Being somewhat located off the main routes, Mana Pools National Park is one of the slightly less-visited national parks in the country. Its extravagant beauty of nature was awarded as a World Heritage Site in 1984 by UNESCO and was the first one in Zimbabwe to get the designation.

It is a 2196 sq km area with lush floodplains, tall canopy of ebony and mahogany trees, beautiful view of the mountains of the Rift Valley escarpment with the mighty Zambezi river running along the northern boundary of the park.

The vibrant greenery surrounds four ('Mana' means four in Shona) lakes left behind by the river's old path of flow, owing to which the wildlife here is extensive. On the opposite bank of the Zambezi is the Lower Zambezi National Park in Zambia, to which the wildlife here has no problems swimming across to. During rains the wildlife moves further into the bush where there are smaller seasonal water bodies and during the dry season comes back to the Zambezi river.

Mana Pools is known for its walking and canoe safaris. The remoteness of the park has left is largely unspoilt and its fair inaccessibility has preserved its wilderness. The area is known for its large elephant and buffalo herds and game like kudu, impala, zebra and other antelope. There are predators like lion, leopard and it is one of the few places to see wild dog. There are scores of hippos and crocodiles in the water and large variety of beautiful birds including many fish eagles, water birds and red-necked falcon.

The June to October dry season is the best time to be on a safari as a majority of the animals converge on the water bodies. The Nov-May season is a great time to see the beautiful bush, with a variety of wild flowers and baby animals. The foliage becomes dense and hence it is exciting to try and spot wildlife.