Getting there
There really is only one way to travel to Mana (unless you are made of sterner stuff than us) and getting a small plane out of the hustle and bustle of Harare sets the tone for rest of your stay in this secluded spot. As we took off the city fell away fast, and sitting just below the cloud line in a clear African sky you can marvel at the huge stretches of empty land and dry riverbeds that flatten out into our destination, the Zambezi floodplains. The landing, where you swoop in over this famed river, provides the most incredible aerial view of the whole area, the lush rich riverbanks of the Zimbabwean side and the steep escarpment on the opposite bank in Zambia.
Our guide Mark was waiting by the track with the vehicle, and the bush didn't keep us waiting either. Within minutes a civet cat wandered across the road in broad daylight, which even Mark admitted was a rare sighting. Then, as the sun dropped behind the trees, a young leopard stepped out of the bushes and draped herself over an anthill like a paid actor, her beautiful colouring perfectly blending into the soft afternoon light. If the trip had ended there, we'd have gone home happy.
We spent that first night at Vundu Camp, close to the river. We rolled in after dark to a proper welcome: thatched roofs, lovely rooms, plenty of food and a very generous gin and tonic.
On foot with Mark
The next morning we headed out walking, which is what Mana Pools does better than almost anywhere. It's a completely different kind of safari. Slower, quieter, and if we're honest, a little nerve-wracking at first, in the best possible way.
Mark seemed to know every tree and every footprint. We found elephants feeding under the trees, close enough to hear their low rumbling calls. The Mana elephants are famous, and many of them have names that come from their distinctive features. Ours was Peter, or Peter Piper to his friends, thanks to the hole in his trunk. Mark puts the elephants at ease by making a low rumbling call back to them, and he sounds so much like one of the herd that you can almost feel it in your chest.
Later we picked up lion tracks in the sand and dry mud and followed two young males, with Mark reading their movements from the marks they'd left behind. By his account they were off chasing some girls. He calls it getting into the "lion mind". We never did catch up with them, but it didn't matter one bit. Tracking on foot changes how you see the bush, and that stays with you long after the trip.
This part of Mana Pools is famous for more than just its elephants. The scenery here is iconic. Keen photographers seek out its wide-open spaces and hidden glades, where shafts of morning and afternoon sunlight give glimpses of animals interacting far off in the distance beneath mature mahogany, fig and acacia trees. Wherever you look, there’s a feast for the senses: the majestic Zambezi meanders through curves and eddies, and the Zambian escarpment rises on the far bank, with layer after layer of colour, light and texture in between. It’s a landscape that doesn’t look like anywhere else.
Down on the Zambezi
For the next two nights we moved to Mana Sands Camp, which is brand new and very much on the luxurious end of things: plunge pools looking out over the Zambezi, shaded decks, and a cold drink never far from your hand.
We wanted to make the most of being on the water, so we went out early one morning in search of the famous Zambezi tiger fish. We caught nothing. We're blaming our technique rather than the fish. Stopping in the middle of the river for a paddle and a cool down, with hippos and crocs all around us, more than made up for it.
That afternoon gave us some of our favourite hours of the whole trip: a canoe safari with Engelbert, one of the park's expert river guides. Canoeing on the Zambezi is hard to describe without sounding over the top. You move almost silently, just the dip of the paddles and the occasional splash in your direction from your canoe mate. We drifted up the side channels with the birdlife all around us, then came across a herd of elephants crossing the river. We just sat and watched as they played, splashed and fed on the reeds. The day finished with sundowners round a fire on the riverbank, which is about as good as an evening gets.
Ruckomechi
We spent our final days at Wilderness Rukomechi, a beautiful, calm spot where everything runs seamlessly. Right up until an elephant decides to stroll up to your breakfast table, at which point you simply move out of the way. It's their bush, after all.
The drives with the Wilderness guides were brilliant, and one evening in particular will stay with us. We parked up with four lions and just sat and watched them as the sun went down behind them. Their main activities were sleeping and ignoring all the other animals moving about, but we couldn't take our eyes off them.
Why we would recommend Mana Pools
Mana Pools is open, wild and undeniably spectacular. It's the sort of place where you're constantly reminded that you're a visitor in someone else's world, and that's exactly why we love it. Walking with a guide like Mark, canoeing with Engelbert, and moving between a few very different camps was the perfect way to see it.
If this has you daydreaming about the Zambezi, get in touch. We'd love to help you plan your own few days in Mana. Just don't expect us to teach you how to catch a tiger fish.
Contact vicky@farsideafrica.com
