Mana Pools National Park Safaris and Tour Packages

Overview

Mana Pools National Park is a wildlife conservation area found in northern Zimbabwe and remains one of the least developed national parks in all of Southern Africa on a Zimbabwe tour.

The park is 2,196 square kilometres in size but is part of the larger 10,500 square kilometres Parks and Wildlife Estate that runs from the Kariba Dam to the border of Mozambique. While much of the area had been protected as a non-hunting area since the 1930s, it was not officially recognized as a national park until 1963. It would later become a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1984.

Mana Pools constitutes a region of the lower Zambezi River that sees flood plains turn into lakes during the rainy season. Once the lakes begin to dry and thus recede, the area becomes a hot spot for large game in search of water. The name Mana means “Four” in the Shona language in reference to the four large permanent pools found within the park.

Due to its water sources, Mana Pools is a haven for both Nile crocodiles and hippopotami, hosting the country’s largest concentrations of these species. Large populations of elephants and buffalo are present during the dry season while predators like leopards, lions and cheetahs are also found in the park. Mana Pools is far from any major town and wildlife roams freely making the park one of Africa’s most renowned game viewing areas on travel to Zimbabwe.