Zambian Luxury Walking Adventure

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Start at a comfortable river lodge to settle into the rhythm of the bush. Morning and evening game drives follow the Luangwa's channels and oxbow lagoons, where hippo pods and crocodiles are constant company. Night drives here are exceptional — South Luangwa is one of the few parks in Africa that permits them, and leopard sightings after dark are almost routine. It is the ideal base before heading deeper into the valley on foot.

Staying at

Chinzombo Lodge

Chinzombo is Time + Tide's premier camp in South Luangwa, set on the Luangwa River in the valley where Norman Carr pioneered the walking safari. Accommodation is six tents plus a two-bedroom luxury family tent, styled modern and luxurious in natural tones that settle into the bush, each shaded by ancient msizi trees with a large covered deck, private plunge pool, and soaking tub. The main lodge adds a library, bar, and an infinity pool over the river. Unusually for the region it stays open year-round, with seasonal boating safaris as water levels allow. Children of all ages are welcome.

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Move beyond the main game-drive circuits into the remote walking country that made South Luangwa famous. Days are spent on foot with an armed scout and a senior guide, tracking elephant herds through mopane woodland and following fresh leopard spoor along dry riverbeds. The bushcamps are small — usually just four rooms — and there is nothing between you and the bush. This is safari at its most immersive.

Staying at

Mchenja Bushcamp

Mchenja is a Time + Tide bush camp on the Luangwa River, tucked into a grove of ebony trees about a two-hour walk north of its sister camp Kakuli. It has five safari rooms, each with picture windows and an open-air bathroom with a large soaking tub overlooking the river. It functions as a walking-safari camp, reached on foot along the riverbank and used as a base for tracking big game in the surrounding valley.

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Continue the walking trail to a second camp in a different habitat zone, keeping every day varied. The landscape shifts from dense riverine forest to open floodplains dotted with carmine bee-eater colonies. Walking between camps is the point — you cover real ground and start to understand the ecosystem as the guides do, reading animal signs, tracking by spoor, and learning how the bush connects. Nights are spent around the fire with nowhere to be but here.

Staying at

Luwi Bushcamp

Luwi is one of Time + Tide's most remote bush camps, set deep in South Luangwa along the ephemeral Luwi River in the valley where Norman Carr's walking-safari ethos still shapes the guiding. It's a simple, elegant camp of four tents shaded by tall mahogany trees on a dry riverbed, isolated enough that guests rarely encounter another vehicle. The emphasis is walking safaris led by armed scouts and guides, through riverine forest and open floodplain known for leopard and other big game.

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The Lower Zambezi is where land and water safari converge. Canoe silently past drinking elephants, fish for tiger fish in the rapids, and return to camp for afternoon game drives through pristine mopane forest. The camps here sit right on the Zambezi River with the Zambezi Escarpment as a backdrop — the setting is cinematic. It is less visited than South Luangwa, which means fewer vehicles and a genuine sense of wilderness.

Staying at

Sausage Tree Camp

Sausage Tree Camp is Green Safaris' flagship camp in Lower Zambezi National Park, on the banks of the Zambezi River. Accommodation is seven Bedouin-style tents, each with a private deck and open-air bathroom, plus the two-bedroom Kigelia House for families. The setting drives the experience — canoeing, boating, tiger fishing, walking safaris, and game drives on the floodplain — and the solar-powered camp welcomes children.

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