Custom Itinerary
Emily and Patrick’s Zambian Anniversary Adventure
Hi guys! Here’s an overview of what I’m visualizing for Zambia. Let me know what you think and if you want to price it out. I’ve included a few notes on availability. Chinzombo is the only one that’s starting to fill up, but there is only one suite at Chiawa.
Depart Austin for Zambia in the afternoon. The fastest routes are Dallas-Doha-Lusaka or Atlanta-Johannesburg-Lusaka. On the South Africa Route, you would overnight at the Johannesburg InterContinental Hotel.
Arrive at the Lusaka airport in the morning. Catch a charter flight from there to Mfuwe airstrip on the eastern side of the park. You will be met by your guide from Time + Tide. From there, it’s a relatively short drive to Chinzombo, which sits on the Luangwa River bank just inside the park gates. It’s one of the most stylish camps in Zambia and is a great place to unwind after your flight.
You might have time for an afternoon game drive, but if not, night drives are also available. Take a plunge in your private pool and enjoy a nice dinner on the patio to celebrate your arrival.
Take a day to settle into the bush with a standard safari day on game drives. The park has a healthy population of elephants and buffalo, giraffes, as well as one of the highest leopard densities in Africa. After your game drives, you should schedule a massage if you’re stiff from your flight.
Note: Chinzombo is open on October 20-21 but booked up 22-24.
After a nice breakfast, get in your vehicle for a transfer to Luwi camp. This two-hour drive will be more of an extended morning game drive to a new destination, and you will take many detours en route. Luwi is the most remote camp in the park, and it’s done in a classic canvas safari style with elevated furnishings. Have lunch at camp and settle into your room. Take a short walking safari before dinner. There is an oxbow lake near camp that may have hippos.
Note: Luwi has good availability.
Spend your first full day on walking safari. You may head out from camp or drive to another section of the park, looking for tracks to follow. The guides in Zambia are some of the best in Africa and will tailor your day depending on how long you want to spend out and what you want to see. Return to camp for lunch, dinner, and drinks around the campfire.
Spend a second morning out walking. After a great day of sightings, return to camp for a cool bucket shower and some reading. Enjoy a bush dinner and/or sundowner on your final night in South Luangwa
* Book Chiawa stay 3 pay 2 offer from Classic Portfolio.
Wake up in the morning and have breakfast back at camp before departing for the airport. It will be another two-hour game drive, but with a few less detours to catch the flight. Your prop plane will pick you up at Mfuwe airport and fly about an hour south to the Lower Zambezi National Park. The pilot should fly low over the river and the escarpment for a fantastic view of the landscape.
You’ll land at Jeki airstrip, where you will be met by staff from Chiawa Camp. It’s a 30-minute drive from the airstrip to camp.
Chiawa sits on the banks of the Zambezi and has a good position in the park. It’s not the most remote, but also not the most crowded. It’s luxurious, though maybe not quite as stylish as Chinzombo. However, it’s family-operated and authentic, so you get that comfortable feeling you have at a place like Lewa House.
I would book the Safari Suite, which has an additional living area and a large private pool. Its cost is on par with much smaller rooms in other countries, and you’ll be able to make this your home for four nights. Take a boat ride of the Zambezi and enjoy a cocktail before dinner if time permits.
Note: Chiawa Safari Suite is available at last check, but there is only one of them.
After breakfast, spend the day on a canoe safari. This is one of the best places to canoe in the world. The guides are top notch, and you can glide past herds of elephants and buffalo that have come to drink by the water.
The Lower Zambezi also has great game drives and walking safaris, so you can take your pick.
Choose your own adventure on your last full day. You could canoe, walk, drive, or just watch elephants from your pool. You could also spend a good part of the day tiger fishing. I’ve heard they’re tough to catch and put on a good fight.
End your day with a sunset cruise and dining on the water.
Fly back to Lusaka in the morning, for your return flight via Johannesburg or Doha.