8 Day Explore Luangwa Safari
Countries: Zambia
Destinations: South Luangwa National Park , North Luangwa National Park
Group Size: 2
Duration (days): 8
Number of Adults: 2
Number of Children: 0
This safari tour promises an authentic and adventurous expedition to Zambia’s South and North Luangwa National Parks.
The Explore Luangwa Safari itinerary offers an 8-day adventure in two distinct regions of Zambia. You will get to experience game drives, guided walking safaris, cycling safaris, and cultural visits to the local village, all while discovering the unique landscapes of the area.
Itinerary Outline
| Day | Location | Accommodation |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | South Luangwa National Park | Tafika Camp |
| 2 | South Luangwa National Park | Tafika Camp |
| 3 | South Luangwa National Park | Tafika Camp |
| 4 | South Luangwa National Park | Tafika Camp |
| 5 | North Luangwa National Park | Takwela Camp |
| 6 | North Luangwa National Park | Takwela Camp |
| 7 | North Luangwa National Park | Takwela Camp |
| 8 | Day of Departure |
Day 1 : South Luangwa National Park
On arrival at Mfuwe Airport, you will be met and transferred to Tafika Main Camp, marking the beginning of an exciting journey into the wilderness. This afternoon you have the opportunity to relax before setting off on an afternoon game drive.
Zambia
A land competing with the best when it comes to wild and action packed safaris, Zambia offers a world of exploration and adventure.
While sharing the mighty Zambezi River and Victoria Falls with Zimbabwe, Zambia also has some truly wild and spectacular destinations of its own. With some magical national parks offering great wildlife experiences, Zambia has developed a name for its excellent guides, and exciting safari activities.
Accessed by air via either South Africa or Kenya, or by road from Botswana or Zimbabwe, Zambia offers full safari itineraries, or can be a great combination with other East or Southern African countries.
In general, due to the remoteness of the parks in Zambia, fly-in safaris are popular, although mobile road safaris are available. A major highlight of a Zambian safari is the isolation of many of the luxurious camps.
South Luangwa National Park
The concentration of wildlife along the Luangwa River is extraordinary, and has earned South Luangwa National Park the reputation of being one of the world's greatest wildlife sanctuaries.
The vegetation of the Luangwa valley changes dramatically between the wet and dry seasons, and this change makes the park a wonderful place to visit at anytime of year, although access to some areas becomes limited during the peak of the wet.
As one the founding locations for guided walking safaris, South Luangwa is still one of the best parks in Africa to experience exploring the bush on foot.
Tafika Camp
Tafika Camp’s location on the east bank of the Luangwa River, north of the Nsefu Sector of the South Park, makes it ideal for those who enjoy the serenity of the bush. Here, exceptional game viewing is combined with exciting activities including daily day and night drives, mountain bike safaris, walking safaris, visits to the local Mkasanga Village and microlighting in May (only offered in May). Tafika also has two hides which offer the opportunity of game viewing in-between activities. Hides overlook the camp waterhole which is frequented by herds of elephant, bushbuck, puku, impala, mongoose and several bird species.
The Nsefu sector boasts some of the finest leopard viewing in Africa. This, combined with the abundance of diverse game populations; some of the most experienced guides in the valley, and the unusual and exhilarating safari activities available, make for an unforgettable African adventure. The Luangwa Valley is known as The Valley of the Leopard for good reason, and you have an extremely high chance of seeing several of these spotted beauties during your stay.
Tafika Camp is seasonally operated and is open during the dry season from the 1st of May to the 15th of November. Due to its remote location, exclusive sightings are the norm as there is very low congestion in the area.
Tafika Camp accommodates up to 14 guests in six spacious chalets with en suite facilities, built from natural materials around the trunks of stunning sausage and leadwood trees. Four chalets have twin double beds in each room; the honeymoon suite has an enormous king size bed; and a final chalet with two rooms, a king size bed and two doubles serves as the family suite. The family chalet has an add-on hide which overlooks the camps waterhole.
Day 2 - 4 : South Luangwa National Park
Your stay at Tafika Main Camp is filled with activities, including morning, afternoon and evening game drives, providing opportunities to witness the park's wildlife. Guided walking safaris will bring you even closer to nature, while cycling safaris offer a unique perspective of the surroundings. You'll also have the opportunity to experience the local culture with a visit to the nearby Mkasanga village.
The camp has 2 hides which offer the opportunity of game viewing in-between activities. The hides overlook the camp waterhole which is often frequented by herds of elephant during August to November. Our seasonal Carmine bee-eater hide (September through to October) offers great photographic opportunities of the colorful breeding colony.
Day 5 - 7 : North Luangwa National Park
This morning after breakfast you will be transferred to Mwanya (Luzuki) Airstrip, a short drive from Tafika Main Camp, for your flight to Mwaleshi Airstrip. On arrival, you will be met and transferred to Takwela Main Camp, for your 3 night stay.
Your days here will be spent exploring North Luangwa National Park. You will enjoy morning, afternoon and evening game drives in this remote and less-visited area, giving you a chance to encounter the unique wildlife that inhabits this region. Guided walking safaris here offer a more intimate connection with the pristine wilderness.
North Luangwa National Park
This remote tract of land, covering 4636 square kilometres, offers one of the finest wilderness experiences in Zambia, if not Africa itself. It is not open to the public and there are no permanent lodges there. Access is with one of the few safari operators granted permission to conduct walking safaris.
The beauty of visiting this Park is the truly remarkable opportunities to experience Africa as it was. It is wild and untouched and you are simply an unobtrusive witness to its natural beauty and drama. Although declared a wilderness area, the North Park, was not open to anyone other than Game Department rangers for more than thirty years. In 1984, Major John Harvey and his wife Lorna sought permission to conduct walking safaris in the area and for many years were the only operators in this remote wilderness.
Then in 1989, two scientists, Mark and Delia Owens, famous for their book ‘Cry of the Kalahari’, were granted permission to set up a research station in the Park. Through their influence and as a means of helping to curb poaching in the area, the authorities allowed entry to a few more safari operators who bring limited numbers into the Park for guided walking safaris and game drives. Their efforts in the North Luangwa are documented in their book ‘Survivors Song / The Eye of the Elephant’.
There are very few roads and you are unlikely to see anyone else for the duration of your trip. Like the South Park, it lies on the western bank of the Luangwa River bordered on the other side by the dramatic Muchinga Escarpment which rises over 1000 meters from the valley floor. Its hazy outline can clearly be seen from the Luangwa River.
There are a number of tributary rivers running through the Park and into the Luangwa which play an important ecological role in the area. The crystal-clear Mwaleshi River trickles down the escarpment in a series of small waterfalls. It recedes in the dry season, leaving many pools along the way, drawing the animals from the bush to its banks in search of water. No game drives are permitted in the Mwaleshi area, and access is by organized walking safaris only.
The vegetation ranges from mopane woodland to riverine forest, open grasslands and acacia thicket. Trees include the beautiful sausage tree, vegetable ivory palms, red mahogany and leadwood.
Takwela Camp
Takwela Camp, the latest camp operated by Remote Africa Safaris, opened in July 2019 in the North Luangwa. The North Luangwa is a remote and well-managed park which enjoys significant support from Frankfurt Zoological Society and a highly motivated complement of staff from Zambia’s Department of National Parks and Wildlife and North Luangwa Conservation Project.
Takwela Camp is situated on Remote Africa’s private land at the confluence of the Luangwa and Mwaleshi Rivers and has stunning views across a resident hippo pod to pristine bush on all sides.
Takwela accommodates a maximum of eight guests in four en-suite chalets, with two double beds in three and one king bed in the last chalet. In keeping with the Remote Africa ethos, the camp is solar powered and built, primarily, from local natural materials and constructed with local skills.
Day 8 - Day of Departure
Our safari ends after breakfast. You will be transferred to Mwaleshi Airstrip, for your flight to Mfuwe Airport.