Mana Pools Light & Dust Photo Tour

We journey to Mana Pools in Zimbabwe, a place renowned not just for its wildlife but for its atmosphere. Here, elephants have developed the remarkable behaviour of standing upright on their hind legs to reach the high fruit of albida trees, a sight found nowhere else in Africa. July marks the denning season for wild dogs, with pups beginning to emerge by August, offering rare opportunities to observe intimate pack life.

The light and dust of Mana Pools create painterly scenes that photographers dream of – golden dawns, shafts of light through albida forests, and haze kicked up by elephants and buffalo. Walking here brings us eye-to-eye with wildlife in a way few places allow, while the vast Zambezi floodplain and forested riverbanks provide a stage for evocative, atmospheric imagery that perfectly complements the drama of the Mara.

Itinerary

Day ONE

Arrival in Harare. You will be met at the airport and transferred to your hotel. We overnight, ready for our flight the next morning to Mana Pools.

Days TWo to Seven

We spend days focused on a mix of safaris by vehicle and with the option of going on foot or by canoe when needed. We track iconic Mana elephants on foot that stand on their hind legs to feed on albida pods and spend afternoons driving along the river channels, photographing hippo pods and Carmine Bee-eaters in golden light, as well as looks for wild dogs.

We will split our time between photographing elephants and wildlife in the albida forests as well as visiting known wild dog den sites. If fortunate, we will photograph adults returning from hunts, regurgitating food for pups, and watching the pups playing near the den – ideally backlit in light and dust!

The focus of our photography will be evocative and atmospheric shots – at sunrise and sunset when dust hangs in the light and elephants move ghostlike through the forest, framed in shafts of light and dust.

Day Seven

On our final morning we transfer back to Harare by light aircraft for onward connection to Nairobi and international departure.

PRICE

We usually add this tour to the beginning or end of the Maasai Mara Great Migration Tour. Please contact us for more information and to talk through options.

What is included in the tour cost:

• All internal flights and transfers, including from Nairobi to Harare
• All inclusive accommodation and meals
• Expert wildlife driver and guide
• All community and park permits

Not included in the tour cost:

• International flights to Nairobi
• Kenya and Zimbabwe visas
• Personal travel and health insurance

GALLERY

A selection of images and moments captured on this tour. Please click to enlarge the image.