Mana River Camp Wildlife Stories October 2025
Weather Report
Just as in the previous year and the year before, October was the hottest month. Temperatures ranged between 37 and 40 degrees Celsius during midday, while early mornings were cooler and had a lot more wildlife activity.
October was the perfect time to experience wildlife sightings in the Zambezi Valley and Mana Pools National Park.
Hungry Hyenas
The hyena population around camp is thriving. Hardly a day goes by without us seeing a few wander the plains. Our resident lions, however, are not the hyenas’ biggest fans.
During an early morning game drive, we noticed some hyenas crossing the road near the Old Ndungus area. They were on their way to pester some lions feeding on a zebra kill 200m away from us. The pack of hyenas thought they could help themselves to a free meal, but the lions were no pushovers. A massive fight ensued, with the lions as the eventual winners.
Nature’s Ferocity
We were lucky enough to witness a pack of African wild dogs hunting and killing an impala 100m in front of us. The 12 ravenous dogs and their nine pups immediately started eating the impala as soon as they brought it down. The sound of snarls, barks, and tearing flesh filled the air, reminding us that the African wilderness is a fierce place where survival is only for the strong, fast, and cunning.
A Day Full Of Wildlife
A morning’s game drive gave us an incredible variety of wildlife sightings. As we drove east towards Nyamatusi Wilderness, we saw two lion brothers who had claimed part of the area as their territory.
Later, we encountered a pack of African wild dogs resting under the Natal mahogany tree. We spent some time watching the dogs relaxing under the tree before heading back to camp. On our way back, we spotted an incredibly rare nyala, a species of nomadic antelope with spiral horns.
Birders Paradise
We love having birders visit Mana River Camp. This gives us the opportunity to go regions of the reserve where the most incredible birds can be found. During a single expedition, we spotted 80 species of birds!
Later, we saw 12 adult African wild dogs with their nine pups, and a massive cane rat. The cane rat sighting was the first one we’ve ever seen, and we were ecstatic to see more of them around camp.
Mana River Camp had some amazing sightings in October. Watch this space for more Wildlife Stories coming soon.
Until next time,
Justin
Mana River Camp
