While most visitors to Mana Pools head for the famous Zambezi floodplains, those in the know make a beeline inland to the Chitake River system – and it's here you'll find this raw, unfiltered gem. Perched on a bluff 50 metres above the dry riverbed, Mhara occupies a private concession that was untouched for centuries before the camp opened in 2022. The wildlife action is nothing short of extraordinary: lion prides patrol the sands below, enormous buffalo herds kick up dust clouds as they thunder to the springs, and elephants dig for water mere metres from your tent. It's walking safari country at its finest, with the legendary Chitake Gorge on your doorstep and guides who grew up in this wilderness. Come here for proper bush immersion – the kind that leaves fresh lion tracks outside your tent each morning.
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Built on raised wooden decks beneath a canopy of rain trees, the main area has an open, unfussy feel that lets the landscape do the talking. The lounge flows into a dining space where chef Brighton works magic with fresh bread and local ingredients – and there's an elevated platform for dinner under a ceiling of stars (cameras at the ready for the Milky Way). It's all solar-powered and thoroughly relaxed: the kind of place where sundowners happen wherever the mood takes you, whether that's perched on a cliff edge watching the riverbed come alive or settled by the fire swapping stories with Liam or Derrison about that morning's lion encounter.
The six tented suites are generously spaced along the bluff, each positioned for views down to the Chitake riverbed – and privacy from your neighbours. Large gauze windows mean you can watch the morning unfold from your pillow, and handcrafted wooden doors add a pleasing rustic touch. Inside, expect comfortable twin beds beneath billowing mosquito nets, an en-suite bathroom, and a private veranda with tea and coffee facilities for those pre-dawn wake-ups. Solar-powered fans keep things comfortable, and charging points mean you won't miss a shot. It's simple, well-judged comfort – no frills, but nothing lacking either.
Walking is the beating heart of a Mhara experience. Trek up the Chitake Gorge with its giant tangled boulders gouged out by millennia of floodwaters, follow fresh predator tracks through riverine forest lined with mahogany and sausage trees, or simply stroll the sandy riverbed reading the night's news in the paw prints. Game drives cover the broader concession – expect lions, leopards, wild dogs and buffalo herds numbering in the hundreds – while night drives reveal servals, genets and owls. The dedicated hides are perfect for patient photographers, and birders will be in their element with over 400 species, including rarities like the Narina Trogon and African Pitta.
The floor-level hide where you can sit at eye level with elephants drinking just metres away.
Each morning, check the sandy paths for fresh tracks left by nighttime visitors – lions and elephants regularly wander through camp after dark.
This is remote, proper wilderness – no quick afternoon pop-ins here. You'll need to fly in by charter (around 80 minutes from Harare) or commit to a six-hour drive. But that remoteness is precisely the point.
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A glossy Garden of Eden, famous for canoe trips and boating as well as drives and walking safaris.
