Mana River Camp Wildlife Stories August 2026
Weather Report
August at Mana Pools National Park and Mana River Camp saw temperatures rise since the previous month. Midday temperatures reached between 30ºC and 32ºC, while nights were as cold as 15ºC. Skies were clear with virtually no rain, making for spectacular conditions for wildlife spotting adventures from morning to night.
Chase Scene
At this time of the year, African wild dog sightings are less frequent, but that didn’t stop us from finding a pack chasing an impala. We drove off after them, expecting to see them kill their prey, but we lost them along the way. We kept looking for them, and when we eventually found them, they were finishing off their meal. Later that day, a clan of hyenas fought over the scraps of that kill. What an incredible sighting to start the month!
Lone Lion
Towards the end of the month, we went on a game drive and encountered a pride of three lions that included a massive male and two females. We watched them for some time before the male stood up and walked off. We followed him all the way to a warthog kill, which he promptly finished right in front of us.
Boswell Being Boswell
Boswell is one of our most captivating residents around Mana River Camp. This elephant pioneered standing on his hind legs to feed from trees, and we got to see him do his thing this past August. On a visit to Mana Pool Forest, we found Boswell standing on his hind legs, feeding on some albida branches. Other elephants tried to do the same, but Boswell wasn’t having it and chased them away from his tree.
Little Lions Coming
On the same day as the Boswell sighting, we saw a pair of lions mating. For about an hour, we watched them mate three separate times before going back to camp. We can't wait to see the little ones that will result from their time together.
Mana Pools National Park showed us exactly what it is known for this August. We can’t wait to tell you what September has in store!
Until next time,
Emmanuel and Cloud
Mana River Camp
