Kanga Camp
Kanga Camp is a comfortable tented camp built overlooking the productive Kanga Pan in the interior region of Mana Pools National Park, about 90 minutes’ drive from the Zambezi River.
Kanga Camp offers a very exclusive experience in the inland wilderness area of Mana Pools, away from the busier Zambezi River shoreline. Walking is good in the area, though game drives are generally less productive than along the shoreline. The real attraction is Kanga Pan, a natural waterhole and pumped pan which attracts a huge amount of wildlife during the dry season. The camp is set right on the edge of the pan, which is the only permanent water source for miles around, and during the dry season the pan receives a steady procession of game, especially in the afternoons and evenings. The camp itself is comfortable and well run, with a friendly and welcoming team, good guiding and genuine bush atmosphere. We highly recommend this camp from August to early November for the waterhole action, and a complement to a stay on the river for an in depth Mana Pools experience.
Rooms
Accommodation is for a maximum of 16 guests is in six comfortable tents which are built onto wooden platforms and set into the tree line around the pan. Each tent has either twin or double beds, a tea and coffee station, luggage rack and a dressing area. The outdoor bathroom is attached to the rear of the tent and comprises a flush toilet, a plumbed shower and basin. Two of the tents are significantly larger and are sold as family or honeymoon tents with a king size bed plus two day beds which can be converted into extra beds, as well as a bathtub in the outdoor bathroom.
Central Areas
The tented main area is raised on split level decking built around the shade of large nyala and jackalberry trees and includes a number of sitting areas, a bar, dining areas (indoor or outdoor with communal dining) and a small plunge pool.
Facilities
Wi-Fi – No
Power for Charging – Yes
Swimming Pool – Yes
Habitat & Wildlife
Mana Pools National Park, a World Heritage Site, is a beautiful wilderness area, in northern Zimbabwe where the floodplains of the mighty Zambezi, wooded with acacia and mahogany trees, stretch out on either side of the river.
During the dry season, the floodplains teem with a wide variety of wildlife and birdlife. Herds of elephant, buffalo, kudu, eland, and waterbuck graze the sweet grasses or browse on the tasty albida pods. Lion and sable rest in the shade of the giant figs. Fringing the floodplains, the thick ‘Jesse’ bush shelters the shy creatures such as leopard, honey badger, nyala and bushbuck. Wild dog roam through the area, and crocodiles bask in the shallows, awaiting their chance of a meal when the animals report to quench their thirst. Hippo are everywhere. During the late season (late August onwards), both white fronted and carmine bee-eaters nest in the banks of the rivers providing a colourful spectacle complete the impressive list of birds to be seen.
Mana Pools is known for its high game concentrations which include a healthy number of elephant, buffalo and lion. Leopard and wild dog are regularly seen, though cheetah, rhino and giraffe are absent.
Activities
Activities at Kanga Pan include game drives, walking safaris and bird watching. Walking is good in the area, though game drives in the area are generally less productive than the core area of the park along the Zambezi shoreline. Full day game drives are possible to take in the Zambezi shoreline area, but most game drives will take place closer to camp. The real attraction here is Kanga Pan, and from August through to early November the pan receives a steady procession of game, and so wildlife viewing from camp is exceptional. By October, the pan becomes almost comically busy with animals sometimes ‘queuing’ for their turn to drink. There is a hide built beneath the central areas, and this frequently replaces the need for activities away from camp. Spending a few hours in the hide, with your guide, gives you the opportunity to sit quietly and observe not only elephant, lion, buffalo and wild dog at close quarters, but also the normally shy species such as leopard, honey badger, civet and porcupine.
Seasons
Kanga Camp is open for from April to early December, though Kanga Pan is most active from August to October.
Children aged 12 years and above are welcome in camp, and two of the tents are large enough to include two extra beds for children. However, walking safaris have a higher age limit of 16 years and with big game all around and through camp, Kanga Camp better suited to families with older children who would enjoy the waterhole experience and game viewing from camp.
Kanga Camp is owned by African Bush Camps who contribute a certain amount per stay in camp to the African Bush Camps Foundation – a non-profit focused on conservation, education, and empowerment in the communities near the company’s camps.
The company has introduced environmentally sound operating practices into camps including low energy and renewable energy technologies, minimising water consumption and implementing sound waste management.
Community projects in Zimbabwe focus on communities around the Hwange and Bumi Hills areas, where African Bush Camps also operate, and in Mana Pools they have established an anti-poaching unit.
