7 Days Classic Safari
Day 1: Livingstone to Mfuwe & South Luangwa National Park
You start your 7 Day South Luangwa Tented Camping Safari by catching a domestic flight from Livingstone to Mfuwe, bringing you to the doorstep of South Luangwa National Park. You will be collected at Mfuwe airport by your guide who will transport you to your accommodation - the tented camp close to the Mfuwe main gate of the national park.
You will have some time to rest after your arrival at this classic tented camp. Lunch will be served in the a la cart restaurant, and then you will have some more time to enjoy the atmosphere of our camp in the African bush. At teatime, around 3:30 pm, you will meet your guides and have the opportunity to discuss your special interests. Then, it is time for your first exciting game drive in South Luangwa National Park, the top wildlife destination in Zambia.
We leave at around 4:00 pm, setting off in an open 4×4 Land Cruiser that has been custom-built for this environment. The open sides ensure unobstructed views of the veld. Your highly qualified guides will provide excellent service and will share their expert knowledge of the African bush and its inhabitants. Signs of wildlife activity like tracks and scats will be pointed out as you are guided to exciting sightings of the animals and birds of this famous, yet remote national park.
By sunset, we stop at a scenic spot to enjoy the changing colours of the African sky, while drinks are served. Now our game viewing adventure gets an added dimension as the guides use a spotlight to find rarely seen nocturnal animals and birds, as varied as beasts of prey like the lion and leopard, but also smaller creatures like civet and porcupines.
Back at our accommodation, a campfire awaits where we can relax after enjoying our dinner.
- Meals included: Lunch & Dinner
Please note: Your flight from Livingstone is included in the tour price. However, your guide only meets you at Mfuwe
Day 2 - 6: Mfuwe & South Luangwa National Park
From day two to six we explore South Luangwa National Park in depth, making the most of our opportunities to not only drive through the bush in an open vehicle but also experience the wilderness on foot in the company of expert guides.
Your days begin with a light breakfast at about 5:30 am, consisting of coffee or tea, toast and cereal. Without wasting any time, we board the open 4x4 at 6:00 am to make the most of the early morning which is an excellent time for spotting an abundance of animals at South Luangwa National Park. The meandering Luangwa River is a good place to spot large numbers of hippo and elephants, and you are sure to see many animals coming to drink at the edge of the water. These may include rare Thornicroft’s giraffes and also the Crawshay’s zebra that is endemic to this region. Bird lovers will be in heaven, as there are more than 400 species in South Luangwa National Park. The riverine forest includes trees like mahogany and ebony, and you will also see examples of the giants of the tree world – the baobab. Throughout your explorations, your guide will be opening up the wonders of this unspoilt environment by sharing detailed information about the flora and fauna of the Luangwa Valley ecosystem.
By 10:00 when we return from our early morning game drive, brunch will be waiting for us at our tented camp. Now you can choose between both breakfast and lunch dishes. Late morning is time to relax, either by the pool or in your comfortable tented room.
Later in the afternoon, we return to the game park for a sunset game drive that includes sundowners surrounded by the bush. Afterwards, the spotlight will guide our drive as we look for, amongst other things, leopard and hyena that prefer to roam the bush at night. Nocturnal birds such as owls may also cross our way. By 20:00 we are usually back at the camp where dinner is served. After dinner, you can make the most of the clear dark skies to star gaze, or you can simply relax and share stories around the campfire.
Apart from game drives, other activities are available as well. In the dry season (usually from June to October) walking safaris (usually taking three to four hours) are very popular. In fact, South Luangwa is thought of as the birthplace of the typical African walking safari! If you want, you can also combine a walking tour with a game drive, doing two hours of each. A walking tour will give you the opportunity to get really close to nature, seeing, apart from the more than 60 species of animals, amazing birds, plants, and insects.
Cultural tours to local Mfuwe village are available. On these tours, you can learn more about the community and their conservation initiatives. We specifically visit the Luangwa Conservation & Community Fund (LCCF), which is also an anti-poaching centre. At a local school, you can learn about the support work done in the area.
- Meals included: Breakfast, Lunch & Dinner
Day 7: Mfuwe to Livingstone – Zambia
On your last morning of this South Luangwa Tented Camping Safari, you have breakfast at the tented camp, after which it is time to say goodbye. You are then taken back to Mfuwe airport for your return flight to Livingstone at Victoria Falls in Zambia
- Meals included: Breakfast
South Luangwa Tented Safari Camp
Your accommodation on this Zambia Tented Camping Safari is in a tented camp situated on the banks of the Luangwa River close to the Mfuwe gate of South Luangwa National Park. You will be surrounded by untamed bush and beautiful views of the river.
Your sleeping quarters consist of luxury safari tents with en-suite bathrooms with thatch roofs. The permanent tents are found along the Luangwa River, with individual views of the water and surrounding bush. They have small deck areas where you can lounge in the sun while keeping an eye out for animals and birds. Hippos, crocodiles and various birds are often seen, and elephants and Thornicroft’s giraffe (one of Africa’s smallest giraffe sub species) also visit the area, together with a large variety of other wild animals.
Your walk-in tent where you can relax midday is large and contains all the luxuries that make “glamping” worthwhile. However, you never lose the feeling that you are in the middle of the African bush. Large windows with mosquito netting on three sides ensure that you miss none of the sounds of the bush and visiting wildlife and birds. At night, a comfortable bed with clean linen awaits you, and there are also bedside tables, lamps and a hanging rack for clothes. Electric fans will keep you cool, overhead mosquito nets for each bed keep insects out. There are electric lights, safety deposit boxes, plug points (power sockets) for re-charging batteries and also facilities for making tea/coffee. The en-suite bathrooms are semi-open and have hot showers, flushing toilets and basins.
A swimming pool is available for cooling down on a hot day, and there are comfortable outside seating areas. The a la carte restaurant serves a good choice of meals at outdoor tables in the garden where you can see the river, or in the courtyard and in the thatch-covered dining area.
Your expert guides have all passed the challenging South Luangwa Guide Exam. You can be assured that guiding will be of the highest standard. Their passion and knowledge combine to assure that you will have an exceptional bush experience – learning about the wonderful variety of fauna and flora that makes the Luangwa Valley unique.