Zambia Wildlife Safari Recce - June 2008

Zambia Safari

What a trip!

After weeks of waiting I had finally landed in Lusaka having boarded a direct flight from Heathrow with British Airways. Met upon arrival and whisked through passport control by our friendly ground agent I was on my short connecting flight to South Luangwa Valley and Mfuwe. Met upon arrival i transfer by 4x4 the short drive to the main camp of Robin Pope Safaris, Nkwali. Set upon the banks of the Luangwa River amidst the shade of the trees, this is a great camp form where to start your safaris. My first two days are spent acclimatising and making my first exploratory forays into the renowned South Luangwa Valley National Park...and what a treat!


Nkwali Lodge with its open air showers and views of Luangwa River with hippos wallowing and crocs sunbathing is the perfect place to access South Luangwa Valley National Park as you have three choices: via the main gate, via boat, or by the much more fun, pontoon!

With two nights at Nkwali, I am not disappointed, even at a supposedly quieter time of the year for game viewing... within these first two days I have already seen lion (at close quarters!), elephants, hyenas, a variety of birdlife, hippos, crocs and had the pleasure of spending a full 20 minutes with a female leopard as she wanders through the night...


Moving on to our next stop we drive through South Luangwa National Park to the Nsefu Sector; the Nsefu Sector can be described as a "natural island" and is pretty much a private concession to the three camps that are located there, Nsefu Camp, Tena Tena and Tafika. My next two nights are spent at Nsefu Camp; once again located on the river this is the oldest camp in the park, and with its nearby waterhole and elephant crossing point it provides some excellent game viewing. Small rondavels with ensuite facilities and private terraces and open air dining make this a great place to stay as you feel the adventure of where you are but not at the expense of western comforts. A variety of activities are on offer from Nsefu Camp including night safaris (maximising leopard sightings), day excurions to the plains and hot springs, 4x4 game drives and some spectacular walking safaris from Nsefu through to its sister camp Tena Tena...Once again, great wildlife viewings and more leopards and lions...

Kakuli Camp was my next stop, still in South Luangwa National Park, but back across the river. A great spot just below the confluence of the Luwi and Luangwa Rivers and once again, cracking views! A cosy camp that has just been renovated, Kakuli has 5 spacious tents with open air baathrooms and views of the river where you can see the usual culprits at play! A honeymoon suite also provides a bit more privacy and great views over the river. A rustic but well decorated communal area also has views over the river and a mud wallow which during my stay was home to a rather stubborn hippo! Once again some great activities are on offer from Kakuli Camp including game drives by 4x4, night drives and walking safaris. Kakuli is the base camp for some beautiful satellite camps that include Luwi Bushcamp, Nsolo Bushcamp and Mchenja Bushcamp - these are fantastic camps varying in degrees of luxury with the highlight of your safari being walking between one or all of these camps to really get a taste for the wildlife of Africa and the South Luangwa Valley National Park.

Sadly, Kakuli Camp was my last stop in the South Luangwa Valley and I move on to the next stage of my recce, Kafue National Park. Other great camps and lodges to stay at in the South Luangwa Valley include Kapani Lodge, Luangwa Safari House and Robin's House.

The largest National Park in Zambia, Kafue is making its way back from some heavy years of poaching, Nowadays however this is in the past and game sightings are regular and of a good quality. It is important to pick the right time of year however some of the highlights include elephants, cheetahs (one of the best place to see cheetahs in Zambia) and the renowned Busanga pride of lions...

My first two days are spent at the Busanga Bushcamp located in the wetland area of the Busanga Plains and as we were to find out, the centre of the Busanga prides home territory...

Busanga Bushcamp is in itself fairly basic compared to other Wilderness Safaris properties however it still provides the comforts that every western traveller requires including ensuite bathrooms with western facilitie, large double beds with duvets and private terraces with hammocks overlooking the plains! Other lovely luxury lodges and camps that are great to stay at in the Busanga Plains area of Kafue National Park include, Kapinga Bushcamp and Shumba Bushcamp.

At first, I must confess, I am slightly disappointed with our initial game drive and the lack of wildlife in the area. One must remember however that this is an area where the wildlife does move away in specific seasons and we are only just at the beginning of the season when the wildlife starts returning. The next morning however, we are rewarded! The Busanga lion pride is spotted on the other side of the river channel and slowly, as we watch, the pride wakes and wanders through the river channel glistening as they emerge from the flowing river...We are then in for a treat, as for the next two days we have the pleasure of following the pride day and night, watching them wander the plains in search of food, meandering through our camp (!!!), sleeping, grooming and enjoying the fun of being a pride...Upon leaving, I have to say, it is one of the best wildlife experiences that I have had the pleasure of enjoying as it is rare that one gest to spend so much time with one animal or pride of lions at such close quarters...a real learning experience.

Next stop is Lufupa Tented Camp - more central to Kafue National Park and in much more of forested and scrub vegetation. Mid-range tented accommdoation along the river bank provides somewhere to sit back and relax at teh end of your day. Once again a great selection of activities on offer including boat trips, sunset cruises and night drives (some sightings whilst I was there included civets, lions, leopard). The Busanga Plains can also be accessed from this are if one is keen to spot cheetahs however you should bear in mind that it is a long drive up and back in one day.

My final stop in Zambia is the renowned and unavoidable Victoria Falls. Flying into Livingstone, I am all of a sudden quite wary of mving back into civilisation as I have been in the Bush for the last week or so; my fears however are soon brushed aside as i arrive at the wonderful Stanley Safari Lodge. Styled as an old English Country House with an infinity pool looking out to the spray of the Victoria Falls, lavishly decorated dining areas and rooms with huge bath tubs and open to the air, this is a great place to stop for a day or two. Another great lodge to stay at where you won't be disappointed is the renowned Tongabezi.

Victoria Falls and Livingstone as a town offer a multitude of different things to do including helicopter flights over the Falls (I had to do this and it was great!), white water rafting, walks to the Victoria Falls themselves, visits to the local park, walks with lions and romantic dinners in various locations including the renoqned Livingstone Island located at the top of Victoria Falls...

One of the pleasures of Zambia travel is that to date it is still not a busy destination. Compared to a Tanzania safari or a Kenya safari, etc this is a peaceful destination with some great wildlife viewing, more varied activities than other destinations and hardly anyone there! A number of my game viewings during the course of this recce were enjoyed alone or at the very most with one other vehicle at the sighting...

For further information on Zambia Safaris please click on the various links listed below:

Zambia Safari Holiday - an overview of Zambia as a safari destination
Zambia Holiday - further information on the wildlife that you can expect to see on your Zambia safari
Zambia Lodges and Camps - individual information on lodges in Zambia
Safari Holidays to Zambia - the main cultural and wildlife attractions that one can expect to see on your Zambia holiday
Zambia Safari - examples of safaris that we can tailor to your specific requirements in Zambia