Zambia has long been one of my favourite African destinations. The combination of diverse landscapes, range of activities, amazing wildlife and warm welcome has always made me feel at home there, and my most recent trip did nothing to change that opinion.
Warm Zambian Hospitality
On this trip I was concentrating on the Luangwa Valley and, as I was keen to get there as quickly as possible, I connected straight through from Lusaka to Mfuwe – the gateway to the South Luangwa National Park.
After 30 hours of travelling, the warm and enthusiastic welcome I received at Kafunta River Lodge immediately wiped away any weariness and reinforced my belief that Zambians are amongst the friendliest of all Africans.
Birthplace of the walking safari
The Luangwa Valley is situated at the bottom end of the Great Rift Valley with the imposing Muchinga Escarpment to the west. Running through its midst is the beautiful Luangwa River, the oldest intact river in Africa and with a constantly evolving course. The seasonal floods erode the sandy banks and deposit silt, creating new channels and leaving behind ox bow lakes which help to sustain the impressive levels of wildlife within the park.
South Luangwa was designated a National Park in 1972, though the area had been a protected wilderness area since the early 1900s. In the 1940s a forward-thinking wildlife ranger named Norman Carr promoted the idea of conservation-based tourism in the Luangwa Valley, and pioneered walking safaris with a focus on empowering local communities and conserving wildlife. To this day, South Luangwa National Park is known own as the birthplace of the walking safari.
Why choose a safari in South Luangwa?
One of the things I love about this park is its diversity – diversity of landscape; diversity of flora and fauna; and diversity of accommodation options.
Exclusive accommodation options
From Kafunta, I continued my eight night exploration of South Luangwa with a night at the Bushcamp Company’s Kapamba. Their portfolio includes six bush camps which are all primarily tucked away in the quiet southern section of the park. Each camp has its own identity, ranging from open fronted chalets on stilts at Chamilandu, to small stone built cottages at Kapamba. Common to all, however, is their small size, most with just three or four rooms, excellent guiding and the option to head out on a guided walk in the morning with game drives in the afternoon. For those that are particularly keen to follow in the footsteps of the Valley’s walking legends, there are opportunities to walk from camp to camp when combining them. Those who prefer to focus on game drives are just as well looked after and can still enjoy this exclusive corner of the park.
Enjoying the slower pace
The quality of game viewing does vary between the camps. Chamilandu, Chindeni and Bilimungwe are surrounded by varied habitats and enjoy more regular sightings. Kapamba or Zungalila on the other hand are better suited to a slower pace, perhaps as final part of an itinerary. Here the experience is as much about the walking or taking time to enjoy those little extras that the Bushcamp Company does so well: sunset drinks with your feet cooling in the river, or freshly cooked pizza lunch in the bush.
Being in the quieter south of the park does mean that the wildlife, in particular the elephants, are quite skittish and as habituated to game viewing vehicles as the busier areas. A small price, in my opinion, to pay for being in such a remote and exclusive area.
Kuyenda was my final night with the Bushcamp Company (although slightly larger than its sister camps with six huts, I actually felt the ambiance was the most intimate here), I headed west for a complete change of experience.
Old school safari style
Tucked away in a section of riverine woodland overlooking the seasonal Mushilashi River, in the interior of the park, is Nkonzi Camp. While the safari industry is becoming inexorably more luxurious, for someone like me who has been around for quite some years and who loves the old school style of safari, this camp is a little gem. It comprises five tents, complete with open air bathrooms and bucket showers.
Nkonzi is owned and run by Gavin Opie who is passionate about exploring this remote area on foot, although game drives are also part of your stay. It is fair to say that the game viewing in this area can be more challenging than elsewhere in the park – there is quite a lot of mopane woodland and there can be longish drives to reach richer wildlife areas. That being said, you have a much higher chance of seeing some harder to find species in this sector of the park, including Lichtenstein’s hartebeest and serval. In addition, a small pack of wild dogs have denned very close to the camp this season, so they are hoping for some excellent sightings in the next few months.
Nkonzi is ideal for anyone wanting an authentic bush experience, and in particular for keen walkers. I would also recommend booking in combination with a camp in a different area of South Luangwa with easier access to the wildlife.
Old friends and a little luxury
From Nkonzi, I continued north through the park, bypassing the busier Mfuwe sector, to spend the night with our old friends at Shenton Safaris at their beautifully rebuilt Mwamba Bushcamp. While the accommodation has definitely had an ‘upgrade’ with some additions to the main areas also, the atmosphere remains the same and the iconic tree bar at the centre of camp remains! Following Mwaba, I spent a night at Lion Camp which is the perfect destination for anyone who enjoys a little more comfort whilst on safari.
The landscape in this area is nothing short of spectacular with vast vistas over the snaking Luangwa River, open plains and riverine woodlands. Beautiful stretches of ebony forest are a photographer’s dream in the early mornings and evenings when the light casts a golden glow.
Where to find the best wildlife in Luangwa
The northern sector of South Luangwa is one of the best game viewing areas within the park. The wildlife is very varied and well habituated to vehicles. Aside from the big game species such as leopard, lion, elephant, buffalo and hyena, the park sustains 14 species of antelope and 400 species of birds, including the rare Pel’s Fishing Owl. It also boasts three subspecies which are endemic to the Luangwa Valley; Cookson’s wildebeest, Thornicroft’s giraffe and Crawshay’s Zebra.
Exciting big cat viewing
I was lucky enough to have a wonderful encounter with Chiphadzuwa the leopard, who rightfully deserves her title as the leading lady of the Luangwa. This gorgeous feline has developed her signature style of hunting by stalking her prey from the numerous gulleys, generally in daylight and completely unfazed by our presence.
Another highlight was a pride of lionesses and cubs, numbering 17 in total, completely ignored us as we stayed with them for around 90 minutes. They were busy watching some passing zebras whilst they themselves were being watched by two speculative hyenas. It was lovely to enjoy relaxed elephant sightings too (having come from the south of the park where they would quickly merge in to the bushes) – so relaxed in fact we had elephants join us for our morning coffee stop!
First impressions of the remote North Luangwa
Having travelled to Africa regularly over the past 18 years, I am lucky enough to have visited almost all of our featured destinations. New destinations are therefore all the more exciting, and my next stop was no exception. I had been wanting to visit the remote North Luangwa for some time, and I was delighted to finally get there.
Accessed only by light aircraft flight, with spectacular views of the Luangwa meandering beneath, North Luangwa offers a sense of wilderness that is hard to find anywhere else in ‘safari’ Africa.
Flagship conservation programme
North Luangwa is also a real success story in terms of conservation and the rehabilitation of species. While North Luangwa was designated National Park status in 1972, the same time as South Luangwa, it didn’t have the established level of tourism that South Luangwa did. The park was blighted by poaching with devastating consequences. The elephant population was decimated. In the 1960s, Zambia had around 12,000 rhinos, with up to 2,000 being in North Luangwa alone. Widescale poaching across the country saw the population plummet until black rhino were declared extinct in Zambia in 1998.
Anti-poaching initiatives were introduced with great success with the establishment of the North Luangwa Conservation Programme and today the elephant population is flourishing. A pioneering project also saw the translocation and re-introduction of black rhino in North Luangwa – they are in a secure area which is closely monitored by anti-poaching scouts. Part of the programme also involves education and gathering support from the local communities that border the national park. The authorities are naturally cautious about confirming how many there are, but they are breeding and establishing a viable population in the park which is great news. While the chances of seeing rhino are extremely slim, it’s encouraging to know they’re there.
Encountering lions on foot in North Luangwa
A North Luangwa experience is primarily about exploring the park on foot, walking with expert guides, following tracks and (with any luck) getting close to the local residents. I stayed at Mwaleshi and Takwela camps – small bush camps operated by Remote Africa Safaris. Mwaleshi is a compact little camp, overlooking the Mwaleshi River which is shallow enough (and devoid of crocs and hippos) for guests to cool off with an afternoon wallow in the waters.
The walking from Mwaleshi tends to concentrate on the river line but as lion had been spotted that morning, we headed inland on our afternoon walk, hot on their trail. We had been walking only a short while when reached a dried out lagoon. Moffatt, our guide, signalled us to stop, whereupon three lionesses jumped up from where they were resting and hightailed it into the bushes. A salient reminder that mankind is lion’s biggest predator and they were more scared of us than we of them. An exciting encounter nonetheless!
Walking interrupted by elephants
The following morning, I walked through to Takwela with my guide. The camps are about 10 kilometres apart and I loved every moment of the walk, its progress often delayed by wildlife interruptions. We has to wait patiently for a bull elephant to pass us by; meanwhile my guide from Takwela, who I waded across the river to meet, had also been delayed by a number of elephant families making their way to the river to drink.
The perfect North Luangwa itinerary
The terrain changed as we neared Takwela with much bigger trees, in particular sections of cathedral mopane. The outlook from this camp is expansive, with wide views over the confluence of the Mwaleshi and Luangwa Rivers which hum with the bellows of many, many hippos! Takwela has access to more areas where you can combine walking with game drives, though the game drives can be a bit quiet as the game is not yet totally accustomed to game viewing vehicles. Either Takwela or Mwaleshi each work well as a standalone stay, but for an in depth North Luangwa experience, I would highly recommend staying at both camps.
Why Zambia is one of my favourite safari destinations
My whole experience in Zambia served to reaffirm my opinion – Zambia is still one of my favourite destinations. What particularly struck me on this trip is that, whilst a lot of the safari industry is becoming more luxurious, and in some instances even less personal, Zambia remains reassuringly true to the authentic safari style that I love so much. And long may that continue.
Mary stayed at: Kafunta River Lodge, Kapamba, Kuyenda, Nkonzi Camp, Mwamba Camp, Time + Tide Mchenja, Tena Tena, Mwaleshi Camp, Takwela Camp and the Ciela Resort.
Mary also visited: Nkwali, Chinzombo, Mfuwe Lodge, KuKaya, Chamilandu, Chindeni, Bilimungwe, Zungalila, Puku Ridge, Chikunto, Kaingo, Kakuli, and Nsefu
With thanks for images to The Bushcamp Company and Remote Africa Safaris
