Contiguous to Urungwe Safari Area 287,000ha, Dande Safari Area 52,300ha and Doma Safari Area 76,400ha. The geology of the region ranges from the recent river alluvia of the extensive valley floor to the ancient gneiss and paragneiss overlain by thin lithosols of the basement complex. Mana Pools are former channels of the Zambezi. Between the gorges of Kariba and Mupata, the river is broad and sandy. The valley floor is dominated by mopane Colophospermum mopane woodlands or dry highly deciduous thickets known as jesse.
Seasonal tributaries crossing thevalley floor support extensive riparian communities.
Common fish include tiger fish Hydrocynus vittatus , bream Tilapia spp., vundu Heterobranchus longifilis , kupi Distichodus mossambicus , chessa D. schenga , cornish Jack Mormyrops deliciousus , and lungfish Protopterus annectens . There is virtually no permanent human habitation due to an array of tropical diseases including sleeping sickness, bilharzia, and malaria. The areas provide opportunities to experience some of the greatest seasonal mammal concentrations in a natural environment. Recreational hunting is managed such that it will not impair the essential wilderness qualities and resource values for future generations. The number of cars allowed into Mana Pools National Park at any one time is limited.