Luxury Mana Pools National Park Safari Tours

Mana Pools is a highly seasonal safari destination, with most camps and lodges operating from April to November. The main safari season runs from May to October, when access improves and the park’s safari activities are in full swing.

During the summer rains, roads can become difficult or impassable and many seasonal camps close. Wildlife remains in the area throughout the year, but tourism infrastructure is largely focused around the drier months.

For most travelers, we recommend visiting between June and October, when wildlife concentrations along the Zambezi River are at their strongest and walking safaris, canoeing and game drives can all be combined.

For most travelers, the best time to visit Mana Pools is from June to October, when conditions are dry, access is reliable and wildlife becomes increasingly concentrated around the Zambezi River, oxbow lakes and remaining water sources.

• June and July bring cooler temperatures, beautiful winterthorn forests and excellent conditions for walking safaris and canoeing.
• August to October delivers the classic Mana Pools experience, with increasingly concentrated wildlife across the floodplains.
• September and October are particularly rewarding for serious wildlife viewing and photography, although temperatures can become very hot.

For us, June to October is the sweet spot, with the exact month depending on whether you prioritize cooler conditions or the most concentrated wildlife viewing.

Mana Pools is widely regarded as one of Africa’s premier walking safari destinations, offering a level of immersion and wilderness that few parks can match.

A Rich Walking Safari Heritage: Zimbabwe has a long history of professional guiding, with Mana Pools playing an important role in the development of modern walking safaris.

Exceptional Guide Training: Zimbabwe’s professional guides are considered among the best in Africa, with rigorous qualifications and extensive training in wildlife behavior, tracking and safety.

Remarkable Wildlife Encounters on Foot: Decades of carefully managed walking safaris have created opportunities for exceptional wildlife viewing on foot. With an experienced guide, guests can track animals, read behavior and experience the landscape at a completely different pace from a game drive.

Walking is Central to the Mana Pools Experience: Few major African national parks place walking so firmly at the heart of the safari experience. Mana Pools even permits unescorted walking for independent visitors, although Ubuntu Travel guests explore with highly experienced professional guides.

Mana Pools is best known for its elephants, African wild dogs and exceptional predator viewing along the Zambezi River. The park is particularly famous for its elephant bulls, some of which have become known for standing on their hind legs to feed from ancient ana trees.

Visitors can also encounter lion, leopard, buffalo, hippo, crocodile and a wide variety of plains game. The combination of river, floodplain and woodland habitats supports a remarkable diversity of wildlife, particularly during the dry season when animals gather near permanent water.

We recommend a minimum of three nights in Mana Pools, although four nights is our preferred stay if your itinerary allows.

Unlike destinations focused primarily on game drives, Mana Pools offers walking safaris, canoeing, wildlife photography and river-based experiences. An extra night gives you more time to experience the park in different ways and settle into the slower rhythm that makes Mana Pools so special.

For longer stays, we may also recommend splitting your time between different camps or areas of the park. This allows you to experience different landscapes, wildlife concentrations and activities rather than seeing Mana Pools from a single location.