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Mana Pools national park is in northern Zimbabwe. The setting on the banks of the Zambezi is stunning, and there is plenty of wildlife. However Zimbabwe Wildlife Authority do their utmost to spoil the experience with their facilities:
– no hot water
– erratic supply of cold water
– no electricity
– appallingly corrugated approach roads
– poor guides (one of our guided bush walks ended up being a tour of the lodging facilities!! The guide did not want to approach any animals because he had a headache)
– hypocritical attitude of park staff (as an example the staff ask for quiet after dusk so that everyone can enjoy the atmosphere, but then had a party at 1am when some of them returned from a shopping expedition, and sound carries a long long way. The party probably aslo caused the guide’s headache)
– perverse fee structure for western tourists versus South African and domestic, whereby western tourists pay more but receive the lower quality camp sites]

Many people say that the appeal of the Park is the lack of electricity, water etc and to have an authentic bush experience. My argument is that US$40 per night for a camp spot should buy better facilities, and that Zim Parks would be better increasing the entrance fee to reflect the beauty of the Park, but reduce the accommodation fees to reflect current standards.

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