This safari is one of the most exciting safaris anywhere in Africa. Guests on travel downstream from one end of Mana Pools to the other from West to the East - from Ruckomechi to Chikwenya. At all times the participants are within the national park travelling through superb countryside. The scenery is spectacular as the mountains of the northern escarpment of Africa's Great Rift Valley form the backdrop as you canoe from one camp to the next. The total distance we travel by canoe is just under 60km.

Departures are every Monday or Thursday from May through mid November each year. Each night is spent on the banks of the Zambezi River moving further down stream. The attraction and fun of this safari is that guests have the opportunity to experience wildlife away from vehicles in canoes and on foot, at exceptionally close quarters under the direction of an experienced guide. The canoes used are sturdy Canadian canoes and are paddled by the guests. This is a journey for the adventurous and not for the faint hearted as animal encounters are very close.

There is usually a gentle wind coming into the noses of the canoes from the East and this helps to keep the temperatures down. However the wind does make it critical that people who book onto the Mana Canoe Trail are reasonably agile. We are not expecting anyone to be a tri-athlete, but a reasonable level of agility is required. Do not book onto this safari if you cannot swim! We cannot take anyone over 70 years old. People between 65 and 70 need to have a medical certificate proving that they are able. (If you do not fit into these parameters, but still want to do some canoeing in the Mana Pools area, we recommend you book into Chikwenya Camps where half-day canoeing excursions are offered.)

You will travel down past many pods of hippo - there are approximately 1200 hippos along this stretch of the Zambezi. Crocodiles bask on the banks of the Zambezi - this is not for the faint hearted!