discover zambia safari...
8 nights / 9 days
Luangwa Valley & Lower Zambezi
from approx. US$5080 pp (low season)
2 nights at Kapamba Bushcamp (fully inclusive)
2 nights at Chindeni (fully inclusive)
1 night at Mfuwe Lodge (includes all meals & activities)
3 nights at Chiawa Camp (fully inclusive)
All transfers and flights included.
Itinerary starts and ends at Lusaka Airport.
Day 1
Arrive in Lusaka airport – where you will be met by a Bushcamp Company representative who will transfer you onto a light aircraft to Mfuwe.
At Mfuwe International Airport, a representative from Mfuwe Lodge will meet you and take you in an open landrover back to Mfuwe Lodge. From Mfuwe Airport it is a short 45 minute drive to the main gate of the South Luangwa National Park. Mfuwe is a luxurious Lodge situated just a few minutes drive from the gate, inside the park. It is one of only 2 permanent lodges inside the National Park. As you cross over the bridge into the park there are usually between 30 and 70 hippos lounging in the river below and most of the dambos and lagoons will reveal many. There is estimated to be at least 50 hippos per kilometre of the Luangwa River!
At Mfwue Lodge you will be served refreshments, before proceeding in your game vehicle for a 3 - 4 hour game drive to Kapamba Bushcamp
Zambia's Luangwa Valley, lying at the end of the Great Rift Valley, is one of the finest wildlife sanctuaries in Africa. The Luangwa River, forming the eastern boundary to the National Park, meanders past oxbow lagoons, vast woodlands and open grassy plains that provide rich habitat for huge concentrations of wildlife - including elephant, lion, leopard, buffalo, giraffe and hippo, as well as a host of different antelope species and over 470 species of birds.
The park’s 9050km2 is host to a wide variety of wildlife, birds and vegetation. The now famous ‘walking safari’ originated in this park and is still one of the finest ways to experience this pristine wilderness first hand.
2 nights at Kapamba Bushcamp
(includes all meals, drinks and safari activities)
In a remote corner of the South Luangwa National Park lies Kapamba, a camp that combines the isolation and superb game-viewing opportunities of a true bushcamp with a touch of... dare we say it... luxury!
Set on the banks of the shallow, spring-fed eponymous river, Kapamba is surrounded by some of the park’s richest wildlife. Watching an elephant take a dip in the river can be quite an experience when you’re lounging in your own private plunge pool. The central bar and dining room is positioned under a huddle of matumi and sausage trees, with a wide deck that stretches out with views of the Kapamba River. And if that’s still not close enough for you, why not enjoy your G&T from the middle of the river itself, your feet dipped in the cool, crystal shallows.
accommodation - The charm and romance of Kapamba is most obvious in its 4 spacious en-suite chalets. Cool, simple and utterly original, these entirely open-fronted rooms boast wide verandas with river views, twin showers and sunken stone plunge pools – the ultimate in bush indulgence. Clever wrought-iron shutters are drawn each evening so that you can enjoy the sights and sounds of the African night without worrying about unwanted visitors wandering into your room whilst you sleep.
2 of the chalets have twin beds (queen-sized beds), while the other 2 have king-sized doubles. Kapamba is the only bushcamp in the park to stay open from April until January.
activities - Get out into the bush and explore the rich diversity of the surrounding area on guided morning and afternoon walks, or jump into a Land Rover for a driving safari (day or night). On special occasions the camp can also arrange an afternoon wading through the cool waters of the Kapamba, where a scenic sundowner or special meal will be waiting for you!
Day 3
After two overnights at Kapamba you will move on to Chindeni Bushcamp.
In an enviable location on the edge of a lagoon where hippo chortle and elephant wallow, stands Chindeni – undoubtedly one of the most beautiful tented camps in the South Luangwa.
2 nights at Chindeni Bushcamp
(includes all meals, drinks and safari activities)
There’s something about sleeping under canvas that ignites a sense of adventure in everyone. At Chindeni you can combine that thrill with style and comfort in one of its 4 opulent tents. Gaze out from your private veranda onto the lagoon, which attracts birds and animals from miles around. Or settle back with a gin-and-tonic in the central lounge and dining area – a glorious expanse of varnished decking arranged on several levels around the surrounding ebony trees - and boasting, of course, the same spectacular view of the serene lagoon and its inhabitants!
accommodation - With stripped wooden floors, four-poster beds, cosy sitting rooms, en suite bathrooms and vaulted canvas ceilings, Chindeni’s 4 spacious tents are so inviting you could be forgiven for never wanting to leave your room. Especially when you can see so much wildlife just by stepping onto your own private deck jutting out over the lagoon. 2 of the tents have twin beds (queen-sized beds) and 2 have doubles (king-sized bed). Chindeni is open from April to December.
activities - Whether you are in the mood for intrepid exploration, or perhaps some more sedentary wildlife viewing, Chindeni will deliver! Avid game viewers and birdwatchers can set out on superb walking safaris, game drives, night drives and scenic sundowner trips in the surrounding area. Or you can just park yourself in a deckchair at camp and watch the abundance of game that is drawn to the lagoon.
Day 5
After an early breakfast at Chindeni, you will return to Mfuwe Lodge for 1 overnight.
The Lodge is open 12 months of the year and is surrounded by an excellent all-weather road network, which allows for extensive game viewing by vehicle. Mfuwe Lodge is sandwiched between 2 lagoons, which provide the opportunity for large amounts of game to be viewed from each chalet's private deck. Mfuwe Lodge has 18 well appointed chalets - each with en-suite facilities, private decks, hot and cold running water and mains electricity.
1 night at Mfuwe Lodge
(fully inclusive of game activities and meals, but drinks are not included)
The guides at Mfuwe will ensure that you have every opportunity to see all that the valley has to offer of its wildlife, birds and varying vegetation and habitats... past dambos bursting with hippos, crowned cranes, grazing antelope and scurrying baboons. Further out on the plains you’re bound to see the large elephant herds, reaching up to 70 in number. Buffalo are also abundant, and spread throughout the valley.
Zebra can be seen running in small herds of about a dozen. (The difference between Zambia’s zebras and those in the south and east of Africa are in the stripes. Here they are evenly spaced as opposed to broad light stripes with a faint shadow stripe in-between.)
Thornicroft’s Giraffe, unique to Luangwa Valley, should be easily spotted.
The park has 14 different antelope species, most of which are easily seen on day and night game drives. Watch out for the elusive bushbuck, preferring to inhabit densely covered areas. The common duiker is not that common near the Luangwa River but inhabits the back country of the Luangwa Valley. The largest of the antelope is the eland, usually near the Nsefu sector. The most numerous antelope is the impala, these gregarious animals can be seen in herds all over the park. Not to be confused with the Puku, of similar size but a much fluffier buck with a rich orange coat and also prolific. Perhaps the most beautiful is the Kudu, with its majestic spiral horns and delicate face. Although fairly common, they’re not always easy to find due to their retiring habits and preference for dense bush. Reedbuck, roan, sable, hartebeest, grysbok, klipspringer and oribi are all here but not prolific in the central tourist area of the Park. They tend to stay deeper in the remote parts towards the Muchinga escarpment.
Halfway through the drive, you will find a place to stop for refreshments and take in the majestic scenery of the Luangwa River.
Day 6
After breakfast, a road transfer with a safari vehicle will take you to Mfuwe Airport, for your Proflight scheduled flight from Mfuwe Airport to the Lower Zambezi. On occasion the flight may go via Lusaka. Flying time is approximately 2 hours.
A guide from Chiawa Camp will meet you at the Royal Airstrip and transfer you to the camp, which is 30 minutes away in an exquisite location under a shady grove of mahogany trees, in the heart of big game country with expansive views of the mighty Zambezi River.
3 nights at Chiawa Camp
(includes all meals, drinks and safari activities)
Chiawa Camp consists of 8 spacious, well-ventilated safari tents, each set on its own elevated wooden platform under shade with a panoramic view of the Zambezi. A refreshing dip in the Plunge Pool is most welcome during the warmer months of September and October. Chiawa Camp has a carefully positioned viewing hide overlooking the confluence of the Zambezi & Chowe Rivers, providing excellent, peaceful viewing of birds and the large mammals, often including the big cats!
Day 9
Today you will return from the Lower Zambezi to Lusaka. After breakfast, there is a road or boat transfer by camp safari vehicle to the Royal airstrip, for the Proflight scheduled flight to Lusaka Airport. Flying time is approximately 40 minutes.
included in your itinerary
- Meet & greet at Lusaka airport
- Charter flights: Lusaka - Lower Zambezi - Mfuwe - Lusaka
- All transfers
- Mfuwe Lodge and Bushcamps: All game activities, laundry (this is quite limited in bushcamps), all meals, drinks (except at Mfuwe Lodge) and accommodation.
- Chiawa : accommodation, meals, drinks, professionally-guided game viewing drives (day & night), canoe trips, bush walks, boat trips, angling and daily laundry
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