Zambezi on my journey to Mana Pools

I have added more value to my trips to Mana Pools National Park by going out on the water on the might Zambezi. I tested the setup this year and I must say the Zambezi delivered.

The Zambezi is the fourth longest river in Africa. It starts in the Mwinilunga District in northern Zambia and flows through six countries on the way to the Indian Ocean. You will find two bigger hydro-electric plants on its way and the one at Lake Kariba is sadly not good for Mana Pools.

Mana Pools need flooding to survive

The reason is that the Albida forest of Mana Pools need flooding to survive. It is simply the seeds that need it to start to germinate. That is why there is a movement that want a controlled flooding each year to keep the wilderness of Mana Pools as it is. If not, the area will change dramatically over the next decades when the old Albida forest disappear and is replaced by different trees. I hope they push this project forward, but sadly I also see talk about new lodges which could hinder this. Flooding and lodges seems like a bad combo as the lodge owners certainly don’t want water reaching the lodge. You also need to understand that it is the Albida seeds that make Mana Pools special as the animals there thrive on them. If the forest disappear so might the animals.

Photography on the Zambezi

We went out onto the Zambezi three times and I will use the same setup next year. The first time on the Zambezi was also the start of the photo workshop. A small boat was used giving us a nice angle to photo from. Those that normally read my blog know that I like the opportunities that present itself from the water. I feel that you often can get up-close to animals that would have run off if you approached from land.

In particular birds seem to be more relaxed and we had the pleasure to be able to work with two types of Bee-eaters. Both the colorful Southern Carmine Bee-eater and the White-fronted Bee-eater. We also had good opportunities to work with the water-loving Hippopotamus and the Nile Crocodile. They are both formidable and one of the reasons you should stay out of the water.

Please enjoy this small photo gallery from Zambezi.