Shortest
South Luangwa & Lower Zambezi
7 days · 6 nights. The same two parks with published rates.
From US$6,100View
Overview
The longest Zambia itinerary we run, and the one that spends the most time in a single place: four nights on the Luangwa.
A soft opening night in Lusaka at a small hotel near the National Assembly — eighteen air-conditioned rooms, a pool, and a proper safari briefing with your documents handed over before anything else happens.
Then a flight to southern Kafue, the remote end of Zambia’s largest park, for three nights of armed guided walks, day and night drives and village visits on the edge of a seasonal floodplain.
Four nights on the Luangwa at Luangwa River Camp, tucked under an ancient ebony grove on the riverbank overlooking the Luangwa Wafwa. Just five bush suites, brick and thatch, with en-suite bathrooms — some with sunken bathtubs — and sliding doors onto a deck over the river. The main area runs across elevated decks with a double plunge pool linked by a waterfall. Game drives, guided walking, seasonal boat safaris, village tours, the Wildlife Education Centre and Tribal Textiles.
Finally a charter flight to the Lower Zambezi for three nights of canoeing, boating, fishing and drives, and a last night back in Lusaka.
At a glance
-
Four nights on the LuangwaLong enough to stop travelling and start noticing.
-
Five suites at Luangwa River CampSmall, quiet, and right on the riverbank.
-
Flown between regionsScheduled and charter flights, with all airstrip transfers.
-
Walking at all three campsArmed guided walks in Kafue, the Luangwa and the Zambezi.
Day by day
Day 1
Lusaka
Met on arrival for a safari briefing and the handover of your itinerary and documents, then a private transfer to the hotel. Eighteen air-conditioned en-suite rooms, a restaurant, bar and lounge, and an outdoor pool. The Lusaka National Museum and the Freedom Statue are nearby.
Latitude 15 · bed & breakfast
Days 2, 3 & 4
Southern Kafue National Park
A private road transfer back to the airport for the scheduled flight to Kafue, then a game drive transfer from the airstrip into camp — a two hour drive, and an activity in its own right.
Three nights on the edge of a large dambo among jackalberry and sausage trees. Four chalets and two Meru tents, all en-suite with hot and cold running water. Armed guided walks, day and night game drives, park excursions and village tours.
Nanzhila Plains Safari Camp · meals, activities, local drinks, park fees and levies
Days 5, 6, 7 & 8
South Luangwa National Park
Back to the airstrip and a scheduled flight to Mfuwe, the gateway to South Luangwa, met by the camp guide for a game drive transfer.
Four nights in a luxury chalet at a small, intimate camp under an ancient ebony grove on the banks of the Luangwa, overlooking the game-rich Luangwa Wafwa. Five bush suites in brick and thatch, each en-suite with a bathtub — some sunken — and large sliding doors onto a private deck with river views. The main area stretches across elevated decks around a double plunge pool linked by a waterfall.
Game drives, guided walking, seasonal boat safaris, village tours, the Wildlife Education Centre and Tribal Textiles.
Luangwa River Camp · all meals, laundry, activities and airport transfers
Days 9, 10 & 11
Lower Zambezi National Park
Depending on the flight time out of Mfuwe there may be room for a last morning activity, then a charter flight to Royal Zambezi airstrip, 15 minutes from the lodge.
Three nights on three kilometres of Zambezi frontage in a Game Management Area bordering the national park. Classic tented rooms under thatch and four deluxe suites with plunge pools and Victorian bathtubs, all built on two levels into the riverbank, with timber decks running out over the shallows.
Two activities a day: day and night drives, canoeing, boating and fishing.
Royal Zambezi Lodge · meals, local drinks and two activities a day
Day 12
Lusaka
A road transfer to the airstrip and a scheduled flight back to Lusaka, met by your guide and transferred to the hotel for a last night.
Latitude 15 · bed & breakfast
Day 13
Departure
Collected from the hotel and transferred back to the airport, timed against your departure flight.
Breakfast included
What’s included
Park fees are included in Kafue but payable locally in South Luangwa and the Lower Zambezi, which is worth budgeting for.
Included
- Meet and greet on arrival, with a safari briefing and document handover
- All internal flights, private road transfers and airstrip transfers
- 12 nights’ accommodation as listed
- All meals throughout, and laundry at the Luangwa camp
- Activities at all three camps, two a day on the Lower Zambezi
- Local drinks in Kafue and on the Lower Zambezi, and Kafue park fees and levies
Not included
- Park fees and levies in South Luangwa and the Lower Zambezi
- International flights
- All drinks at the Luangwa camp, and premium imported drinks elsewhere
- Laundry, spa treatments, fly fishing and private vehicle or boat hire on the Lower Zambezi
- Additional activities beyond those listed
- Visas, gratuities and items of a personal nature
- Travel and medical insurance
Rates
This itinerary is quoted against your dates rather than published. All three camps price by season, the flight legs are costed per party, and Royal Zambezi Lodge is closed for part of the year — so a single headline number would be misleading. Send us your dates and party size for a firm, written, all-in price.
For a sense of where it sits: the Ultimate Luxury Zambia safari covers four regions over ten nights from US$9,440 per person sharing, and this is two nights longer.
Royal Zambezi Lodge is open March to December, so this itinerary does not run in January or February.
See What Our Travellers Have To Say
Other Zambia safaris
Shorter routes over the same ground.
Luxury
Ultimate Luxury Zambia
11 days · 10 nights. Four regions, and Livingstone in place of Lusaka.
From US$9,440View
Driven
Livingstone, Kafue & Lower Zambezi
12 days · 11 nights. A night shorter, driven throughout, and considerably cheaper.
From US$6,800View