected areas (scattered baobabs at the Zambezi Escarpment, shrubby savannah and mopane woodlands inland), but the northern part of Mana Pools is characterized by magnificent forest areas. These develop on the banks of the great river and on the alluvial plains, where they form immense canopies of greenery. For many thousands of years, the Zambezi River flowed along the plains which are now covered with tall trees. When its course was partly modified by geological upheavals, it left behind rich alluvial terraces, whose fertile deposits favored the development of giant acacias, fig trees, mahogany trees, tamarind trees and sausage trees... It also left a multitude of natural basins(pools in English) which very quickly made the specificity of the park at the time of its creation. Today, four major ponds(mana in Shona) are distinguished by their size and attract a multitude of birds and mammals. Situated in front of the magnificent Zambian escarpment, they are magnificent and rewarding safari sites.