Mana Pools National Park

Tourist facilities include lodges, a communal campsite with ablution facilities and exclusive campsites.

Lodges

There are five lodges in the Park all located along banks of the Zambezi River.

(1)    The two large lodges (Muchichiri and Musangu) have eight beds each, a bathroom and shower with hot and cold running water; two toilets and a fully kitted kitchen with stove and deep-freeze and all utensils such as cutlery, crockery and cooking utensils and bedding are supplied. A large dining room and lounge and an outside braai area with seating has views over the river where visitors can watch the wildlife coming down to drink, or watch the sun setting over the Zambezi River.

(2)    There are also three four-bedded thatched lodges, all under thatch. Each lodge has two bedrooms with two beds in each, a shower and toilet and seating areas outside near the Zambezi River. The kitchen is supplied with a deep-freezer, cooker, crockery and cutlery and other cooking implements and bedding are supplied. All the lodges are now somewhat tired and overdue for a refurbishment.

Camping Site

There is one large communal campsite at the Nyamepi Camp camping area near the National Park reception office. Visitors need to bring their own camping equipment, bedding, and crockery, cutlery and cooking utensils.  The ablution blocks nearby have been refurbished and have hot and cold running water, flush toilets and laundry basins. Visitors can buy firewood at the reception office, and each campsite has a braai area. This camping ground has 30 sites.

Exclusive Campsites

These exclusive campsites situated along the Zambezi River are for visitors who seek solitude and want to truly experience the wildness and challenges of the bush. There is a braai stand at each site and a rudimentary toilet. Water is collected from the river, or the reception office. Visitors to these sites need to be fully self-equipped and each campsite is only allowed two vehicles and twelve persons per stay.

(1)    Mucheni is eight Kilometres west of Nyamepi and has four secluded camp sites

(2)    Nkupe is just over one kilometre east of Nymepi and has one camp site

(3)    Ndungu is Just east of the car park area and has two campsites

(4)    Gwaya is a short distance upstream from the lodges and has one campsite, with cold-water shower, flush toilet, a basin and a braai stand.

Wild Exclusive Camp Sites

There are two completely wild camping sites located in the southern sector of the National Park, close to Chitake Spring, near the foothills of the Zambezi Escarpment. The check-in point for these camps is at Nyakasikana Gate. Both campsites are without any facilities and are accessible only with 4WD vehicles.

(1)    Chitake Camp 1 (Nzou) - located 150 metres downstream from the Chitake River crossing under a large Natal Mahogany.

(2)    Chitake Camp 2 (Shumba) - Situated on a small hill about one kilometre from the spring near a cluster of baobab trees with a magnificent views in all directions. 

 

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