A day trip not found anywhere else in Mana Pools. This full-day excursion tells a story far older than rock art or ancient ruins. Hideaways Mhara River Camp offers a dinosaur footprint experience that invites you to explore a remarkable piece of natural history, where traces of prehistoric life remain preserved in the landscape.
A Journey into the Past
This guided day trip takes you beyond the camp’s private concession into a different section of Mana Pools, leading to a remote site where ancient dinosaur tracks can still be seen.
As you walk alongside these ancient impressions, your guide shares insight into how the environment has changed over millions of years. What appears today as dry riverbeds and sandstone was once part of a very different world, shaped by water, heat, and time.
Traces of Prehistoric Life
At the site, the footprints appear almost unexpectedly. Impressions in stone that have endured through time, preserved from what was once soft mud. These tracks date back roughly 150 to 170 million years, left behind by dinosaurs moving through shallow water and drying floodplains.
Some of the prints are large and deeply set, believed to belong to powerful two-legged predators. Others are broader and more rounded, likely from massive herbivorous dinosaurs that once moved slowly through the same terrain. In certain areas, entire trackways can be followed, offering a rare opportunity to trace movement from a time long before the wildlife seen today.
A Guided Experience
As with all activities at Mhara, the excursion is led by an experienced guide who brings the site to life through storytelling and interpretation. Their knowledge adds depth to the visit, helping to connect what you see underfoot with the wider history of the region.
A picnic lunch and drinks are included, allowing time to pause and take in the surroundings before returning to camp.
A Different Discovery
While much of safari focuses on the present, with wildlife sightings and changing landscapes, this experience offers something different. It is quieter and more reflective, grounded in the deep history of the land.
For those with a curiosity for the natural world beyond what is immediately visible, the dinosaur footprints excursion offers a rare perspective on Mana Pools, adding another layer to what makes this landscape so unique.
