Private4 days
Mana Pools on Foot
Walking days in Africa's last great wilderness
From $2,400 per person
View this trip
Zimbabwe · UNESCO World Heritage Site
Mana Pools
A UNESCO-listed Lower Zambezi floodplain known for walking, canoeing and winter-thorn woodland.
Mana Pools is the safari people graduate to: a UNESCO-listed floodplain on the Lower Zambezi where walking and canoeing are the main activities.
Elephant, buffalo, leopard and painted dog occur across the wider ecosystem. Walking and canoeing are signature activities, subject to guide qualifications, park rules and current river conditions. Mana Pools is not currently a Big Five destination: UNESCO records that black rhino disappeared from the property after inscription.
“Mana Pools is what you graduate to. Walking, canoeing, no fences, no railings, no commentary. Just you and the floodplain.”
Best May to October 6 experiences UNESCO World Heritage Site
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Start with these.
Mana asks for time and rewards it. There are three ways in: on foot, by canoe or by charter.
Private3 days
Mana Pools Canoe Safari
Paddling by day, camping on the islands by night
From $1,350 per person
View this tripLooking for something different? View all 6 Mana Pools trips →
Why ZimTravellers
One person plans your trip. He lives here.
ZimTravellers is not a call centre. Josh Elliott, fifth-generation Zimbabwean and owner of Matobo Hills Lodge, writes every itinerary himself, drives these roads, and answers every email within one working day. That changes what a trip here can be.
One local point of contact
You plan directly with Josh from first enquiry to the trip itself: one point of contact, whether the day is run by our own team or a hand-picked local operator.
Generations deep
Five generations in Zimbabwe means the guides, the border posts and the fuel stops are known first-hand.
Direct WhatsApp line
WhatsApp Josh before, during and after the trip. Office hours Mon to Fri 08:00 to 17:00 and Sat 09:00 to 13:00 CAT; replies within one working day.
Stories, not schedules
Routes built from scratch around what you want from the country.
Tell Josh what you’d want from a few days in Mana Pools and he’ll write you a route. No template, no commission desk.
Make an enquirySignature experiences
What Mana Pools does best.
Mana Pools
Walking safari
Mana is one of the few African parks where walking is the primary activity. Sightings include bull elephants standing on hind legs and lion at twenty metres.
Mana Pools
Canoe the Zambezi
Three-day downstream canoe trail with mobile camps. Hippo pods, elephant crossing, fish eagles overhead. The classic Africa adventure.
Mana Pools
The Ana-tree forest
Mature winter-thorn trees and dry-season dust create distinctive low-angle light across the floodplain.
Mana Pools
Painted dog encounters
Painted dogs occur in the wider ecosystem, but movements are unpredictable and sightings are never guaranteed.
Recommended accommodation
Where we stay in Mana Pools.
A short planning list, not a price promise. We confirm the right property, room and current rate for your dates before you commit.
Ruckomechi Camp
Mana Pools stay · availability and current rate confirmed before your proposal.
View this stay →
Chikwenya Camp
Mana Pools stay · availability and current rate confirmed before your proposal.
Ask Josh about this stay →Mana Pools
Nyamepi Campsite
Mana Pools stay · availability and current rate confirmed before your proposal.
Ask Josh about this stay →
Speak to Josh
Plan your Mana Pools trip.
Tell me your dates, your party, and what you want from Mana Pools. I’ll reply with a route and honest advice on what to skip.
Make an enquiry
WhatsApp Josh
+263 777 963 710 · Mon to Fri 08:00 to 17:00 · Sat 09:00 to 13:00 CAT · Closed Sundays & public holidays
“I answer every email here personally, within one working day.”
Ways to travel
How do you want to do this?
Tailor-made
You choose the dates, the pace and the rooms. Josh writes the route from scratch around what you want from the country. Most guests travel this way.
On the map
The far north, on the Lower Zambezi.
Charter flight to the Mana airstrip: 50 minutes from Harare, about 90 from Victoria Falls. Driving in via Marongora takes four hours from Harare and needs a 4×4.
- Combine with HwangeExplore trips →
- Combine with Victoria FallsExplore trips →
- Combine with Lake KaribaExplore trips →
Every marker is a link: tap a region to open its page. Hold Ctrl (⌘ on Mac) and scroll, or use the buttons, to zoom.
When to travel
A park with an opening season.
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May to October: open. Walking, canoeing and photography all peak. The famous dust-light runs late August to October.
November to April: closed. The floodplain does what floodplains do. The park reopens as the roads dry in late April.
All trips
Every Mana Pools experience.
14 Days · Private (max 8 guests)
Epic Zimbabwe
Two weeks, every landscape that matters
From $12,150 ppView trip →
12 Days · Private (max 8 guests)
Zimbabwe Grand Safari: Matobo, Hwange, Victoria Falls & Mana Pools
Zimbabwe's greatest hits, at the top end
From $12,850 ppView trip →
12 Days
Zimbabwe Walking Safari: Matobo, Hwange, Mana Pools & Kariba
Matobo, Hwange, Mana and Kariba, built around walking
Price on requestView trip →
10 Days · Private (max 8 guests)
Victoria Falls, Lake Kariba & Mana Pools
The Falls, the lake and the floodplain, flown between
From $9,900 ppView trip →
4 Days · Private (max 8 guests)
Mana Pools on Foot
Walking days in Africa's last great wilderness
From $2,400 ppView trip →
3 Days · Private (max 8 guests)
Mana Pools Canoe Safari
Paddling by day, camping on the islands by night
From $1,350 ppView trip →
No trips match those filters here, so tell Josh what you’re after and he’ll build it.
Frequently asked
Mana Pools, answered.
Reasonably fit. Walking is gentle pace, 2-4 hour walks on flat ground. The canoeing is paddled by guides if you don't want to.
Walking is a guided wilderness activity, not a risk-free experience. Use licensed operators, follow every briefing and disclose medical or mobility concerns before booking.
Three. Two is too short for the journey. Four to five lets you do walking + canoeing + scenic drives.
Most Mana camps have minimum age 12 or 14. The walking and canoeing requires the child to follow guide instructions absolutely.
No. UNESCO records that black rhino disappeared from the property after inscription. Mana is better chosen for its Lower Zambezi floodplain, walking and canoeing.
Plan your trip
Walk it. Paddle it. Then try to describe it.
Tell Josh your dates and your party. You’ll get a route, straight answers, and a reply within one working day.