Our visas extended and our worm-fishing urge satisfied, we leave Lake Kariba and drive the winding mountain road to Mana Pools National Park. We debated this venture, the park isn’t cheap but so many Zimbabweans insisted we visit it, how could we not? The park is legendary, portions of it being right on the Zambezi River and other areas being deep in the mopane forest far from anywhere. Animals abound and people have become prey here; lions killed a tourist walking to the camp shower not so long ago. I don’t need a shower, thank you. Even if I do.

The Chitake Springs camps are the least accessible and we have booked Chitake 3 for two nights. Finding campsite #3 proves somewhat difficult. There are no signs pointing to it or announcing it when you arrive. We use GPS and determine that, yes, #3 really is this bushy, tiny piece of ground on the edge of the river bed – at least it is somewhat level. It will take 4-wheel low to get out of it, up a steep hill. Time to settle in to see what happens. We see no one for three days.

The Chitake Spring flows perennially. It can fill a 20-meter river bed, but for now the river bed is mostly damp sand with margins of slow-running water interspersed with elephant trails and loafs of dung. Elephant eat minerals out of the banks and dig holes in the sand which then fill with fresh spring water. Ellies don’t like mucky drinking water. There are 20 or so of them just downstream, having a time of it. In this park you are allowed to walk around (I mean, walk around away from your camp and vehicle) but on what planet is this a good idea? The bush is thick, lion are about, hyena frequent the river bed, and then there’s the elephant. Let’s just have a chair and relax with binoculars and cameras. A wart hog takes a mud bath in front of us and a family of mongoose run past. Zebra and kudu come for a drink. A herd of buffalo advance down the sand. By dusk, it starts getting a little more hectic. The bull elephants begin to trumpet and push each other around. The pride of lions begin roaring, the male is on the high ground behind our camp. Hyena slink by, eyeing us sideways and crunching on some old bones. At dark we retire to the tent. The trap cam is set up in the river bed. It is a noisy, exciting night.

Next morning we find that the trap cam works, even if the videos aren’t NatGeo quality. Animals aren’t so cooperative. The ellies all walked by, just far enough away to be nothing but grey blobs on the screen. The elephant who ate and drank and slobbered right by the truck for an hour somehow managed to avoid the camera completely. The lion preferred the high dry ground so did not make the cut at all but for the soundtrack. We look at the film and reset the camera, retire to the camp and then a minute later the big bull elephant strolls by. Gees, where did he come from? Anyone up for a long walk? Yes, right after I take a shower.

The Mana Pools Main Camp is more tame and birds cover the shoreline, the first Saddle-billed Stork of the trip is spotted. Baboon get into the charcoal bag and leave a little surprise for us in the braii pit. Monkeys sneak in and rip up the trash bag while I was sitting there watching the birds. Thinking it was Jim rooting around, I turn and see five Vervets hanging on the side of the truck, making a mess. They aren’t afraid of the catapult. This camp must be good pickings – it looks like it would hold 100 people when full. Hard to imagine so many people here, driving around on the dust roads. We’ve lucked out in this shoulder season. Few people, no bugs, and great weather.