Ruckomechi Camp
Mana Pools National Park
Accommodation
Ruckomechi Camp offers ten spacious tents with large bathrooms and additional outdoor showers. All tents have a small forecourt with chairs and river views. The rooms are open and airy and their many windows offer fantastic panoramic views of passing wildlife.
Five rooms are located either side of the main building, which is accessed via raised wooden platforms and houses a pool, library, lounge, bar and the dining area. An outdoor deck with plenty of cushions and integrated fireplace is the ideal spot for morning coffee or a good story to round off the day.
Location
Mana Pools National Park is situated in Zambezi Valley, North Zimbabwe, on the border with Zambia. The opposite side of the Zambezi is home to the mountains of the Great African Rift Valley and Lower Zambezi National Park. This section of the Zambezi is renowned for its four large lagoons: Main, Chine, Long and Chisambuk. ‘Mana' actually means ‘four' in the local Shona language.
The camp is located on the banks of the Zambezi inside a private concession bordering the actual park. No other vehicles are permitted to drive in this area and as the concession is located just outside the park, night drives are allowed as well.
Ruckomechi Camp can be reached by flying to Harare in Zimbabwe before taking a 1.5-hour light aircraft flight to camp, or in a light aircraft from Victoria Falls (2 hrs). Transfer from Mana West Airstrip to camp takes around 30 minutes.
Wildlife
Mana Pools is renowned for its dense concentration of elephant, buffalo, hippo and crocodile. The winter months are particularly busy, with small and great alike sipping the river water. Such predators as lion, hyena and wild dog are regularly sighted, even cheetah is possible. Leopards are normally only seen after dark.
Please note that rhino, wildebeest and giraffe are not present in the park.
The camp often receives visits from large numbers of elephant, which simply walk right through the main building. Waterbuck and impala munch the grass right in front of the rooms. Hippos grunt in the Zambezi and scour the banks for greenery, and elephants can often be seen from the camp crossing the river.
Activities
The camp offers game drives in an open 4x4 vehicle, boat trips and canoe trips on the Zambezi.
Good to know
Located a little distance away from the riverbank, lovers like to relax in the bathtub sipping champagne and watching the spectacular African sunsets!
