Mana Pools National Park, Sapi and Chewore Safari Areas

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Mana Pools National Park, Sapi and Chewore Safari Areas: A Wildlife Haven in Zimbabwe

The Mana Pools National Park, Sapi and Chewore Safari Areas, located in northern Zimbabwe, form a vast wildlife conservation area that spans approximately 219,600 hectares (543,000 acres). This region, nestled along the banks of the mighty Zambezi River, is a testament to the rich biodiversity and scenic beauty that Africa has to offer. Inscribed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1984, this protected area is renowned for its remarkable concentration of diverse wildlife species and breathtaking landscapes.

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UNESCO Description of the World Heritage Site

On the banks of the Zambezi, great cliffs overhang the river and the floodplains. The area is home to a remarkable concentration of wild animals, including elephants, buffalo, leopards and cheetahs. An important concentration of Nile crocodiles is also be found in the area.

UNESCO Justification of the World Heritage Site

Criterion (vii): The annual congregation of animals in riparian parkland alongside the broad Zambezi constitutes one Africa's outstanding wildlife spectacles.

Criterion (ix): The 'sand-bank' environment constitutes a good example of erosion and deposition by a large seasonal river (despite changes in river flow due to the Kariba Dam). There is a clear pattern of vegetation succession on the alluvial deposits. Seasonal movements of large mammals within the valley are of great ecological interest both because of interspecies and intraspecies differences.

Criterion (x): At time of inscription the justification for this criterion was that the area is one of the most important refuges for black rhino in Africa as well as a number of other species considered threatened at that time. Today, the black rhino has now disappeared from the reserve although the property still contains important populations of threatened species including elephant and hippopotamus, as well as other threatened species such as lion, cheetah and wild dog. Leopard and brown hyena, classified as near threatened, and a large population of Nile crocodile, are also protected within the property. The area is also considered an important refuge for a number of plants and birds.

Encyclopedia Record: Mana Pools National Park

Mana Pools National Park is a 219,600-hectare (543,000-acre) wildlife conservation area and national park in northern Zimbabwe. It is a region of the lower Zambezi in Zimbabwe where the floodplain turns into a broad expanse of lakes after each rainy season. As the lakes gradually dry up and recede, the region attracts many large animals in search of water, making it one of Africa's most renowned game-viewing regions.

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IUCN World Heritage Outlook

The 2025 Conservation Outlook on Mana Pools National Park, Sapi and Chewore Safari Areas reports the following assessment:

Source: International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) · View assessment