South Luangwa safari is an 8 day African safari tour to Zambia. This South Luangwa safari includes all the highlights of the South Luangwa Valley.

About South Luangwa Safari

South Luangwa safari is an 8 day African safari tour to Zambia. This South Luangwa safari includes all the highlights of the South Luangwa Valley. This includes exclusive riverside accommodation.

You will also enjoy excellent game viewing excursions. The excursions on the South Luangwa safari go to the South Luangwa National Park. This Zambia safari tour explores the South Luangwa as you move from lodge to lodge.

South Luangwa Safari Itinerary

Day 1: Lusaka – South Luangwa National Park

You will be met on arrival at the Lusaka Airport. Our Zambia safari rep will brief you on this South Luangwa safari in Zambia. This will be followed by an air transfer to Mfuwe Airport. This is located in the Eastern Province of Zambia. You will be met by our driver guide who will be at the airport.

Enjoy a 45-minute road transfer to Mfuwe Lodge. The lodge is located in the South Luangwa National Park. Your accommodation on South Luangwa safari is in thatched chalet suite. You have the opportunity to explore the lodge’s facilities. This includes the swimming pool.

Later in the evening you’ll embark on a game drive. Be sure to get into a remote part of the Luangwa Valley.  The experienced guide will offer you a sundowner as the sun sets. Mfuwe Lodge is famous for the local elephants.

These huge creatures regularly wander through the entrance. This happens mostly in the month of November each year.

You’ll return to your lodge after your game drive. This is in time for a hearty meal to be served in your lodge. Evenings in the bush are magical. You’ll enjoy home-cooked meals, candlelight and a starlit sky.

The festive alfresco dining experience is the opportune time to relax. You’ll enjoy the wonder of Africa at this time.

Day 2 – 3: South Luangwa National Park

Your South Luangwa safari awakes before the sun rises. This prepares you for an early morning game drive. This is after a warm cup of coffee and a rusk. You’ll venture out into the wild alongside a trained guide.

The guide will show you the unfiltered wildlife of the South Luangwa Valley. You’ll return to the lodge for a hearty breakfast. Your South Luangwa safari will then depart by road to Bilimungwe Bush Camp.

This Zambia safari lodge is in the South Luangwa National Park. It is situated on the banks of the Luangwa River. The camp has three waterholes that attract numerous wildlife numbers. You’ll settle into your suite before enjoying a spot in front of the lagoon.

This is under a mahogany tree as you watch myriad of birds decorate the sky. You’ll enjoy lunch before you embark on an afternoon game drive. Wildlife to be seen include elephant, zebra, antelope, hippo and many others.

You’ll return to the lodge after the evening game drive. This is in time for dinner and post-dinner drinks. It’s time to retire into your suite for an early night’s rest.

Day 4 – 5: South Luangwa National Park

Your South Luangwa safari starts with an early morning game drive. This is to be followed by a delicious breakfast. Your South Luangwa safari then departs to the magical Chamilandu Bush Camp. The camp is situated further along the Luangwa River.

You will stay in a tree house positioned on stilts. You are assured of panoramic view of the plains from here. This exclusive safari lodge enjoys a remote position in South Luangwa. Here intensive game viewing can be enjoyed comfortably.

There is a nearby watering hole within the vicinity of the camp. Wildlife can be expected to visit the campsite during various times of the day. Enjoy a casual game viewing from the hide overlooking the waterhole. This will be followed by lunch in this lodge.

In the afternoon enjoy a game drive or walking safari in the game-rich valley. Take a break to enjoy the picturesque landscapes of the South Luangwa. Admire the vistas as you indulge in a sundowner.  You’ll be watching as the sun descends into the horizon.

Later you will return to the lodge to share your experience with fellow Zambia safari travelers. This is done around a blazing campfire with pre-dinner drinks. Dinner will be served either in the dining room or alfresco. This is to be followed by you retiring into your room.

Day 6 – 7: South Luangwa National Park

Your South Luangwa safari enjoys a game drive or walk in the park. This is at dawn before being served a hearty breakfast. This is to be followed by departure to Kapamba Bush Camp.

You’ll spend your afternoon exploring the Kapamba River. The dining room and bar area offers views over the river. It is ideal for an afternoon of relaxation. Enjoy the comfort of your suite as you relax in your own private plunge pool.

You’ll be surprised as elephants casually grace the camp grounds. If you are lucky enough you’ll spot the resident leopard. This is as it lurks mysteriously around the lodge. Kapamba is an ornithologist’s haven due to the prolific list of birdlife.

After lunch your South Luangwa safari explores the area on a game drive. You’ll return in time for a special treat. These are sundowners served around a table positioned in the river.

The sandy river allows safari-goers to walk into the water. You’ll enjoy the sunset surrounded by water. This magical South Luangwa safari experience will be engraved in your memory for a lifetime.

Day 8: Lusaka

your South Luangwa safari will starts with a final breakfast. This is to be followed by a morning game viewing activity. A South Luangwa safari road transfer will take you to Mfuwe Airport.

Here you’ll board a light aircraft to Lusaka Airport. This marks the end of this 8 days South Luangwa safari.

———- End of South Luangwa Safari ———-

South Luangwa safari Destination

South Luangwa National Park

South Luangwa National Park is one of the great remaining unspoiled regions of Africa. Even as Zambia’s reputation as a spectacular safari destination grows, it retains its essence of true wilderness.

South Luangwa National Park is a place that still feels relatively untouched by modern humans, and is therefore uniquely able to provide South Luangwa safari guests an unpredictable and exhilarating safari experience.

Because of that protected quality, it is important that you enter this country with a deep respect for the sanctity of the wildlife habitats and an appreciation for the ecology that supports this special environment.

The Luangwa River is the most intact river in Africa, and its tributaries and lagoons are the lifeblood of this region.

The changing seasons, from the ‘dry’ season in the winter to the ‘emerald’ season of the summer months, make this a vibrant and charismatic part of the world that you don’t want to miss on your South Luangwa safari.

It is important to note that alongside the beautiful scenery is also a beautiful culture. The people of Zambia are kind and friendly, and will welcome travelers on South Luangwa safari with warmth and genuine hospitality.

The local people are also some of the best guides in the entire country, and their passion for sharing their knowledge while working in these camps, which can be incredibly remote, makes the South Luangwa safari experience that much richer and more memorable.

History of South Luangwa National Park

The country of Zambia lies landlocked in the tropics, located at the northern edge of the region known as ‘southern Africa.’ Shaped like a butterfly and covering about 752,610 square kilometers, Zambia is roughly three times the size of the United Kingdom.

South Luangwa National Park – located in eastern Zambia – was declared a national park in 1972. As a protected game reserve for over 65 years before that, the park was never subjected to the degradation of unregulated mass tourism, thus sustaining its pristine wilderness.

It was here, in this park, that the now famous ‘walking safari’ originated, when Norman Carr, who was originally a ranger in the game reserves in the 1940s, began to operate wilderness safaris in the area.

Carr recognized the limitations of the early format of hunting safaris, and developed the walking safari to increase tourism to the area, as well as species conservation.

It could be argued that this shift in the travel tourism focus positively impacted the animal populations in the park and surrounding area.

Due to both the CITES ban on the world ivory trade, the presence of South Luangwa Conservation Society supported ZAWA teams, which carry out law-enforcement patrols on a regular basis, the park and its wildlife population (especially elephants) have remained remarkably stable ever since.

Not just the park, but the entire region is a true wildlife sanctuary. It is clustered with the neighboring North Luangwa, Luambe, and Lukusuzi National Parks. These are all separated by a cushion of game management areas.

The region is teeming with wildlife and is fiercely protected and conserved, so it remains largely unmolested. The best part of South Luangwa National Park and its adjacent GMAs is the remoteness.

More and more precious these days is that chance to relax into a rare night sky that is untainted by light pollution.

Here South Luangwa safari guests will fall asleep under the most impressive blanket of stars, including awe inspiring views of the shimmering Milky Way.

The small and intimate lodges contribute to this feeling of being in a place where the modern world has yet to intrude upon nature.

Wildlife to See on South Luangwa safari

At this point South Luangwa safari guests may be wondering what it is that draws so many wildlife enthusiasts and safari connoisseurs to this particular area, often returning to the same camps many times over.

Accompanying the reputation for a very high quality of guiding in this area, South Luangwa’s concentration of animals is some of the densest in all of Africa.

The park offers guests on South Luangwa safari a multitude of game that will satisfy any safari bucket list: from predators like the famed African wild dogs, majestic lions, and lean leopards to big game favorites like elephants, buffalo, and hippo, this park has them all.

South Luangwa also offers South Luangwa safari guests unique animal sightings, such as Zambia’s beloved Crawshay’s zebra herds (whose stripes are more distinct than those found further south and west).

There are 14 different species of antelope, including the elusive bushbuck; and the attractive kudu, with its spiral horns and delicate face.

Did we mention there are also 400 species of birds in the park, including 39 birds of prey? You’ll want to pack your binoculars and a camera so you can capture your sightings of these amazing creatures.

Because this park offers day and evening game drives, which is unique in the world of South Luangwa safari, a whole other nocturnal realm is opened up for your viewing excitement.