Mana Pools Premium Canoe Safari - 4 Days

(Guided Camping Canoe Safari)

"This exciting canoe safari was the perfect combination of adrenaline and glamping comfort"

Imagine waking up to the gentle sound of the Zambezi River lapping at the shore, the golden light of dawn filtering through the canvas of your comfortable tent. Glamping on the shoreline is where wilderness meets elegance. Your custom-built tent, complete with en-suite facilities, offers a serene retreat after a day of thrilling safari adventures as you canoe on the mighty Zambezi River and explore the most remote reaches of the magical Mana Pools. Dine under the stars with delicious 3 course meals prepared just for you, and unwind with a glass of fine wine as you soak in the breathtaking views of the river and the magnificent beauty that surrounds you.

Canoeing down the mighty Zambezi River in Mana Pools in Zimbabwe, glamping in comfort on the shoreline

Premium Canoe Safaris

Fully backed-up safaris - meaning you can sit back and relax while everything is taken care of.
Minimum of 2 and a maximum of 8 people (special arrangements can be made for larger groups upon request).
Minimum age limit is 14 years - there is no maximum age limit but common sense should be used.
No previous canoeing experience is necessary but you should be reasonably fit and healthy.
No maximum luggage weight, as luggage will be transferred by vehicle from camp to camp.
Enjoy the services of a fully qualified professional guide who as well as guiding you on the Zambezi River, can take you for guided walks or game drives through the National Park.

Daily Routine
You will be awakened early, warm water will be placed in a basin outside your tent, while freshly brewed coffee awaits you on the campfire. You have the opportunity to have something to eat before setting out on safari. There is the option of going for an early morning walk or game drive before breakfast or, for the avid fisher person, there is time to pull out a rod. The safari is tailored to suite you. Camp is set up and taken down by our staff to ensure that you spend as much time as possible doing safari activities or enjoying your surroundings.

Wildlife
Animals seen on the trip usually include elephant, buffalo, impala, waterbuck, hippo, crocodile and plentiful birdlife. Lion, leopard, painted hunting dog etc. are more rarely seen but are certainly in the area. We cannot guarantee plenty of game while on safari, particularly during the green (rainy) season.

Ablutions
Your Safari Camps have no permanent ablution facilities, however camps are served by long drop toilets and, for night-use, all tents have en-suite chemical toilets. You can also revel in a luxurious hot shower underneath the star-studded expanse of the African sky.

Your safari is fully backed up with a team and 4x4 vehicle. The team will take care of all your needs and camp chores. The team will take down your camps, and all equipment and luggage will be transferred to the next campsite and set up ready for your return from your safari activity.

Equipment
All camping equipment is supplied.

Your camp is a true bush camp, but offering a little rustic luxury – there is no electricity or plumbing and there are no permanent structures. It is a taste of the way a safari used to be - a truly authentic, African bush experience. Camps are eco-friendly, designed to be erected and dismantled within hours, leaving no trace on the environment.

You will stay in a custom-built tent to guarantee your comfort: they are spacious walk-in style tents supplied with en-suite toilet facilities for night-use and comfortable beds with fresh linen. Stationary camp tents are mosquito-proof with a mosquito-gauzed roof so you can lie in bed and enjoy the night sky. (All our tents have fly sheets to ensure no one gets wet if it does rain! They also provide shade should one want an afternoon sleep).

Your camp is fully equipped with a mobile kitchen run by an experienced bush cook, bar facilities and a dining area with full waiter service.

Food
All produce is brought in fresh and meals are prepared in camp by one bush cooks. All breads and pastries are freshly baked on the open campfire.

Breakfast may consist of cereals, yoghurt, muffins, biscuits, pancakes, toast and jams. Lunch is usually fresh quiche, lasagne or similar with a varied selection freshly baked bread, salads and cheeses. Dinners are full 3-course meals with various starters, delicious main courses and sumptuous deserts all eaten by candlelight under the stars, accompanied by an imported bottle of wine.

All transfers from Mana Pools' Main Camp - Nyamepi or airstrips. Transfers are in open 4x4 vehicles, please be advised that roads can be dusty and bumpy
All meals - dietary preferences catered for with at least 14 days advance warning
Drinks - Including local beers, spirits, imported wines, minerals, cordials, mineral water, tea and coffee
All canoeing equipment - two-person Canadian-style canoes with American Carlisle paddles
Fully qualified professional canoe guide

Detailed itinerary

After being collected by your guide, you are driven 30km - a leisurely game drive through the spectacular Mana Pools floodplain - to the first night’s campsite. The area has one of the highest concentrations of wildlife in Zimbabwe and the drive is usually very rewarding - enabling your guide to give an overview of the various animals, birds and plants that make up this unique habitat. Vehicles are open Toyota Land Cruisers with good all-round visibility.

On arrival at “Vundu”, the first camp, met by the welcome smiles of our support staff, lunch will be served. Usually consisting of cold meats, a variety of salads and freshly baked breads.

After a refreshing lunch break you will take a short drive to the canoe launch-spot near the confluence of the Ruckomechi and Zambezi Rivers. Here, the guide will give a full safety briefing, pointing out where all equipment - such as the first aid kit - is kept, as well as explaining what to do in an emergency. The briefing also covers the basic techniques of steering and controlling the Canadian-style 5.5m (18 ft) canoes. The group then departs downstream, by canoe, returning to Vundu camp. This first afternoon of paddling is taken at a slow pace, allowing you time to become aquainted with the canoes and methods of steering. You should now begin to see some of the multitude of animals and birds attracted to the water’s edge. Hippo, buffalo, elephant and crocodile, as well as a variety of antelope species, may be seen.

Arrival at camp is around sunset. The camp will be fully prepared and you will be able to sit back and relax with sundowners and snacks – tea and coffee and hot showers are also available. A campfire is already burning and this is invariably where you will gather to discuss the day’s events and plan for the morning. In the background your support staff and resident bush cook are busy preparing a three-course dinner for you.

Stay at:
Vundu

An early wake-up - as 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 are already waiting by the campfire. While you pack up your personal kit, the support staff load the canoes with all required for the day ahead. You need only worry about a small daypack carrying essentials such as sun block, camera, spare film, hat and binoculars.

The aim is to be in the canoes and on the water in time to watch the sunrise. As one of the most magical times of day, you will be enchanted as you drift along quietly, listening to the sounds of the African wild wakening to a new day.

Following paddling for couple of hours, breakfast takes place under a grove of acacia trees. After breakfast, you have the opportunity to set off on a guided walk on the floodplain and surrounding woodlands. This is a great time to try and view predators before they hide-up for the day. You may even be lucky enough to spot one or more of the diurnal animals making their way down to the river. This walk offers an opportunity, not only for game viewing, but also to explore some of the more interesting aspects of the environment, including fascinating facts about strange insects and spiders as well as a wealth of knowledge about this miniature world that forms such an integral part of the bush.

Returning to the canoes, you head downstream to an area renowned for its huge, old elephant bulls. The guide tries to time the trip to catch them swimming or wading out to the grass islands, where the canoes will be able to glide quietly alongside these awesome giants. Their age makes them placid enough that they tend to ignore the canoes.

Lunch break coincides with the heat of the day. The canoes are pulled up below a grove of mahogany trees whose dense shade provides a welcome relief. The meal generally consists of cold meats, freshly prepared salads, pizza or quiche and cheese and biscuits. After eating and drinking their ice-cold drinks, guests have a choice to either take another short walk through the mahogany forest or to just relax and enjoy an afternoon siesta. The late afternoon and evening is spent drifting down to camp and enjoying the game and birding along the river’s edge. Our welcoming support staff are waiting at camp which is reached by sunset. This night’s camp, Chessa, overlooks a small channel, with a large grass plain separating it from the main Zambezi, 500 metres away.

Stay at:
Chessa

This follows the same basic itinerary as day two, with a predawn wake up and sunrise whilst drifting down the Zambezi. However, 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. In fact, the only road is 3 to 5 kilometres in-land - the same one our support team will use. From here on you are entering a much more remote environment.

Breakfast may be taken on the Mbera River floodplain, which comprises stunning acacia woodland with 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 is spent paddling through a maze of small channels before once again joining the main Zambezi. For a change, lunch is on one of the shallow sandbanks in the middle of the river, where a table and chairs are set up in ankle deep water with the whole width of the river stretching out on either side. This afternoon is the last chance for canoeing. Depending on water levels and time allowed, there may be an opportunity to explore Chikwenya Island on foot. This unique island is the largest on this section of the river and is host to prolific bird life as well as a number of interesting mammal species. In the afternoon you will paddle into Illala Camp to spend the last night in rustic luxury.

Stay at:
Illala Camp

Depending on guests departure time, or if guests are moving on to an alternative camp, an early morning walk before breakfast is possible or a well deserved lie in! After which, there will be a short game drive to the airstrip or Nyamepi main camp where we will bid you farewell!

Depending on your travel plans, Travel Africa will help you with your onward arrangements or accommodation. This can include a longer canoe safari and additional nights on safari in the magnificent Mana Pools.

What else can Travel Africa help you with?

Travel Africa specialises in all types of travel in Southern Africa.
Please enjoy looking through our website. Here are some other itineraries you might be interested in.