Mana Pools is one of Africa’s most magical wilderness areas. It is a United Nations World Heritage Site for good reason. Here the Zambezi river gives life to an amazing diversity of flora and fauna, all of which rely on one another to maintain this ‘garden of eden.’ Tall Acacia albida trees line the river banks and provide much needed shade from the hot sun for a host of wildlife. In addition the pods that grow on these trees are heavily rich in protein. Elephants in particular will do anything to get to these pods and so Mana Pools has many famous photographs taken of elephants balancing on their hind legs and reaching up with their trunks to the branches containing these pods above. This is truly an amazing site to behold.
Wild dogs exist here in large packs, as do the many prides of lion and big herds of buffalo. The river is home to an incredible density of hippos that create a cacophony of grunts and snorts day and night. Mana Pools is only properly accessible during the dry months of the year between April and October. It is possible during these months to get in by light aircraft, 4×4 vehicle or a boat on the river.
