Reviews of safaris to Mana Pools National Park
We have always listened to our travellers, and now you can learn from them also. Below are links to feedback from recent trips - these are their views, not ours! See what they think of us, and about our trips to Africa:
Wiljo
Norfolk
"Zimbabwe/Botswana Sept/Oct 2019"
I visited Botswana and 1 other country between 25 Sep 2019 and 23 Oct 2019
"Spectacular! Feel hugely privileged to have seen and experienced all that we did during our time in these 2 countries.
Variety is the spice of life and every day on the trip brought some new highlight, be it a particular wildlife sighting or interaction, a scenic location or an activity. The trip has re-kindled our addiction for Africa and has only served to convince us to seek more! We would happily return to any of the locations we visited and on each occasion, when it was time to move on, we wished we could linger on at each place - a sure sign of our appreciation.
We are especially indebted to Tracy Lederer for her knowledgeable guidance and patience during the planning and booking process. We acknowledge that we were not the easiest clients to deal with but only because of the need to "get it right" for these once in a lifetime trips and Tracy was spot on with her recommendations and reassurances. It was obvious that her advice was informed by her personal experiences of the various locations.
Logistically, pretty much everything went without hitch. (Even a trekking pole which was left at Muchenje somehow found its way back to us at Maun airport on the way home - don't know how, but Tracy located it and engineered its reunion!!). Appreciating the remote locations reinforces our admiration for the efficiency of your operation, working with the local teams.
We would fully recommend your services and would have no hesitation in approaching you ourselves for future trips in Africa. Till next time..." Read full review: 28 nights in Africa; 16 on a Botswana safari
Variety is the spice of life and every day on the trip brought some new highlight, be it a particular wildlife sighting or interaction, a scenic location or an activity. The trip has re-kindled our addiction for Africa and has only served to convince us to seek more! We would happily return to any of the locations we visited and on each occasion, when it was time to move on, we wished we could linger on at each place - a sure sign of our appreciation.
We are especially indebted to Tracy Lederer for her knowledgeable guidance and patience during the planning and booking process. We acknowledge that we were not the easiest clients to deal with but only because of the need to "get it right" for these once in a lifetime trips and Tracy was spot on with her recommendations and reassurances. It was obvious that her advice was informed by her personal experiences of the various locations.
Logistically, pretty much everything went without hitch. (Even a trekking pole which was left at Muchenje somehow found its way back to us at Maun airport on the way home - don't know how, but Tracy located it and engineered its reunion!!). Appreciating the remote locations reinforces our admiration for the efficiency of your operation, working with the local teams.
We would fully recommend your services and would have no hesitation in approaching you ourselves for future trips in Africa. Till next time..." Read full review: 28 nights in Africa; 16 on a Botswana safari
Overall trip
Excellent
Mrs & Mr J
Birmingham
"Zimbabwe trip"
I visited Zimbabwe between 16 Sep 2019 and 30 Sep 2019
"Everything worked out well. We started with the simplest accommodation and worked our way up as far as comfort and luxury of the camps were concerned.
Only Imvelo camps don't yet use refillable water bottles which you can either take home or return at the end of your stay.
Malcolm Lodge in Harare is also a lovely place to stay and very up to date - they knew about a flight problem we had before we did.
The transfer from Hwange Main Camp to Vic Falls arrived 30 minutes late - he was 'delayed' but we suspect the delay was visiting his home village on the way to collect us, which meant that the 2 guides who had brought us there from Somalisa had and extra wait." Read full review: 14 nights in Africa; 13 on a Zimbabwe safari
Only Imvelo camps don't yet use refillable water bottles which you can either take home or return at the end of your stay.
Malcolm Lodge in Harare is also a lovely place to stay and very up to date - they knew about a flight problem we had before we did.
The transfer from Hwange Main Camp to Vic Falls arrived 30 minutes late - he was 'delayed' but we suspect the delay was visiting his home village on the way to collect us, which meant that the 2 guides who had brought us there from Somalisa had and extra wait." Read full review: 14 nights in Africa; 13 on a Zimbabwe safari
Overall trip
Excellent
Mr & Mrs R
Hants
"Stunning Zimbabwe"
I visited Zimbabwe between 8 Sep 2019 and 22 Sep 2019
"A fantastic 2 week trip.
Hardly another vehicle to be seen whilst on safari, great wildlife sightings, excellent accommodation and superb guides." Read full review: 14 nights in Africa; 12 on a Zimbabwe safari
Hardly another vehicle to be seen whilst on safari, great wildlife sightings, excellent accommodation and superb guides." Read full review: 14 nights in Africa; 12 on a Zimbabwe safari
Overall trip
Excellent
B family
Surrey
"My Sep 2019 trip"
I visited Zimbabwe between 6 Sep 2019 and 22 Sep 2019
"It was an excellent trip. We were more interested in behaviours and walking than in counting animals, so sorry for not filling in those details.
Amalinda promised a lot, but fell short on delivery. Verneys has too many elephants fighting for not much water, but the camp design and massive family tents were impressive.
Vundu is a class act with beautiful surroundings and a very well run camp." Read full review: 16 nights in Africa; 13 on a Zimbabwe safari
Amalinda promised a lot, but fell short on delivery. Verneys has too many elephants fighting for not much water, but the camp design and massive family tents were impressive.
Vundu is a class act with beautiful surroundings and a very well run camp." Read full review: 16 nights in Africa; 13 on a Zimbabwe safari
Overall trip
Excellent
Mr & Mrs E
Croydon
"August trip to Zimbabwe"
I visited Zimbabwe between 26 Aug 2019 and 7 Sep 2019
"Excellent, with well chosen accommodation and locations which met our needs and expectations perfectly. The trip was very well organised by the team at Expert Africa and we continue to sing your praises after several safaris arranged by you over the last few years."
Read full review: 12 nights in Africa; 10 on a Zimbabwe safari
Overall trip
Excellent
Mr & Mrs G
Dartmouth
"Zam Zim and RSA 2019"
I visited Zambia and 2 other countries between 25 Aug 2019 and 12 Sep 2019
"Overall we enjoyed our holiday, especially the "off piste" section we organised in the Cape before returning via JNB.
Less game and far less variety than we expected. Dissappointed to find night drives not allowed in Zimbabwe. Expert Africa should provide more details of the flight operators for the bush flights and there needs to be tighter communication when informing guests and checking their documents and itineraries." Read full review: 18 nights in Africa; 6 on a Zambia safari
Less game and far less variety than we expected. Dissappointed to find night drives not allowed in Zimbabwe. Expert Africa should provide more details of the flight operators for the bush flights and there needs to be tighter communication when informing guests and checking their documents and itineraries." Read full review: 18 nights in Africa; 6 on a Zambia safari
Overall trip
Good
Mrs B
Oxon
"My June 2019 Trip to Zimbabwe"
I visited Zimbabwe between 26 Jun 2019 and 11 Jul 2019
"Really great trip, memorable for all the right reasons. My second time to Zimbabwe and would go on the same itinerary again."
Read full review: 15 nights in Africa; 13 on a Zimbabwe safari
Overall trip
Excellent
Mr & Mrs J
Oxforshire
"My Jun 2019 trip"
I visited Zimbabwe between 26 Jun 2019 and 11 Jul 2019
"We both really enjoyed our holiday, didn't quite know what to expect.
We were pleasantly surprised especially with the food & accommodation. Would thoroughly recommend to family and friends.
Suggestions to help us improve our trips or our service:
Overall advice was good, information paperwork helpful re clothing and vaccines to be considered and researched." Read full review: 15 nights in Africa; 13 on a Zimbabwe safari
We were pleasantly surprised especially with the food & accommodation. Would thoroughly recommend to family and friends.
Suggestions to help us improve our trips or our service:
Overall advice was good, information paperwork helpful re clothing and vaccines to be considered and researched." Read full review: 15 nights in Africa; 13 on a Zimbabwe safari
Overall trip
Excellent
Andy & Karen
Malvern
"Flavour of Zimbabwe"
I visited Zimbabwe between 24 Jun 2019 and 5 Jul 2019
"As Zimbabwe emerges from recent troubles we wanted to visit three of its classic locations of Matopo, Hwange and Mana Pools. We were particularly hopeful of seeing Painted Dog, although sadly this was not to be.
Matopo has some fabulous scenery, history and was a place to track rhino on foot - tick to all three. Rhino with calf was a highlight. It also gave us our best ever sighting of Elephant Shrew at Rhodes Grave! The National Park, however, has little game and incursions from cattle and humans are common. Locals roam the whole park on foot cutting grass for sale. It is still worth a visit and arguable needs more visitors to recover, so I’d still include it if you can.
Hwange with its pumped water holes and huge elephant population delivered more classic sightings, and a pride of lions with 6 cubs provided entertainment on all our game drives. Good antelope including Sable and Roan with huge buffalo herd of 500 plus were also a highlight. The open areas and mixed forest gave good variety to habitats.
Mana Pools was in drought in June so maybe not at its best. We were surprised at the number of self drivers and campers, some of whom are clearly not controlled effectively by the NP staff (much to the frustration of guides). No off road but you can off walk so great encounter with lions on a kill on foot was the highlight. If this is the jewel in the crown for Zimbabwe then it’s a little disappointing - at times it felt like a safari park - particularly as the unique environment offers so much.
Versus other neighbouring safari destinations, Zimbabwe still has some catching up to do if it is to return to its previous premier ranking. The amazing teams at African Bush Camps certainly warrant a visit." Read full review: 11 nights in Africa; 9 on a Zimbabwe safari
Matopo has some fabulous scenery, history and was a place to track rhino on foot - tick to all three. Rhino with calf was a highlight. It also gave us our best ever sighting of Elephant Shrew at Rhodes Grave! The National Park, however, has little game and incursions from cattle and humans are common. Locals roam the whole park on foot cutting grass for sale. It is still worth a visit and arguable needs more visitors to recover, so I’d still include it if you can.
Hwange with its pumped water holes and huge elephant population delivered more classic sightings, and a pride of lions with 6 cubs provided entertainment on all our game drives. Good antelope including Sable and Roan with huge buffalo herd of 500 plus were also a highlight. The open areas and mixed forest gave good variety to habitats.
Mana Pools was in drought in June so maybe not at its best. We were surprised at the number of self drivers and campers, some of whom are clearly not controlled effectively by the NP staff (much to the frustration of guides). No off road but you can off walk so great encounter with lions on a kill on foot was the highlight. If this is the jewel in the crown for Zimbabwe then it’s a little disappointing - at times it felt like a safari park - particularly as the unique environment offers so much.
Versus other neighbouring safari destinations, Zimbabwe still has some catching up to do if it is to return to its previous premier ranking. The amazing teams at African Bush Camps certainly warrant a visit." Read full review: 11 nights in Africa; 9 on a Zimbabwe safari
Overall trip
Good
Mr & Mrs L
Hinckley
"Victoria Falls, Hwange and Mana Pools"
I visited Zimbabwe between 13 Jun 2019 and 25 Jun 2019
"I suspect that if we had not had many years experience of safaris, I would have been (Very Satisfied). However, although there were several truly wonderful times, overall, the game viewing was "average" for much of the time .... long hours driving seeing not a great deal. Whether this was due to the time of year/local climate/bad luck ... who knows. This said, the guides were excellent, the camps comfortable and we were lucky to have a vehicle to ourselves for much of the time. Victoria Falls was lovely and as dramatic as expected."
Read full review: 12 nights in Africa; 10 on a Zimbabwe safari
Overall trip
Good
95
reviews of Mana Pools by travellers since August 2007
Overall rating by our travellers
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Where to stay in Mana Pools
Our suggestions for safari camps in Mana Pools National Park