Standard Zambia or Zimbabwe  Canoe Safaris Trails are 3 nights, with a half-day on either side. 

The Safaris commence each week on Fridays and Mondays. To be able to canoe on the first day, guests are required to arrive into Mana airstrip no later than 1130am. 

 Commercial flights do not always fit in with these timings and guests may choose to stay overnight in Kariba, or at one of the safari camps in Mana Pools itself. 

 Most of our guests fly into Mana Pools airstrip from Kariba however they can alternatively charter direct into Mana Pools from any destination in Zimbabwe.

The remainder drive themselves into Mana Pools where they leave their vehicles at the Warden’s Office for the duration of the safari.

All guests are met by their guide at the Mana Pools airstrip, or if driving in, at the Warden’s Office. Those who have stayed overnight at a Mana Pools camp can arrange to be picked up from their camp.

A fully licensed-armed professional guide, who is permitted to conduct canoeing and walking safaris, leads each safari.  The Department of National Parks and the Zimbabwe Hunters and Guides Association monitor all guides and set rigorous exams in order for a guide to become licensed.  We are  co-owned and operated by one of Zimbabwe’s most experienced and respected guides.

The following information is a generalised itinerary and can change at the guide’s discretion, due to animal movements and/or river conditions, so as to optimise the safari experience.

DAY ONE

After being collected by your guide you are driven to the first nights camp, a distance of approximately 30km.  This is a leisurely game drive through the spectacular Mana Pools floodplain.  The vehicles are open Toyota Land Cruisers with tiered seats and good all round views.  This area has some of the highest concentrations of wildlife in Zimbabwe and the drive through is usually very productive, enabling your guide to give you an overview of the various animals, birds and plants that make up this unique floodplain habitat. 

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

After a refreshing lunch break you will be taken on a short drive to our launch spot near the confluence of the Ruckomechi and Zambezi Rivers.

While the support staff prepare the canoes, your guide gives a full safety briefing, this includes pointing out where all the equipment is kept, such as radio and first aid kits, as well as explaining what to do in the case of an emergency.  He will also run through the basic ideas of steering and controlling the Canadian style 18 ft canoes. 

After the briefing, we depart in the canoes to Vundu your first nights camp.  This is a slow paddle giving you time to get used to the canoes and the different steering techniques.  You should also start to see some of the multitude of animals and birds that are attracted to the water’s edge.  Hippo, buffalo, elephant and crocodile as well as a variety of antelope species may be seen.

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

DAY TWO

You are awoken, on this your first morning, just as the dawn breaks.  Hot water is placed in raised basins outside each tent, while tea, coffee, muffins or home made biscuits are already waiting by the campfire.  While everyone gets their personal kit together the support staff load the canoes with everything that will be needed for the day.  Guests need only worry about a small daypack carrying the essentials such as sunblock, camera and spare film, hat and binoculars. A large dry bag per canoe is provided.

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

You paddle for a further one or two hours before stopping the canoes to breakfast under a grove of acacia trees.  After breakfast you will be taken on a walk into the floodplains and surrounding woodlands.  This is a great time to try and catch some of the 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 a chance for you to explore some of the smaller more interesting aspects of the environment.  You will spot a variety of animal spoors, and may even find yourselves engrossed in tracking down a particular species.  You will be fascinated by strange insects and spiders as your guides share a wealth of knowledge about this miniature world that forms such an integral part of the bush.  You will listen to the sound of the many brightly coloured birds and marvel at the beauty and tranquillity of this unique area.

Returning to the canoes you head downstream to an area renowned for its huge, old elephant bulls.  We try to time our trip to catch them swimming or wading out to the grass islands, where you will be able to glide quietly alongside these awesome giants.  Their age makes them so placid they tend to ignore us, probably realising that we are no threat.

Our break for lunch coincides with the heat of the day.  To find an escape we pull up our canoes below a grove of mahogany trees whose dense shade provides a welcome relief.  The campstools, tables and lunch are all offloaded from the canoes. Lunch consists of cold meats, freshly prepared salads, pizza or quiche and cheese and biscuits.  After we’ve eaten and refreshed ourselves with ice cold drinks you 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 on the river’s edge.  Once again we reach the camp at sunset where we arrive to the smiling faces of our support team.

This night’s camp Chessa overlooks a small channel, with a large grass plain separating us from the main Zambezi, 500 meters away.  Frequently the plain hosts buffalo, waterbuck, elephant and hippo in the evenings.

DAY THREE

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 you 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 km in-land and is the one that our support team will use.  From here on it is a much more remote environment with very few people.

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.

Today you will paddle through a maze of small channels before once again joining the main Zambezi River   For a change lunch is on one of the shallow sandbanks in the middle of the river, where we set up table and chairs in ankle deep water with the whole width of the river stretching out on either side of us. This afternoon is your last of canoeing. There may be time (depending on water levels)  to explore on foot Chikwenya Island, a unique Island which is the largest island on this section of the Zambezi river and host to a prolific bird population and a number of interesting mammals species.  In the afternoon you will paddle into Illala camp to spend your last night.

DAY FOUR

On this last morning you have the choice of getting up a little later if you prefer or you can choose to take a last early morning walk before returning to the camp for breakfast.

Sadly, it is then time to bid farewell to you all. If flying out, you will be driven to the Chikwenya airstrip close by, or if you drove in, back to the Mana Pools Warden’s Office.  Arrangements can also be made to drop you off at any other safari camp within Mana Pools if you are booked to continue your safari there.

Our  philosophy is to provide our guests with a real bush experience with among the best and most experienced guides, utilising the least populated areas to avoid clashing with other groups. We believe that Canoeing Trails, combined with the ability to do walks, offer our guests the chance to be a part of this incredible environment.  We would prefer not to be sold as a game-viewing trip but as a trip where our guests interact with nature. Canoeing and walking is not standing on the outside being a spectator, it is being on the inside and taking part in what is happening around us.

The camps are fully mobile and are moved ahead of us each day.  This creates a true wilderness and camping feel, however great emphasis has been put on making everything as comfortable as possible. The tents are fairly large with enough room to walk around in; they have large gauze windows in the two sides and the front, and have gauze skylights in the roof.  At the rear is an en-suite chemical toilet.  Beds are comfortable camp beds with mattresses, sheets and duvets.  There are also short drop bush toilets off-suite and bush showers with hot water heated over a wood fire. The lighting is traditional hurricane lamps as there is no electricity in any of the camps.

We re-supply with fresh foods each week from Harare and all food is prepared fresh from this supply by our resident chef on each trip.  Our food is fresh, wholesome, healthy and in plentiful supply.  Our menus are created to have no repeated meals for the duration of a guest’s stay with us.  We will cater for specific needs such as vegetarian, vegan, gluten free etc, as long as we have ample advance warning. We supply soft drinks (soda’s), filtered water, cordials, local beers, spirits and wines.  If someone has a specific favourite, then they are welcome to bring it along.  Alternatively we can provide imported spirits and wines at an additional cost to yourselves, but will require ample notice to procure it for your safari.

The Department of National Parks and Wildlife Management and the Zimbabwe Professional Hunters and Guides Association licenses all our guides. They have all undergone extensive training and have several years’ experience behind them.  Heavy calibre weapons, VHF handheld radios and extensive medic’s packs are carried at all times. The VHF radio has 24-hour access to MARS and daily contact with our base camp. We are in constant contact with our office in Harare.

All our guests are covered by Medical Air Rescue Service (MARS) and our guides are all advanced first aid trained with MARS

NOTES

This is a generalised itinerary and as such, all timings are dependent upon arrival and departure of charter aircraft, fitness levels and the wishes and interests of clients, as well as weather and game viewing conditions.

Overnight campsites and routes described in this itinerary may vary due to river levels, accessibility and National Parks’ instruction.

This is a leisurely canoe trail and not a marathon, enabling all people who are moderately fit and over 14 years of age to take part.  We have planned our days to have ample time to explore on foot as well as by canoe without having to worry about making the distance to our next camp.

All dietary preferences must be sent to us well in advance.

Guests are asked to be in Mana no later than 1130am on the first day.  Anyone arriving after this time cannot be guaranteed of canoeing on the first day.

These trips only run between 15 April and 15 November.

PERSONAL ITEMS TO BRING

• Large hat and high factor sunscreen
• Long sleeved shirts and a sarong are useful for the hotter months (May, late September, October and November)
• A well-worn pair of sneakers or lightweight boots for the walks and a pair of sandals are useful for in the canoes.
• One set of binoculars for each person will enhance your appreciation of the wildlife.  Cameras with a lens of at least 300mm are also recommended.  A plentiful supply of 100 to 400 ASA film.
• Video batteries can only be recharged if a 12-volt cigarette lighter charger is brought along.  A monopod is also useful.
• A torch or flashlight with spare batteries.
• Fishing equipment if you would like to fish. Bait can be organised if advance warning is given.
• Malarial medication.  It is best to consult your doctor before your trip.
• Ample supply of any medication you are on for the entire duration of the time you will be away from home. Those people with severe allergies should bring their own medication.