Tembo Plains Camp
Ultra-luxury tented suites · Sapi Private Reserve, beside the Zambezi, adjoining the park to the east · Great Plains Conservation
Top-end
Outside the gate
Safari company
Not inside the national park but in the Sapi Private Reserve next door, which shares the floodplain ecosystem and the World Heritage listing. Rules differ outside the park boundary, so Tembo Plains can offer boating and other activities the park prohibits.
Pros and cons
Pros
- Rate includes premium spirits and champagne, not just house pours
- A 1,280 km² private reserve adjoining Mana Pools, same World Heritage listing
- Motorised boating and other activities the national park itself does not allow
- One Mana Pools wildlife experience included on stays of three nights or more
Cons
- From $1,340 per person a night, sharing, among the priciest in the region
- Outside the national park itself, in the neighbouring Sapi Reserve
- No minimum age found; child rates are only available on request
- Fly-in only, via the Sapi Reserve airstrip
What's here
- Swimming pool
- Wi-Fi
- Spa or massage
- Laundry
Arranged from the lodge:
- Boat trips
- Guided walks
Read from Tembo Plains Camp's own website in July 2026. Anything not listed we could not confirm, which is not the same as it being absent.
What the park charges on top
The rate above buys you a bed. Mana Pools National Park charges its own entry fee for every day you are inside. Here is what that adds up to.
- Park entryVAT and the tourism levy are included.
- $24per person, per day
- VehicleForeign-registered vehicle, if you are staying inside.
- $3per vehicle, per day
Three nights means three days inside, so two adults sharing one vehicle pay $153 in park fees before anyone pays for a bed.
The full fee schedule for Mana Pools National ParkRates at Tembo Plains Camp
From $1,340 pppn sharing. Great Plains' Zimbabwe flagship, at the very top of the regional range.
What the rate covers is not confirmed. We do not know yet whether meals, drinks and activities are included, so read this as the bed only.
Every figure on this page is in US dollars.
Very few Mana Pools camps publish rates, so treat all dollar figures as indicative and confirm with the lodge. ZimParks accommodation is priced per site or unit, not per person, from the February 2026 tariff. Private camp bands reflect operator and agent data gathered July 2026; check whether park fees are included when you compare.
Questions about Tembo Plains Camp
What does the rate at Tembo Plains Camp include?
Rates start at $1,340 per person a night on a sharing basis, according to the camp's own site, which updates the park record's listing of unpublished rates. That price covers accommodation, scheduled wildlife-viewing activities, all meals, return airstrip transfers, laundry and drinks including premium spirits and champagne, plus one Mana Pools wildlife experience on stays of three nights or more.
Is Tembo Plains Camp good for families?
We found no published minimum age on the camp's own site, so ask what applies when you enquire; it only confirms that child rates are available on request. The Zanji Suite, part of the Réserve Collection, may suit a family wanting its own space within the reserve.
Can you self-drive to Tembo Plains Camp?
No. The camp includes return airstrip road transfers in its rate, and sits in the private Sapi Reserve east of the national park, reached by its own airstrip rather than by road from Mana Pools.
What makes Tembo Plains Camp different from camps inside Mana Pools?
It sits in the 1,280 km² Sapi Private Reserve next door, not inside the national park, though both share the same floodplain ecosystem and World Heritage listing. Because the rules differ outside the park boundary, Tembo Plains can offer motorised boating and other activities the park itself prohibits.