Mana Memories

Mana Pools: The fun of getting there

Getting to Mana pools is not all that easy and the the vehicle that you take has to be capable of actually driving on very hard and dusty roads. The roads in this part of the world are very tough even for the best 4x4. I think that the most important thing that you can take with you is spears for your car so that when, not if, but when you have a problem you have the ability to fix it. Down here in the Zambezi Valley there are not car shops that are going to sell you spear parts and this is very important to remember because if you can't get out of the valley, you could be waiting a very long time for some to come and rescue you. The map below show that the part of the driving is very tough and that it is important to be prepared. The adventure of going to Mana Pools National Park already starts before you get there. The best time of day to travel is early in the morning so that you dont have too travel in the middle of the day when the heat is quite terrible. You have to arrive at the first check in point at Marongora before 3pm because the park offices will not let you go to the main camp site because the raods are so bad and also the park rules state that no vehicle can be on any of the roads after 6pm, it takes 2 hours to reach main camp and so that is way the gates at Marongora will close at 3pm. The good thing is that the parks people will be very helpful and tell you the places that are difficult to access by the roads and the places that are not.

Mana Pools: Wild Dogs

The animals in Mana Pools make up for a lot of the character of the place. Even though there are many larger animals in the National Park, there are also other animals that are not as popular for people coming to visit. Many people want to see Lions or Elephants, the wild dog is one of the most efficient hunters in Africa. Some people think that the wild dog is more successful than Leopards and Lions when it comes to hunting. Wild Dogs hunt in packs and upon catching their prey, they begin to eat them at the site. Lions and Leopards strangle their prey until they are dead, but wild dogs because they are more efficient when it comes to conserving energy and catching prey, they have better stamina then other predators, and so can run and chase their prey until they are tired. They are also very magestic and adapt well to lack of food and water. They have a submission based hierarchy, instead of a dominance based one. Submission and nonaggression is emphasised heavily, even over food they will beg energetically instead of fight. This is likely because of their manner of raising huge litters of dependant pups, so if one individual is injured the entire pack would not be able to provide as much. They bring a very different feel to Mana Pools.

Mana Pools: Roaming River

This is video that could say a thousand words, but that would make it so boring then to look at and watch. I think when you go to a particular place trying to describe it to people afterwards is always hard but how then would people get interested about an area. These are the stories of the people and animals of the place that is, Mana Pools. People have lived in this part of the world for thousands of years and their stories have been lost to the sands of time. Though this is all changing with technology making it easier to see and experience places without even going there, I want to show people from all over the world how beautiful and majestic Mana Pools really is.This is an experimental video of Mana Pools in black and white and i think that this video trys to portray the really beauty of the Lower Zambezi River with all the different aspects. It is not just of the Lower Zambezi but also of other places across Zimbabwe and I hope and pray that this video will open your eyes to the beautiful African Bush that we have and that we should look after it as stewards.This is just a taste of the different short taste of the videos coming soon.