Maps and navigation
Mana Pools National Park map
An interactive map, the GPS position of the compulsory Marongora check-in, the key waypoints on the Harare route, and how to navigate a park where you should assume there is no mobile signal at all.
Download the official park map
ZimParks does not publish a downloadable Mana Pools map, so the practical references are the Tracks4Africa mapping (paper and app), the sketch maps at Nyamepi reception, and the official Code of Conduct, which contains the rules the map alone will not tell you.
Key coordinates
Save these before you go. Mobile coverage inside the park is patchy at best, and a set of waypoints in an offline app will get you out of trouble faster than anything else.
| Place | What it is | Coordinates |
|---|---|---|
| Marongora HQ | Compulsory check-in on top of the escarpment, before you descend. The only officially published GPS point on the route | -16.2233, 29.1614 |
| Karoi | Last town for fuel and supplies, 207 km from Harare | -16.8099, 29.6924 |
| Chinhoyi | First major town on the A1, 115 km from Harare | -17.3667, 30.2000 |
| Chirundu border post | The Zambia crossing; the A1 continues here past the Mana turn-off | -16.0333, 28.8500 |
| Mana Pools floodplain (approximate centre) | The park's visited core along the Zambezi; ZimParks gives the park position as roughly 15°45'S 29°20'E | -15.7500, 29.3333 |
Navigating Mana Pools
- Load Tracks4Africa (app or GPS map) before you leave Harare; it covers the valley tracks far better than any general map.
- Download the Zimbabwe region in OsmAnd or Organic Maps as a free offline backup.
- Use the route log rather than blind trust in a routing app: A1 north, Karoi at km 207, Marongora at roughly km 300, gravel turn-off at km 310, Nyakasikana Gate at km 341, Nyamepi at km 384.
- Going to Chitake Springs? Your check-in point is Nyakasikana Gate, not Nyamepi, and the tracks beyond it are strictly 4WD.
- ZimParks publishes no GPS list for gates and camps; the Marongora coordinates above are the only officially published point, so log your own waypoints as you drive in.
The rules the map won't show you
Check in at Marongora before descending the escarpment; without its entry permit, Nyakasikana Gate will turn you around. Keep every receipt from every payment point, because you will need to show them at the exit gate.
Off-road driving is banned outright: stay on designated roads, park within 10 metres of them, and cross riverbeds only at designated crossings. Be back in camp by 18:00 (May to July) or 18:30 (August to October); the curfew runs to 06:00 and doubles as the park's driving-hours window. Penalties run to $1,000 fines, vehicle impoundment and a 12-month ban from every park in Zimbabwe.