Where walking is allowed
Mana Pools National Park
About Mana Pools National Park
"Mana" means "four" in Shona and refers to the four seasonal pools the Zambezi left behind on its floodplain. They fill during the rainy season, and as the dry season goes on the animals rely on them more and more, while the water slowly seeps away or evaporates. In the dry season the wildlife therefore gathers increasingly along the Zambezi, at the remaining pools and at Chitake Springs.
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Mana Pools is a paradise for wildlife photographers. The seasonally flooded floodplain on the Zambezi, the iconic sausage trees and the steep escarpment of the Zambezi valley make a unique backdrop for exceptional wildlife images. Most famous are the elephants that stand up on their hind legs to reach the fruit of the sausage trees. Just as iconic are pictures of elephants crossing the Zambezi with the imposing escarpment rising behind them. This combination of spectacular animal behaviour and unmistakable landscape makes Mana Pools one of the most fascinating places in Africa to photograph wildlife.
Mana Pools is one of the few national parks in Africa where visitors with a walking permit may leave the vehicle and go on foot at their own risk, even without a guide. You get the permit at the park office. The rule has been questioned repeatedly because of safety concerns and visitors behaving badly. So check the rules in force before you travel. Because on the same open ground you walk on, elephants, buffalo and lions move too.
What the driving is like
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Mana Pools is far off the beaten track: the national park begins around 40 km from the tarred main road, and its highlight, the bank of the Zambezi, is even about 70 km from it. The way there runs on four-wheel-drive tracks through bush and mopane woodland. The journey is part of the adventure: with every kilometre it gets quieter and wilder, until the Zambezi opens up in front of you between acacias, sausage trees and fig trees. You do not reach this park in passing, you have to plan. Food, drinking water and fuel must last for the whole trip. In return you get one of the most unspoilt wildlife experiences in Africa.
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Mana Pools is not accessible all year round. The rainy season runs from about November to April. Especially from January to March the camps are usually closed, because then the tracks on the floodplain cannot be driven anyway: when they are wet they simply do not carry a vehicle. That has its good side too: the wilderness has months to itself. At the start of the rainy season in November the park can still be easy to drive. As the ground dries out it reopens in April or May, and in the dry season the animals gather at the river. Before you travel, ask ZimParks or your camp about opening and the state of the tracks.
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In Mana Pools there are no fences between you and the wilderness. The camps are not fenced, and animals walk right through them: elephants stroll between the tents to get fruit from the trees, and at night you hear lions and hyenas close by. That is exactly what makes the park so special and so intense. But it also means a clear set of rules applies here, and you should take it seriously: keep your distance, stay alert after dark and follow the instructions of the rangers and guides. If you stick to that, you will see wildlife as close as almost nowhere else.
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There is hardly anything to buy in the park itself: no fuel station, no shop. The only thing you can get on site is firewood. Fuel and supplies come from outside and have to be planned and brought in before you enter the park. That goes for food and drinking water as much as for fuel. Your rubbish is your responsibility too, because Mana Pools is "carry in, carry out": whatever you bring in, you take out again. This self-sufficiency is the price of the remoteness, and it is part of the appeal: you are entirely on your own and in return you are completely immersed in the wilderness on the Zambezi.
When to go
May to October, dry season
The dry months, from about May to October, are the time to plan your trip to Mana Pools around. The drier the interior gets, the more game moves to the Zambezi and the pools, because they hold the last water and fresh green. From May the animals gradually arrive at the river, and the floodplain fills with elephants, buffalo, antelope and the predators that follow them.
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In September and October the density on the floodplain is highest, and you see animals in numbers found only here. The heat is at its peak then, though, with temperatures over 30 °C. So plan activities for the early morning and late afternoon and take a break in the shade at midday.
November to April, rainy season
The rainy season runs from about November to April. The first rains inland are enough for the animals to leave the bank of the Zambezi and the pools and move inland, where they find water and food again. From about November you should therefore expect fewer sightings, even if the tracks are still drivable. With the rains from January to March the floodplain becomes impassable, the camps close and much of the park is shut to vehicles.
Current state of the access road (as of October 2026)
In spring 2026 heavy rain in the Zambezi valley damaged the access road to the park. Part of the bridge over the Ruckomechi was washed away, and the road was also damaged on the stretch beyond the Runese River. For a time ZimParks advised self-drivers not to travel in. Camps in private concessions remained reachable by boat or plane. We could not find confirmation that the bridge has been fully repaired since. So before you set off, ask ZimParks or your camp about the current state of the access road.
What this changes for your planning
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Walking is a permission, not an offer
In Mana Pools you may get out and explore on foot, which is a real rarity in a park with so much big game. You get the permit at the park administration. Good to know: you go at your own risk, nobody accompanies or supervises you. So be extremely careful. If you are unsure, it is best to book a guide, also at the park office. Especially the first time in an area with big game, that company is worth it.
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The date decides everything here
Plan your trip for towards the end of the dry season if you can. That is when the animals are concentrated at the river and the pools as at no other time of year. From early November, with the first rains, your expectations may be disappointed, because the animals move inland. In return it is far quieter then. If you like it calm and can do with fewer sightings, that period has its appeal too.
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Guided drives in your own car
The park offers guided safaris, but unlike many other parks ZimParks does not give you a driver or a vehicle. Instead you take the armed guide along in your own car. That means you have to be comfortable sitting in a vehicle with a stranger who carries a weapon. In return you have someone at your side who knows the terrain, can read animal behaviour and knows what to do if it gets serious.
From my own trips
The green season brings fewer people, lower prices and a landscape that looks completely different, but also muddy roads and fewer sightings.
How long to plan
4 nights or more
Plan at least four nights. The journey is long and demanding, but it is part of the adventure. Four nights also make sense for several reasons:
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Mana Pools is one of the few national parks in southern Africa where you may also go on foot, and that is the real reason for a longer stay. On foot you meet elephants, buffalo, antelope and, with some luck, lions and wild dogs at eye level, with no vehicle in between. You read tracks, stop, wait and learn to move quietly. That takes time and more than one attempt. Guided walking safaris with an experienced guide are the safest way to do it. Experienced visitors can also set out on their own in certain areas, but should know exactly what they are doing. Add drives in your own vehicle, where the tracks along the river are especially rewarding, and boat or canoe trips on the Zambezi, where you see hippos and crocodiles from the water.
On the way out of the park a night at Chitake Springs, the only spring far and wide, may be worth it. Do not expect any comfort there, though: the only thing the campsites offer is a long-drop toilet, and one site does not even have that.
Where people stay
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Nyamepi
Nyamepi is the main campsite in the park and lies right on the Zambezi. Wildlife uses the ground like any other part of the park: elephants walk right through the camp, usually calmly, looking for fruit and leaves. At night hippos can block the way to the ablutions, and baboons try to steal food left lying around.
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That makes for a few rules. Keep your distance and never crowd elephants or cut off their path. At night only go about with a torch, and do not leave food out. The car should be locked at night. If you have pitched your tent on the ground or on the car, close it as well, because baboons have learned to open zips.
Big old trees give shade, which is worth a lot in the midday heat. From many sites you look out over the river and the floodplain behind it, so even in camp you spend much of the day watching animals. The site is also next to the park administration, which makes it easier to find your way around and organise tours. And there are ablutions with hot water and flush toilets.
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ZimParks' fixed accommodation: chalets and lodges
If you would rather not camp, Mana Pools has fixed accommodation from the state park authority ZimParks, mainly chalets and lodges around Nyamepi. I cannot recommend them. As of November 2024 they are, to put it mildly, in dire need of renovation. You pay for a standard that is nowhere near in line with the price.
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If you are planning a stay in this wilderness anyway, a tent serves you better: it costs much less and brings you closer to what you came for in the first place. If you do not want to do without a solid roof, look at the private lodges and camps in the area, which are usually better kept but have their price too.
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Chitake Springs
Chitake Springs lies inland at the foot of the escarpment, far from the Zambezi. The camp grew up around a spring that keeps running when everything else has dried up in the dry season. That makes it a magnet for the wildlife of the area. If you come here, you see what such a concentration draws: elephants, buffalo and antelope come to drink, and where there is prey, predators are not far away. The place is known for its animal encounters accordingly.
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It is at least as well known for walking. From here you can explore the area on foot without a vehicle between you and the animals. The spring and the ground around it are rewarding terrain for that, and that is exactly the appeal: you move among animals gathering around the scarce water.
Comfort, on the other hand, is minimal. The campsites are basic, a long-drop toilet is the only thing on offer, and one site does not even have that. If you stay here, you need to be fully self-sufficient. That is exactly why the camp works well as a stopover on the way out of the park, before the long drive back.
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More camps: the exclusive sites
Besides Nyamepi and Chitake Springs there are the so-called exclusive campsites on the Zambezi. Here the site belongs entirely to one group, and you have a stretch of riverbank to yourself with nobody else in sight. That is exactly why many regulars book these sites year after year.
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Mucheni consists of four sites, about eight kilometres west of Nyamepi. Nkupe lies around one kilometre east of Nyamepi on a stretch of bank of its own. Ndungu, Gwaya and BBC are on the same bank. If you travel alone or as two or three, New Ndungu 1 and 2 are a cheaper option meant for at most three people.
Facilities are basic: usually a fire pit for a braai and a simple toilet. Gwaya is the exception, with a cold shower, flush toilet and washbasin. Water comes only from the river or from reception at Nyamepi. So come well equipped.
Camping in Mana Pools is only possible through ZimParks, and the most popular sites are often booked out almost a year ahead. Current prices, how booking works, a template for the enquiry email and the park rules are here: visitmanapools.com/camping
For the camera
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Photographing at eye level on a guided walking safari: on a guided walking safari you can photograph animals at eye level that you mostly see from above from the vehicle. Always stay behind your guide, follow their hand signals and only crouch or kneel when they say so. Let them decide the distance and the wind direction. Move slowly, use trees as cover and shoot crouching or kneeling for a low perspective. If your guide knows the animals well, they can also position you so that the light comes from the side or from behind.
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Photographing elephants on their hind legs at the sausage tree: Mana Pools is famous for elephants that rear up to reach fruit hanging high. Plan for early morning or late afternoon, when the low light creates backlight and haze. Expose relatively short to bring out silhouettes and rim light. Use a fast shutter speed (from about 1/1000 s) so the elephant stays sharp as it rears up and you catch the stretch. If you are walking with a guide, ask them about trees with ripe fruit, because that is where the elephants like to be.
What goes wrong
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Choosing the wrong time to travel: in the heart of the rainy season large parts of the park cannot be driven, because the tracks soften and the rivers swell. If you arrive then, you either do not get in at all or risk getting stuck in the mud. The start of the rainy season has its quirks too: with the first rains many animals move inland, because there is water and fresh green there again.
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You then see less wildlife, but the park is much quieter. For photographers who want lots of animals the dry season is usually the better choice. If you are after peace and atmosphere, you can choose the start of the season on purpose, but expect fewer sightings.
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Not being self-sufficient enough
Mana Pools is remote, and in an emergency help is far away. So preparation includes:
Water and food: enough for the whole trip, plus a reserve. The nearest supermarket is in Karoi or in Kariba.
Tyres: two spare tyres, both fully usable, so with enough pressure and intact tread. One spare is often not enough on these tracks. A compressor belongs in the kit too, and so does the jack.
Fuel: enough for the whole route including game drives and, if possible, a jerrycan in reserve.
Power: a solar panel on the vehicle helps to run the fridge permanently without draining the battery.
Cooking gas: always bring enough. If need be you can boil water from the campsite, for coffee or pasta. -
Using the walking permit too casually
Being allowed to walk in Mana Pools is a privilege, not a free pass. You are a guest of the animals here, and they make the rules, not you: you have to go by them. Anyone who uses the permit lightly puts themselves and others in danger. Be aware of the risks:Read more
Buffalo: old solitary bulls in particular are considered unpredictable and aggressive. They are easy to miss in tall grass or bush.
Elephants: they often seem relaxed, but can turn quickly. Be especially careful with mothers with calves and with bulls in musth. Never walk between mother and calf, and always leave them a way out.
Hippos: they are among the most dangerous animals in Africa. Never get between a hippo and the water, and expect animals on land especially at dusk and at night.
Lions: they are often well camouflaged and appear unexpectedly. Keep your eyes open and scan the shade under the trees during the day to avoid a surprise. If you are lucky enough to meet some: stay calm, in a group if possible and in single file. Avoid hasty movements. Move away slowly and backwards, always keeping the lion or the pride in view.Also keep in mind:
Always keep an eye on the wind, your surroundings and your way out, even while you look through the viewfinder.
The perfect photo is not worth getting too close to an animal. Better one picture fewer than one risk too many.
If you feel unsure, step back, or at least at the start book an experienced guide who explains the animals' behaviour to you.
Questions people ask
Can I really walk without a guide?
Yes, and that is exactly what makes Mana Pools so special. The park is one of the very few places in Africa where you may see the animals on foot, even without company. It is a real privilege, but it comes with a clear condition: you go at your own risk, and literally so. There are no fences and no protection. Lions, buffalo and elephants move on the same ground. If you go without a guide, you should bring experience in reading animal behaviour. To start with, a guided walking safari is the safer and more instructive choice.
When is it open?
Mana Pools is a classic dry-season park. It is usually open from the middle of the year until the rains begin. The exact opening dates can shift from year to year. So have the dates for your travel year confirmed before you book accommodation, flights or a rental car.
Season: the park is typically accessible from April/May to November. During that time the tracks are drivable, the camps and lodges are open, and the animals gather more and more at the river as the land dries out.
Closure in the rainy season: from December to March, sometimes into April, the park is largely closed or hard to reach. Heavy rain turns the access roads into impassable mud, and the airstrips cannot be used either. Most lodges and camps close during this period too.
Are there rhino?
No, sadly not any more. The rhinos of Mana Pools were wiped out by poachers decades ago. That is a sad chapter in the history of the park, and it belongs in an honest description. Other highlights await you instead: large elephant herds, buffalo, lions, wild dogs and hippos.
What vehicle do I need?
You need a four-wheel drive that you can get unstuck yourself if it comes to it. The approach on the A1 is well tarred and busy, no problems there. It only gets more demanding in the park itself: the tracks on the floodplain are sand or soft ground in places. In case you get stuck there, it is wise to carry a shovel and a compressor to adjust the tyre pressure and dig yourself out. Two usable spare tyres are part of the basic kit as well. Prepared like that, you are well set up for Mana Pools.
How busy is it?
Mana Pools is comparatively empty, because the park is aimed at experienced self-drivers and adventurers. That is exactly its appeal: you can watch animals without sharing a spot with ten other vehicles, and often you are alone with the landscape and the animals. The flip side is that there is hardly any infrastructure. Everything you need has to come into the park with you: water, food, fuel and gas. Only firewood can be bought in the park.
Borders: Natural Earth
