Find time to visit Mana Pools

AS a result of feedback received by Wild Zambezi from visitors, who have enjoyed camping in the Mana Pools National Park, here are some important points to remember if you are planning a stay there.

It is essential to pre-book accommodation and camping with ZimParks prior to your trip.

Check in at Marongora as well as Mana headquarters.

All visitors to Mana Pools National Park must check in and obtain an entry permit (no charge) at the Parks Zambezi Valley headquarters at Marongora at the top of the Zambezi escarpment before they descend the hills and turn in at the first entry gate.

If you do not have this permit, the gate officers will make you go back up the hill to Marongora to collect one.

Once you arrive at the Zambezi River in Mana, you must also check in at the parks headquarters at Nyamepi to show your accommodation booking form and pay your conservation/vehicle entry fees. You will not be allowed out of the park exit gate if you don’t have proof that you have paid these.

There are four ablution blocks in the Nyamepi Campsite with flush toilets, basins and shower facilities. They are basic, but have received a welcome upgrade recently, with new tiling and better plumbing.

Hot water is provided via firewood fuelled boilers. Be sure to bring all your own toiletries, including toilet paper.

Note that the public exclusive campsites elsewhere in the park do not have ablution blocks or running water. The only facility provided at each site is a very basic “long-drop” toilet with a thatched surround for privacy.

Campers at these sites need to be completely self-contained and able to provide their own water and ablution facilities. A spadeful or two of cold campfire ash sprinkled regularly into the “long-drop” toilet serves to reduce odours and help sanitise it.

In Mana Pools, there are no fences around any of the camping areas.

Potentially dangerous wild animals can wander through at anytime of the day or night. They may look tame, but they are not.

Be vigilant at all times, especially after dark, and carry a torch with a strong beam that shines in all directions before moving.

In Mana Pools, you are not permitted to collect firewood. This must be purchased at the Nyamepi Parks HQ. Keep your campfire to minimum in order to preserve the fast-dwindling resources — firewood.

Wild Zambezi