Mana Pools ZimParks accommodation for self-drivers, ZimbabweMap 1 - Lodges (Chalets)
ZimParks accommodation includes campsites, chalets which called lodges and a tented camp. There are two special lodges with 8 beds: Mutsangu and Muchichiri, three standard lodges with 4 beds: Nyati, Hippo and Mubvee (here as Musango). Tented camp Elephant Creek located between Goliath Safaris and Gwaya Camp (Gwaya is a campsite)
There are the official tariffs of ZimPark accommodations for 2023 in USD
https://www.zimparks.org.zw/parks-rates.html :
All exclusive campsites have an incredible view. All campsites are unfenced. Exclusive campsites don’t have any ablutions and you need to dig a hole for your needs. The main Mana Pools campsite is Nyamepi:
We have never stayed in Nyamepi but guests were satisfied with ablutions, hot water was always available. There is a lot of shade and nice views. This campsite is known by its nightlife: lions, buffalo and other game go through the camp on a daily basis.
The lodges are actually the houses with a tethered roof. Two big lodges Mutsangu and Muchichiri have ground and first floor, a kitchen, a hall or a living room, a bathroom and two closets and a shower outside. There are two bedrooms, and you can also sleep on the first floor in the open terrace under the net. The lodges are away from each other, have a lot of privacy and animals are frequent guests there. The lodges have a fireplace and grill place.
The three smaller lodges are Nyati, Hippo and Mubvee. They have two bedrooms with two beds in each, a kitchen, and a bathroom. Nyati and Hippo lodges have a living room with a table with seats, chairs, couch with couch table. There is a voltaic power-supply where you can charge your batteries.
The kitchen has kitchen utensils, pots and pans, a gas-stove and gas-freezer. The hot water is supplied by donkeys. Each day a housekeeper makes cleaning and prepares hot water.
We were staying for 5 nights in Nyati and for two weeks in Mubvee. The animals come very close to guests. However, the monkeys are very cheeky and can come inside and steal your food so, you need to keep all doors closed all the time.
There are nets on windows and additionally over the beds. In the kitchen and in the bathroom you can find frogs and geckos ->
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But they are working there![/]
I was witnessed a kill several times. So, there are no mosquitos in these accommodation units. Please, be nice to frogs and geckos. Don't harass them or put them away.
Nyati Lodge:
Frog at work:
Mubwee:
Muchichiri from the boat:
What I liked when staying in lodges: • The possibility to charge the batteries
• Th perfect privacy with the own kitchen, fireplace and sitting area. Solitude close to nature.
• The location on the river banks with big trees, shade and roaming animals
Disadvantages:The chalets are old. I assume they were built in 1980th or before and they were not really renovated or repaired. Something was always not working properly. The walls and some furniture pieces are old and don’t look good. A mirror is missing in some chalets. You can see water tracks on bathroom walls. Some of you maybe will not like it. But the important things were working, and stuff struggled to help. If you are used to live in luxury, then it is not for you.
The walls of chalets can heat up during the hot months and it can be very hot inside.
Elephant Creek Tented CampTent Number 1:
This camp is situated between Goliath Safaris camp and exclusive Gwaya campsite. It consists of five units. Each of them has a Meru tent with en-suite bathroom and a separate kitchen unit made of bricks.
The tents are spacious. They are actually standard tents you can see in the middle-budget safari camps. Each tent is on a paved platform with a wooden bank in front of it. There is a double bed, a place for cloth, a shower, and a flash toilet inside. The hot water comes from vessel which is heated by sun and mounted on the kitchen roof or just staying separate. There is a carpet on the floor.
The kitchen has kitchen utensils, pots and pans, a gas-stove, gas-freezer and a table. Earlier there were also chairs but they were probably broken. During our last visit we bought two plastic chairs in Karoi. The floor is made of tales and was nicely cooling. There is also a fire- and a grill place in front of each unit.
The housekeeper comes each day to clean the tent and the kitchen. They wash dishes as well.
We spent 3 weeks there in 2019 and 2022 and two weeks in 2023 staying in different units. Number one has an incredible view but less shade. Number four has a lot of shade und number five has enough shade and is the last one where river banks are not steep and animals coming to drink more often.
There are a lot of resident animals lie hippos, bee-eaters and other birds. Waterbuck, monkeys, baboons, impalas and hyenas come very often. In the night a leopard, a civet, a genet, and a lion come.
Tent Number 1 at night:
Tent Number 4:
Tent number 4 from behind:
Tent Number 5:
and shower:
The kitchen:
The view from the tents:
What I like in Elephant Creek:The units have nice location, close to nature and animals.
The privacy and solitude. Although the units are closer to each other than lodges there were seldom other guests in the camp.
The kitchen is great, we love to sit there during the day breaks, copying the pictures to notebooks, eating, drinking, and lying on the cooling floor.
What I didn’t likeThe same as for lodges - the maintenance is necessary. Don’t expect that everything will be working. You need to be prepared to solve some problems like very slow fire in the stove or slow hot water in the shower or something else. But the stuff is always trying to help.
There is no power (no solar cell) and you need to bring your own or charge from the car.
I'd like to add just the last note. The accommodation is perhaps not perfect, that's true. But each place is very private and the rates cannot be compared with more expensive lodges and camps. So, if you are frequent Africa-traveller and you do self-driving, if you have been to Africa several times and know how to find the animals or you have your own guide and if you like to stay longer in Mana Pools then it can be for you. And yes, if you are not used to luxury and prepared to solve some problems, prepared to adventures.
Vielleicht sieht man mein Trip Report in safariTalk:
https://www.safaritalk.net/topic/22743-mana-pools-as-a-photographic-destination-trips-2022-and-2023Und da sind noch zwei Videos die ich dort gemacht habe.
in 2022:
https://youtu.be/fUwWO85Dyround in 2023:
https://youtu.be/zQArU4pzYYMlg Elena
NadjasThemenstarter131 Beiträge · seit 200930. Mai 2024 · 
