Travel reviews by Mr & Mrs H from Northwood

This is really interesting feedback.

Mana Pools National Park borders onto several hunting areas, all of which have buffer zones of no hunting around their borders. So we don’t think that Kanga’s game is significantly affected by this.

Investigating the game sightings on this trip more closely, these travellers were unlucky to miss a male lion drinking at the water in front of camp as they showered in the evening. Their first full day was spent on a full-day trip to the game-rich Mana riverfront area (including the exciting hippo fight!).

They all spent their second day in the camp’s area. The game drives didn’t produce any great sightings, but there were elephant in camp, followed by four leopards (a female and her three sub-adults) coming down to the pan in front of camp to drink.

Later, at about 22.30, there was a lot of noise as a pack of wild dog killed an impala. Apparently some guests saw this – but it was pretty dark. We understand that the dogs were first chased off the kill by elephant, then they returned, and eventually a hyena stole the leftovers.

The third day was again spent on an all-day drive to the riverfront, whilst lionesses appeared at the camp’s waterhole as they were finishing dining.

Their final day was spent in the Kanga area – and whilst the game drives were largely unproductive, several guests at camp saw a young leopard and the group of elephants which visiting the waterhole near the deck.

Thinking about this detailed report, and other travellers’ recent experience of Kanga Camp … we think that, during the dry season (and especially the latter parts of this), the game in this area is very good. Specifically, there are plenty of animals around the Kanga area, including all the resident big predators – as these are all drawn to the waterhole which is right in front of camp. Thus sitting on Kanga’s deck can be a great place to spot game.

However, much of the bush around the camp is thick. Hence relatively short game drives (ones which go in the morning, or afternoon, for just a few hours) tend to be unproductive, and see relatively little game.

Because of this, we’d recommend that travellers do what these travellers did: take a number of whole-day trips to the Mana Riverfront area. Then perhaps intersperse these whole-days out with the odd day of relaxation in the camp, reading a book or chilling, whilst seeing what comes to the pan to drink.