Wilderness Chikwenya
Luxury tented suites · Private concession at the Sapi and Zambezi confluence, eastern boundary · Wilderness
Top-end
Outside the gate
Safari company
Chikwenya sits where the Sapi River meets the Zambezi, reachable only by light aircraft. Note for anyone using older guidebooks: it is now operated by Wilderness, not Great Plains, a change many listings have missed.
Pros and cons
Pros
- Two of the seven suites are family units with private pools
- Sits at the Sapi and Zambezi confluence, a quiet corner of the park
- Now run by Wilderness, rebuilt from one of Mana's original camps
- Fully inclusive rate: meals, activities, park fees, laundry, local drinks
Cons
- Light aircraft only; no road access at all
- From about $1,172 per person a night
- Closed December to March for the season
- Older guidebooks list it under Great Plains; that has changed
What's here
- Swimming pool
- Wi-Fi
- Family rooms
- En-suite bathrooms
Arranged from the lodge:
- Game drives
- Boat trips
- Guided walks
- Night drives
- Birding
- Fishing
Read from Wilderness Chikwenya'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 Wilderness Chikwenya
From about $1,172 pppn. Fully inclusive, including park fees. 2026 low season (April to May); rises to $1,675 June to mid-November. Two family units have private pools.
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 Wilderness Chikwenya
Is Chikwenya good for families?
Two of the seven suites are family units with private pools, and the record's minimum age here is 13, lower than the 16 set at several nearby fly-in camps, which makes it one of the more workable options for families in this part of the park.
Can you self-drive to Chikwenya?
No. Chikwenya is reached only by light aircraft, which the camp's own site states plainly, landing on a seclusion that sits on a raised bank over the Zambezi floodplain. There is no road option, so build a flight into Mana West or a connecting camp into your itinerary.
What does the rate at Chikwenya include?
The fully inclusive rate covers accommodation, all meals, twice-daily camp activities, park fees, laundry and local drinks, excluding premium imported brands and champagne, per the operator's site. At around $1,172 per person a night, Chikwenya sits at the top of the park's price range.
When is Chikwenya open?
Chikwenya operates April to November and is closed from December to March for the wet season, confirmed on the camp's own site. Note that older guidebooks and listings sometimes still credit the camp to Great Plains; it is now run by Wilderness.