40 LIFE BY LEXUS
Left: Chikwenya Head Chef Eshuwet Kufakwejoni.
A
ll our cameras were poised. The elephant squatted on her hind legs and stretched her trunk to nuzzle at the “apple-peel” pods of the large ana tree (Faidherbia
albida), but she didn’t treat us to the shot we were after. It’s a rather famous pose – the elephants at Mana Pools standing on their hind legs to get at the nutritious pods. But the fact that she was at close range,
between our breakfast table and the lounge, and treating us to a photo op of her breakfast foraging, more than made up for her indifference to our photographic expectations. Exceptional sights are par for the course in Zimbabwe’s Mana Pools National Park. The game reserve takes its name from the Shona word “mana”, meaning “four”, and refers to the four large watering holes that have been created by the Zambezi River’s oxbow lakes. These are pools that are flanked by forests of wild fig, baobabs and mahogany trees. This is where one’s treated to views of the Zambezi River and the great mountains of the Rift Valley escarpment. This is where, if you’re staying at Chikwenya Camp on a private concession within the national park, you’re likely to witness, from your private veranda, elephants, buffalo, hippo, a variety of antelope and birds enjoying the fruits of the mopane-dotted floodplain which stretches from the edge of the lodge to the confluence of the Sapi and Zambezi Rivers. It’s wilderness at its best. In addition to
ellies strolling through the camp, leopards and foraging hippos are common nocturnal visitors, while lion have also been known to pop into camp for a look-see. On our guided walk, a leopard crossed the empty river bed a few metres ahead, barely glancing in our direction. By the time we reached the spot, she was long gone (or well camouflaged!). The crocs appear over-sized – no doubt due to the abundance of food in the river. During our stay, a dead hippo was the
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