Wilderness Chikwenya

The camp is in a private conservation area on the eastern edge of the park, where the Sapi River meets the Zambezi, with views across the river to the escarpment. Seven tented suites, including two family units with private pools, are spread through a grove of albida trees, and elephants often walk between them. There is a riverside pool, and meals lean on local Zimbabwean ingredients cooked over coals.

Activities include game drives, guided walks, boat cruises on the Zambezi, catch-and-release fishing for tigerfish and birding. The camp runs picnics on Chikwenya Island and long sundowner trips by boat. In the dry season elephants come for the albida pods, sometimes standing on their hind legs to reach them. Three nights works well, and it pairs easily with Hwange and Victoria Falls.

Chikwenya suits families thanks to its two family suites, and first-time visitors to Mana Pools who want a polished river camp. Wilderness lists it as closed from late November to the end of March. Predator sightings are possible but less reliable than elephant viewing, and canoeing is not clearly offered from this camp, so check if that matters to you.