After being collected by your guide, guests will be driven 30km on a leisurely game drive through the spectacular Mana Pools floodplain to the first night’s campsite. This area has one of the highest concentrations of wildlife in Zimbabwe and the drive is usually very rewarding. Upon arrival at the Vundu Camp, you will be met by the welcoming smiles of our support staff and eat lunch. This meal usually consists of cold meats, a variety of salads and freshly baked breads.

The group then departs downstream by canoe. This first afternoon of paddling is taken at a slow pace, allowing you time to become acquainted with the canoes and their steering methods. Hippo, buffalo, elephant and crocodile, as well as a variety of antelope species, may be seen. You will return to the camp at sunset. The camp will be fully prepared and you will be able to sit back and relax with sundowners and snacks. Tents are 4x3m in size with en suite washing stations.

Main Destination: Mana Pools National Park

Accommodation: Mid-range camping

Inside Mana Pools NP

Meals & Drinks: Lunch & dinner (Breakfast not included)

 

An early-wake up beckons you as the dawn breaks. Hot water for freshening up will be placed in raised basins outside each tent, while tea, freshly brewed coffee, muffins or home-made biscuits wait by the campfire. Guests need only worry about a small daypack carrying essentials such as sun block, a camera, spare batteries, a hat and binoculars. The aim is to be in the canoes and on the water in time to watch the sunrise.

After breakfast, guests will have the opportunity to set off on a walk along the floodplain and surrounding woodlands. This is a great time to try and view predators before they hide for the day. Guests will then return to the canoes and head downstream to an area renowned for its huge, old elephant bulls. This night’s camp, Chessa, overlooks a small channel with a large grass plain separating it from the main Zambezi (which is 500 meters away). The nearby plain frequently hosts buffalo, waterbuck, elephant and hippo in the evenings.

Main Destination: Mana Pools National Park

Accommodation: Mid-range camping

Inside Mana Pools NP

Meals & Drinks: All meals included

 

Today follows the same basic itinerary as day two, with a predawn wake up and sunrise greeting you as you drift down the Zambezi. This is the day that guests will enter the wilderness area of Mana Pools National Park, where there is limited access to people and vehicles.

From here on, you are entering a much more remote environment. Breakfast may be taken on the Mbera River floodplain, which is comprised of stunning acacia woodland and large patches of thick “adrenaline” grass—a habitat much favoured by all the predators. Towards the end of the dry season, it also hosts large groups of female elephants with their babies.

The day will be spent paddling through a maze of small channels before you once again join the Zambezi. This afternoon is your last chance for canoeing. Depending on the water levels and the available time, there may be an opportunity to explore Chikwenya Island on foot. In the afternoon, you will paddle into the Illala Camp.

Main Destination: Mana Pools National Park

Accommodation: Mid-range camping

Inside Mana Pools NP

Meals & Drinks: All meals included

 

Depending on your departure time, or if you are moving on to an alternative camp, an early morning walk before breakfast (or well-deserved sleep in) is possible! You will then go on a short game drive to the airstrip or Nyamepi main camp, where we will bid you farewell! As you depart with your memories, we will take comfort knowing this experience will have enriched your life and touched your soul!

Main Destination: Kariba (Lake Kariba)

Accommodation: No accommodation

End of 4 Days Zimbabwe Canoe Safari