Walking and bush camping in the wild are amongst two of the most exclusive experiences on offer in Africa today, especially in the remote and exotic wilds of the South Luangwa National Park.
Having become well known as a mobile safari operator this tour operator now has the pleasure of offering a range of “All Lodge”, “Bush Camp” and “Walking” safaris, as well as running its own high quality mobile safaris. These have been selected from the portfolios of other top class operators, choosing only the very best to make up interesting and often unique safari itineraries in some of the finest game viewing areas of southern Africa.
Concentrating on Zambia, these safaris include the top national parks of South Luangwa/Nsefu sector, Lower Zambezi, Liuwa Plains, Kasanka as well as other game areas such as the Bengweulu Swamps and or a combination of the above.
The camps (more like boutique lodges) are all in strategic, beautiful and often remote locations. Accommodation is in a mix of safari tents, reeded huts, chalets and other similar all with en-suite bathroom facilities, full “lodge’ amenities, each with cooks, guides and other crew to look after you.
Your choice can be from 4-5 night to 10 night safaris, single location or 2-3 camp safaris, bush camping or walking safaris. Transfer between camps will either be light aircraft or by road often as a game drive in itself.
Brief Overview Using three camps which offer a unique combination of creature comforts and stunning remote locations in the South Luangwa National Park, some of our guests want to get even further out into the wilderness, to immerse themselves in the sights, sounds and smells of the bush. For these adventurers, we offer dedicated walking safaris. Walking through the bush is a completely different experience to driving. All your senses are alert. Every sound, every movement - the flap of a bird's wing, a tail swishing through the tall grass - acquires significance.
This is where an expert guide really comes into his own. Not only will he point out wildlife and birdlife to you, he will also teach you to hone and sharpen your senses and to spot the clues that lie around you in the bush. As one of our guests said after walking for five days along the Mupamdazi River, it is like reading an engrossing book, compared to watching a film.
Day by Day itinerary
Day 1 On arrival at Mfuwe International Airport your guide will meet you and drive you to camp, about one hour, through colourful local scenes of villages, agriculture as well as bush. The Camp has a wide view of the Luangwa River. On private land, and overlooking the South Luangwa National Park, it is ideally situated for the start of your safari. The six rooms all look out over the river and have open air bathrooms. Depending on your arrival time in the day you will enjoy a lunch looking out over the lagoon or if in the afternoon for tea and the afternoon and night game drive.
Day 2 After an early breakfast, you will be heading north to start your walking mobile which has become known as THE wilderness experience of the South Luangwa. Your drive is some 90kms to the Mupamadzi River along a bush road, through remote parts of the park. You arrive in camp for lunch around mid day. The mobile camp is already set up for your arrival with well-equipped walk-in tents. The shower is under a tree and the toilet is a long drop with a wooden throne. Enjoy a relaxing siesta after lunch, before tea and going for a walk around camp in the afternoon, to return for sundowners and dinner in the open under the stars!
Day 3 Up at sunrise for the morning walk. The clear water Mupamadzi River is a major tributary of the Luangwa and all walks are led by an experienced naturalist and accompanied by an armed game scout. The area is remote and wild, the terrain and habitats varied and the game shy and unused to man. But tracking and creeping up on a pride of lion, or lying on the banks watching a herd of buffalo come to drink on the other side is quite an experience. The mobile camp will be packed and moved to Camp 2 and lunch will be ready as the guests arrive late morning. Lunch, siesta and afternoon walk.
Day 4 Explore the area on foot – returning to the same campsite. Mobile Camp
Days 5&6 The camp will be moved again to camp 3 during the morning as you walk further down the river. The Mupamadzi River is a major tributary of the Luangwa. All walks are led by an experienced naturalist and accompanied by an armed game scout.
Day 7 After an early breakfast, transfer to the Luangwa River crossing point. This is a 4 to 5 hour drive. Camp staff will meet and boat the party across the river, and then a 20 or 30 minute drive Camp.
This remote and small camp lies within the National Park and enjoys a stunning location on a wide bend of the Luangwa River. A grove of mahogany trees shade the large custom-made tents. From the thatched dining room and bar, guests can watch the elephants, hippo and antelope on the riverbank. The camp has 5 large custom made tents, each with a dressing room and open air bathroom that overlooks a water hole. Most meals are taken under the shade of a huge Mahogany tree in the centre of the camp. On arrival you will be shown to your tent and then lunch will be served followed by a well deserved siesta before the afternoon and evening game drive. Time to rest those weary legs!!
On a sweeping bend of the river, the other camp used was the first photographic safari camp in Zambia and dates back to the early fifties. The bar and sitting room, tucked in beside a huge extinct termite mound, overlooks a waterhole that is very productive for game. The original rondavels have been extended, with a spacious bathroom added. The furnishings and fittings are in keeping with an “old fashioned” feel. As one guest put it – Nsefu is “understated elegance”. Each room has a clear view of the river, through both the large windows and from the wooden verandahs. The dinning room has a superb view of the river and throughout the heat of the day, elephants come to drink and then cross the river. The camp lies in the heart of the undeveloped Nsefu sector and so offers charm and total comfort in remoteness and seclusion.
Day 8 Depending on your flight time you will be transferred by vehicle to Mfuwe Airport which is approximately 1.5 to 2 hours drive incorporating your last game drive.
Accommodation used is a mixture chalets under thatch, rondavels and safari tents.
Numbers min /max: max 6
Dates/availability Set departures, please enquire
Price USD$ 4,820 per person
plus internal flights Lusaka/Mfuwe/Lusaka US$ 520 per person
Includes All transfers within South Luangwa, all accommodation on a full board basis, all drinks, all activities , laundry
Excludes Flights and associated taxes, gratuities, visa fees where applicable
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The trip was fabulous, well planned and well executed.
The hospitality and accommodations at the lodges were great, only surpassed by the wildlife.
I can’t say there were no surprises (i.e. elephants holding us captive in our tent at Seba camp while they ate Marula fruit; hippo in the front yard at our Toka Lea tent; or having a baby hyena chewing the brake line under our vehicle rendering us without brakes, etc.) They were all fun, of course, providing special photo opportunities.
Thanks to such great driver/guide, my husband and I really had unique sightings every day – all day. We spent hours enjoying the numerous up close leopard, lion and elephant encounters.
All of the transfer / plane connections went as planned.
The overall safari was excellent. The guide was pleasant and personable and had abundant knowledge of Botswana's bird and wildlife. Our game viewing was superb and the route chosen through Botswana was ideal.
Our cook was the king of four wheel drive cooking and able to create culinary marvels over an open fire.
We spent 1 week in botswana + 1 week in zambia, sleeping in a tent litterally in the middle of the game! During the night elephant scratching and crashing trees, hippos eating grass, buffalos walking, just beside beside us!
And in the day so much game + beautiful landscapes, even more beautiful than we had expacted (rivers are a surprise!)
Our guide was an excellet guide, trust him and for sure you'll see the most beautiful places to experience Africa
A very exciting holiday, unique. We're thinking about going back for new trips.
I would highly recommend a trip with this operator.
The itinerary was far better planned than we could possibly have managed ourselves, even if we had done thousands of hours of research and internet searching.
We loved the trip, the company, and for us especially, the flexibility to change plans at a moment’s notice when our circumstances changed. Nothing was too much trouble. . Every detail was wonderfully organized. We will be back!
We took a one-week safari in Zambia in May of 2008. We had an excellent experience.
The tour operator worked with me before the trip - by phone and email - to design a safari that met our needs. The safari was private for me and my two daughters. We visited Lower Zambezi and Kafue game parks. I had an excellent host, guide, and raconteur. We discussed everything from the excretory habits of hippos to the current political situation in South Africa.
We stayed in the camping sections of excellent lodges in each park. We had three excellent meals each day, prepared on a remarkably sophisticed kitchen powered off the Toyota Land Cruiser. We were not looking for luxury, but were looking for comfort. We found just the right mix of both on this trip.
I'd highly recommend the operator to anyone looking for a private (or small group), custom-designed, safari without frills but with plenty of comforts.
With high expectations we started the safari from Maun in Botswana and ended it 15 nights later in Lusaka Zambia.
Thoose nights and days went far to fast with excellent game drives with very knowledgeable guides and with chefs that made some magic things to all our meals. On top of all that we fell into sleep to the sound of lions and had hippos around the tents at night.
A very well organized safari with all the ingredients you can only hope for.
Our experience was excellent. The safari met and, in some aspects surpassed our expectations. The trip was well thought out and was done as it was planned. We had a great service from travel professional, by our guide. The knowledge about routes and the driving skills were excellent too, and he did his best to let us enjoy the trip.
Throughout the trip the food was really fine in quality, quantity and variety.
It was amazing to bush camp amongst the game, but with enough comfort, and with the confidence of being with someone whose knowledge about wildlife is so good. Doing a walking game viewing we did in a private game concession was also exciting.
We really enjoyed the game viewing, as we had several excellent spots - four leopards - three days -, a herd of 18 lions, a lioness with cubs, and lions mating – three days - , lions almost hunting sable antelope, a herd of 16 giraffes, a big herd of buffalo, a huge herd of Zebra – may be 40, too. We will never forget Chobe’s, Okavango, or the Kwai river landscapes, or the astonishing night sights of the Kudiakam pan.
My friends and family and I spent eight of the most memorable days of our lives with this company on safari in Botswana.
As people who grew up on National Geographic nature documentaries and camping in North America's national parks, I was worried that we might find Botswana nice, but not quite up to all the hype. Not the case!
Our experience in Botwana, in every way, simply blew the doors off all of our expectations! No matter you've seen or done before, there is no preparation for the thrill of lions - huge and hungry-looking - walking past your open vehicle so close you could pet them and roaring so loudly you feel it in the pit of your stomach.
Clearly you do not want to entrust your safety to amateurs during such an encounter. Beforehand, the operator patiently but thoroughly coached us on how to handle ourselves with lions and other potentially dangerous wildlife. In fact, the wilderness expertise of the s staff was truly impressive. They seemed familiar with the names and behaviors of every animal and plant we encountered. By the end of the trip, under their tutelage, all of us learned to read animal tracks and spoor like a Bushman.
Although the operator offered us a tempting "semi-luxury" option, we chose the "semi-participatory" version for our safari. We wanted the feel of a camping trip more than a catered excursion, although our actual "participation" in the camp chores was limited to putting up and taking down the tents. As someone who is used to sleeping on the ground, I found the stand-up height tents, cots and thick sleeping pads a comfortable surprise. Showers were available at each campsite. Throughout the trip the food was delicious, and the battery-powered refrigerators guaranteed an endless supply of cold drinks.
It is a cliche to call a safari like this a "trip of a lifetime" but our case it is simply not true. As I told them, we will be back, I hope, for many such "trips of a lifetime."
Best safari we have ever been on in Southern Africa. The operators vehicle, trailer and camping equipment was superior to most of the other safari operators.
With a deep freeze, fridge, plenty of water and camp lights and GPS they can travel to isolated destinations because they carry all the water and supplies needed without having to replace them every few days.
The food was plentiful and well prepared and made cooking easy. We enjoyed healthy and tasty meals. The variety of meals was impressive.
The tents, camp beds, lights and table are of high quality and make camping more comfortable especially if you are not young.
We visited some of the best game viewing areas and were impressed with the number of animals and beautiful scenery. We were able to take great still and video pictures and are delighted with the results.
Our guide's knowledge of animals, birds, trees, african tribes and routes was impressive and made the safari more interesting.
We had a very enjoyable and safe safari and would recommend this tour operator to other people of thinking of going on safari in Southern Africa.
PS: Just so you know - we are ex South Africans and have been on many safaris.
It is terrific to be on a trip with a person who so delights in every detail, planning and running our trip as if it were for his own best friends and while he worked very hard to make everything go smoothly he also seemed to enjoy himself. I don't know how he manages to make each trip feel so fresh and each client feel so valued.
We are very lucky to have travelled with them and recommend the tour operator enthusiastically.
