The Jewel in the Zimbabwe’s Safari Crown
If you mention `Mana Pools’ to informed travelers, the effect can be magical. Those lucky enough to have already visited are launched on an eddy of reminiscence as powerful as any current in the Zambezi, the river that gives Mana its northern boundary. Those yet to visit might discuss just how high on their bucket list Mana rises.
So, what is it about Mana that ranks it amongst the greatest wildlife destinations in Africa?
Zimbabwe’s `Mana Pools National Park’ was granted UNESCO World Heritage status in 1984, recognition of the enormous numbers and diversity of animals drawn to its unique landscape. As ever in Africa water means life and the steady flow of the Zambezi is a guarantor of life at its most rich and exciting.
Four huge pools – Mana is the number 4 in the local dialect – refill each rainy season, a magnet for animals drawn to the cloistered calm of unique tree species that over the millennia have framed their own unique biosystem around these waterbodies.
And as the dry season heat builds and the long thin fingers of water wither, the animals naturally gravitate to the riverbank itself where open flood plains allow for spectacular sightings. Choose your spot wisely and a single vista of lion, painted dog, elephant, hippo, crocodile and antelope is not uncommon.
Thirty years of visiting Mana allowed me to choose my spot very carefully where every April I now set up Camp Mana. The tents go up on a shaded bank with views framed by the mountainous Zambezi Escarpment on the northern, Zambian side of the river. And just as sure as the sun rises in the east through the towering Albida trees that give Camp Mana its protection from the sun, so the elephants will come to graze on the fruit of this most special of trees. So common are these visits we have learned how to keep our tent guy ropes low enough so as never to be a hazard for our pachyderm passersby.
Zimbabwe has the enviable reputation of producing the finest walking guides in Africa, and Mana is widely regarded as the preeminent walking safari destination on the continent, something Hideaways Africa is extremely proud to be a part of. Not only does the flat, riverine terrain lend itself to walking but the wild animals seem unusually relaxed here, tolerating biped traffic with reassuring nonchalance.
With decades of ground-level guiding experience, I offer from Camp Mana a full spectrum of walks: a short foray from the vehicle to investigate tracks, half-day/full-day hikes in search of species, or multi-day walk adventures taking in the spectacular lion hunting behavior at Chitake Springs.
More than 30 km from the Zambezi but still in the national park, the springs are set in a ravine below steep, eroded sand cliffs, the only water for days of walking. Driven by savage thirst immense herds of Cape Buffalo are driven into the jaws of death. They gather at the lip of the descent, smelling their nemesis below.
Milling yet hesitant they are trapped by a dilemma as old as Africa: drink to survive but drink only if you can get past the lions. Pushed by the hundreds behind, the van begins to descend, rising dust shrouding the hundreds of thousands of kilograms of muscular protein.
The lions in super-prides of 24 or more lie in wait below sometimes convert these life-giving springs into a place of carnage. Chitake has received a large amount of bandwidth recently, but it must be borne in mind this is exclusively a walking or sedentary destination. There are no roads for driving, an intense and raw destination, only safely visited with a professional guide.
Perhaps my favorite Mana feature to share with visitors and guests of Hideaways Africa is not just the animal sightings but the setting, in particular, the magical minutes of `blue light’ when the rising or setting sun angles in such a way through the Albida canopy that the scene takes on an otherworldly character, a fairytale atmosphere from one’s childlike imaginings. Grooming baboons on a termite mound, grazing antelope, dipping hornbills in flight, all painted by the light as Mana’s masterpiece.
The Albidas are the favourite food of the Mana elephants and as a result, the trees have a distinct browse-line at the uppermost reach of the large bull elephants. Amongst the legendary characters of Mana, the elephant known as “Boswell” is the most renowned. In addition to Boswell, several of the Mana Pools elephants have developed a technique to reach above the browse line during the dry season, when food is most scarce.
These special few have learned to stand on their hind legs to reach leaves, seeds, and branches that are beyond the reach of all other elephants. Not only does Boswell perform this astounding act more regularly than the others, but he also has the most impressive tusks of all the Mana Pools elephants. Watching a six-thousand-kilogram elephant stand poised on his hind legs is a sight that will never be forgotten and the “pirouetting elephants” of Mana Pools have become justifiably famous as one of the major attractions of the area.
The 2018 David Attenborough’s documentary episode on the Painted Dogs in the “Dynasties” series was aired to great acclaim. This episode was filmed in Mana over a period of four years and during this time the Painted Dog pack became habituated to humans. The same pack still roams across the length of Mana Pools, making this arguably the best place to see this iconic and endangered species.
Mana Pools is a favorite destination for birders on a Hideaways Africa safari, for species endemic to the Zambezi, as well as rare birds that are found in this area. Some are easier to find than others – like the exquisite Lilian’s Lovebird with its teddy-bear eyes and extravagant colors. As early as August some of the migratory species begin to return, marking the calendar with their respective arrivals.
First, come the Yellow-Billed Kites in August. The arrival of the squadrons of Carmine Bee-eaters in September is especially welcomed. These gorgeous birds sporting an unlikely, but somehow successful, color combination of crimson and turquoise with long pointed tail provide another of Mana Pools’ great spectacles as they gather at their communal nesting sites along the banks of The Zambezi River.
The prestigious World Nature Photographer Grand Award was won last year with a Mana photograph. I am a lover of photography but for me, the visual power of Mana goes far beyond the camera, into my memory, my imagination, and my soul.
Author: Steve Bolnick | Camp Mana
