Just Back from Zambia: A Thrilling Two Rivers Safari

By: Scott Dubois, Fauna Travel Designer

Zambia is beloved by safari connoisseurs for its welcoming hospitality, off-the-beaten-path feel, and plentiful wildlife. There is also something ineffable about the copper-toned light that is usually only found in dreams. I’ve heard it called “the real Africa”—which is certainly hyperbole. But it feels like an authentic adventure because it’s less developed than South Africa or Kenya. It’s also one of the world’s safest countries, and English is one of its official languages.

I recently spent a week in Zambia touring Time + Tide’s Zambian safari camps in both South Luangwa and Lower Zambezi National Parks, and it was an experience I won’t soon forget. I’m excited for my clients who have booked trips to Zambia for next year and want to share my experience to encourage others to consider visiting this beautiful country.

South Luangwa National Park

I became more sensitive to all of the information in the landscape: bird calls, tracks, and vegetation patterns.

After a long flight to the capital of Lusaka, I transferred to the village of Mfuwe on Proflight, Zambia’s main domestic airline. From 20,000 feet, you could hardly discern a road, and seeing such an undivided landscape was moving. On arrival at the tiny Mfuwe Airport, I was greeted by a representative from Time + Tide to drive 45 minutes past reed and brick-built towns to South Luangwa National Park. South Luangwa is massive at 2.5 million acres, and once you’re inside, it’s a world away from the villages.

Our first stop was Kakuli Camp, a collection of reed huts overlooking the hippo-filled Luangwa River. The accommodations were quite cozy for a hut, including a four-poster bed, a writing desk, and an outdoor shower. I was treated to a feast for lunch sourced from a mix of local and imported produce, including a homemade chili sauce that I adored. The Pan-African dining in the South Luangwa camps was a surprising highlight, and I didn’t have a single bad bite the entire stay.

Time + Tide ostensibly operates five small camps within the park, but they can be understood as one big camp that is spread out. Unlike other safari areas where I book clients a minimum of 3-4 nights per camp, it was no problem staying one night at a camp and moving on to the next one – especially when you can walk between them.

South Luangwa is known as the birthplace of the walking safari, my favorite safari activity. Visitors shouldn’t miss the opportunity to walk between camps instead of taking a car transfer. Walks are usually done in the morning to avoid the afternoon heat, and we saw elephants on foot on all three of my walks. You can’t approach them like you would in a car, but we did get a closer look at hyena and zebra before they ran off, and we also saw plenty of other animals like impala, baboon, and kudu.

It’s such a different feeling being outside the protection of a vehicle! You are a participant in nature instead of an observer. On our walk along the river from Kakuli to Mchenja, our presence made visible waves with hippos who barely noticed us a day earlier. I also became more sensitive to all of the information in the landscape: bird calls, tracks, and vegetation patterns.

My first game drives weren’t as eventful because I arrived just after the first rain of the season, which scattered the animals around the park. This is common in November, but I still had a taste of what visitors in September and October will experience. The birding was excellent, we saw a herd of 200 buffalo, giraffes were plentiful, and there were massive pods of hippos on the river. Away from the main gate, you are unlikely to see any other vehicles besides those from your camp, which adds to the remote feel.

One night a storm struck our sundowner, and I’ll never forget seeing a family of elephants crossing the Luangwa River backlit by lightning.

On my last full day, we walked from Mchenja to Nsolo camp and then took a car to Luwi, one of the most isolated camps in the park and one of the wildest places I’ve ever been to. Elephants greeted us on arrival, and a pair of male lions could be seen resting in the shade of a tree in the distance. The afternoon temperatures had been hovering around 100, but the safari tents were tucked into a tree grove, and a cool shower made the afternoon relatively pleasant. Triple-digit temperatures aren’t unprecedented here, but they historically have been in the mid to high 90s. Climate change combined with a historic drought is making extreme heat more common.

On our last night’s drive, we encountered the two male lions, Bruce and Frank, feeding on a bushbuck carcass ten yards from our vehicle. The smell of decay and the sounds of crunching bones were intense. As I settled into bed for the night, I could hear them roaring at a nearby waterhole, and the powerful vibrations made the hair on my neck stand up.

Lower Zambezi National Park

There were so many elephants – hundreds scattered through the forests and on islands in the river.

After a stop near the park entrance at the luxurious Chinzombo for a tour and refreshments, we departed Mfuwe for Lower Zambezi National Park. As our plane crossed over the mountains of the Zambezi escarpment, we could see the broad river valley stretched out before us. Its channels and sandbars were interlaced like a linear river delta.

Our destination was Time + Tide Chongwe, a classic tented camp situated alongside the confluence of the Chongwe and Zambezi Rivers. We were greeted by friendly staff, and a family of elephants gathered in front of our tents. They were feeding on grasses growing in the dry riverbed alongside impala.

Because of the drought, the river’s water level was lower than it had ever been. Unfortunately, this closed the canoe safari season in May and made boating more challenging. Still, the Zambezi River is gorgeous and straddled by mountains and dry forests dotted with baobabs. My river cruise on the first evening was lit by the most incredible sunset as storm clouds gathered on the horizon. Plus, there were so many elephants – hundreds scattered through the forests and on islands in the river. The Zambezi is truly an elephant-lover’s paradise!

My tented room was comfortable, and after a strong cup of coffee, I was genuinely rested for the 5 a.m. wake-up call. At dawn, our land cruisers made a short game drive to the park gate, where they checked in and spread out in search of animals.

The rains had not yet arrived, and we had great sightings on all of our drives—particularly wild dogs. There were slightly more vehicles near these, but we encountered the pack of 30 canines with juvenile pups multiple times, and the guides were always respectful. One evening, we were caught up in a thrilling hunt where the dogs killed an impala next to an unsettled herd of elephants who charged them angrily. The impala was ripped to pieces before the dogs retreated. It was a visceral reminder to live passionately but don’t cling too tightly. Ultimately, we all play the game, and then we die in the circle of life.

We also saw multiple lions and leopards hidden in the brush, but my favorite experience was being picked up by a boat at the end of our game drives for a relaxing water transfer back to camp for lunch. This option is unique to the Zambezi and differentiates it from other safari areas.

The park has so many activity options, and I was happy to have the opportunity for another walking safari the next day. On foot, we crossed from the park’s interior to a scenic spot along the river called “The Canyons,” where we found the remains of a village that once stood there. The bones of a tribal elder had become exposed to the elements by erosion, and we heard stories of others found with iron shackles still in place. It was a reminder of the region’s tumultuous history and a stark contrast to the peace in the wilderness we find today. Poaching is under control here, and the safari guides seem to have a positive relationship with the local community and the animals.

My time at Chongwe was one of the best travel experiences of my life. The stunning landscape and mix of activities kept things interesting, and I could have cruised the Zambezi every evening and never grown tired of it. There is nothing like gliding past pods of hippos or herds of elephants in a boat.

I grew emotional on departure and thanked my hosts in the local Nyanja language with “Zikomo kwambili!” I will be back again!

Next Stops

With a predicted shift to La Niña weather patterns, everyone is hoping for a better rainy season in 2025.

A typical Zambia itinerary would include Victoria Falls, but I couldn’t make it this trip. Other travelers reported on the historically low water levels there from the drought. However, there was still positive feedback because of the smaller crowds of tourists and alternative activities like microlight flights. Seeing wildlife in Victoria Falls National Park from above was an unforgettable travel experience for many. With a predicted shift to La Niña weather patterns, everyone is hoping for a better rainy season in 2025.

I returned home with a few mosquito bites, but Zambia gets under your skin in a different way. Nature is close at hand here, and the colors, sounds, smells, and tastes are more vivid. It had me asking myself: Why would I ever visit a city for another flavor of the everyday? Go where there are no roads, no power lines, no wilderness carved up into the landscape of man. Enjoy the luxury of doing nothing but watching the leaves shift in a light breeze to the chorus of animals. There are wild places like Zambia out there that are new but somehow feel like home.