Day 1
Leave
Lusaka early morning for the road transfer to the camp in the Kafue
National Park (+/- 4hrs). Lunch will be served in camp after which you
have some time to relax and familiarise yourself with the beautifully
secluded surroundings. From this point onwards you won't see another
vehicle or tourist for days except your own party, your guide and your
game drive vehicle! In the mid afternoon you set off on a game drive
into the most protected area in the region. Because of this protection
the wildlife is extremely abundant and elephant and lion and leopard
are not uncommon. As the sun starts to set over the river, your guide
will find a good vantage point to stop where you can sip sundowners and
watch the diurnal world fall asleep and the nocturnal world awake. Once
the sun has set you set off on a night drive where you may see
porcupine, civet, leopard, bush baby, hippo and lion amongst other
things. The drive then brings you back to camp in time for dinner.
After dinner you can relax and chat around the fire or you can turn in
early ready for the early start the following day.
Day 2
You
wake up at dawn and have some tea, coffee and a biscuit as the sun
rises. Once everyone is awake and ready to go you depart in the safari
vehicle and head out for the full day game drive. Around 9.30 am when
the stomach is rumbling you will stop somewhere with a great view of
the river or the open plains and have a bush breakfast. After breakfast
you continue slowly onward watching the wildlife go about its daily
business. After a hearty picnic lunch you continue onward, following
the meandering river and watching as the wildlife come to drink during
the afternoon heat. After enjoying sundowners, it is time to drive back
to camp where dinner will be served. After dinner you might feel like
sitting around the campfire talking about what you have seen so far;
your guide will be more than happy to expand on the day's sightings.
Day 3
Depart
camp early in the morning and enjoy a game drive in the local area,
perhaps looking for the animals that you heard throughout the night and
which may still be in the neighbourhood. After breakfasting in camp,
your guide will escort you, along with an armed scout, into the bush on
your first walking safari. Here your guide will tell you about all the
things you can’t see from a vehicle like spore, droppings, tracks and
hiding places. Your guide will also get you as close as possible to the
wildlife in a safe manner and without disturbing the animals. After a
few hours of seeing the wildlife in the most natural way possible you
will return to camp and have lunch. After lunch you can either do a
spot of fishing or take a slow river cruise down the Kafue river and do
some wildlife watching from the water. In the late afternoon it's time
to head out into the dusk on your third night drive. Dinner is served
in camp around the usual time of 8.30pm.
Day 4
Day
four offers the last chance to enjoy the Kafue wildlife on your final
morning drive in the park. After lunch in camp, you will have time to
relax and/or do some fishing before preparing for the journey back to
Lusaka.. An overnight in Lusaka is required before departing the
following morning. There are several guest houses, backpackers and
hotels in Lusaka which we can organise depending on your budget.
Day 5
Leave
Lusaka early morning for the road transfer to Lower Zambezi (+/-
2hrs). You meet our boat on the Zambezi River for the boat cruise to
camp (+/-2 hrs). This could be your first wildlife encounter as
the animals, especially elephants, come down to the river to drink
throughout the day. Lunch will be served in camp after which you have
some time to relax and familiarise yourself with your surroundings. In
the mid afternoon you set off on a game drive into the park where you
experience the African wild up close as you take in the sights and
sounds of your first safari in the beautiful Zambezi Valley. As the sun
starts to set over the river, your guide will find a good vantage point
to stop where you can sip sundowners and watch dusk settle over the
bush. Once the sun has set you head off on a night drive where you may
see civet, genet, owls and bushbabies amongst other nocturnal treats.
The drive brings you back to camp in time for dinner. After dinner you
can relax and chat around the fire or turn in early ready for the dawn
start the following day.
Day 6
Day
six is all about immersing yourself in the incredible scenery and
wildlife of the Zambezi River Valley! You wake at dawn, and head for
the national park where you will spend the whole day. Around 9.30 am,
when stomachs begin to rumble, you will stop somewhere with a great
view of the Zambezi River for breakfast. After a relaxing break you
continue your safari through the park until lunch time. A picnic lunch
will be laid on in a nice shady area with another great view over the
river and the park. After lunch it is back onto the safari vehicle for
more game viewing which will take you up to sunset. Sunset is the time
to sip your drink of choice, watch the sun disappear over the Zambezi,
and reflect on the game viewing so far. Once the world is in darkness,
it is time to night-drive your way back to camp where dinner will be
served.
Day 7
You depart
the camp early in the morning and enjoy a slow game drive in the local
area where you can try to find the animals you heard throughout the
night. You return to camp for breakfast, after which you head out
on a river cruise. Seeing an elephant cooling off on the river banks
from the vantage point of a boat is an incredible experience, and one
we will try our best to show you! You return to camp in time for lunch.
After lunch and a little relaxing it is time to head out on a leisurely
afternoon drive into the park followed by sundowners and another night
drive. Dinner is served in camp around the usual time of 8.30pm.
Day 8
The
final day of your Lower Zambezi safari starts early. After tea, coffee
and biscuits in camp, your guide will escort you, along with an armed
scout, into the bush on foot. Here you will learn about all the small
wonders the the Zambezi environment, as well as the habits and
behaviours of its amazing wildlife. Your guide will navigate you safely
through the bush, whilst providing you with plenty of photo
opportunities. After a few hours of walking, you will enjoy a picnic
breakfast, after which you will be met by the safari vehicle. You are
then driven back to camp where you can relax and/or do some fishing for
the mighty tiger fish. Lunch is served around midday, after which you
pack your bags and begin your boat cruise back upstream, where you will
meet your transfer vehicle back to Lusaka. Overnight in Lusaka is
required.
Day 9
Your
South Luangwa Safari starts mid-morning as you are collected from the
airport and transferred to our beautiful campsite located within the
surrounds of Wildlife Camp. Game viewing begins an hour before reaching
camp as we drive through the heart of Lupande Game Management Area, so
eyes peeled! After a quick briefing and a short while to settle into
the camp, you’ll have a lazy lunch before heading off on the first game
drive. You leave camp as soon as everybody is ready to get ahead of the
4pm rush, allowing for both an afternoon and night drive rolled into
one. The early departure gives a head start on the other lodges and
means you can enjoy sundowners at one of the beautiful oxbow lagoons in
an area that few other vehicles reach on their drives. Driving through
the park after dark offers excellent chances of seeing leopard, lion,
honey badgers and all the other nocturnal surprises this amazing park
is waiting to reveal. You’ll arrive back at camp between 20:00 and
20:30 for a delicious home cooked dinner.
Day 10
It’s
an early wake up call in preparation for the morning drive. Enjoy a
light breakfast, served with coffee or tea before setting off for the
second foray into the national park. During the drive there are
excellent chances of sighting elephant, buffalo, giraffe, hippo and
zebra. You return to camp at around 11am in time for a welcome brunch.
The early afternoon is yours to enjoy at your leisure; perhaps you
fancy a snooze, a swim in the Wildlife Camp pool, or just the
opportunity to swap stories and photographs at the bar. In the cool of
the early afternoon we’ll eat lunch and then it’s time to leave camp on
foot with an experienced walking guide and armed escort scout for the
walking safari. While you walk, your guide will explain the art of
tracking and all about the varied fauna and flora of the valley, all
the while keeping eyes and ears open for the big game that frequent the
area. You arrive back at camp in time for sundowners followed by a
delicious dinner. The evening is spent around the campfire, looking at
the stars and discussing the adventures so far.
Day 11
This
is really the highlight of the safari, as the drive heads deep into the
South Luangwa National Park, venturing further than most visitors ever
get. After an early start and a bite to eat at camp you set off on the
all-day adventure, heading towards more northerly sections of the park.
Following a welcome breakfast break in the vicinity of the Tena
Crossing, you continue your game drive north, and lunchtime finds you
at Fish Eagle Lagoon which is home to several pods of (very vocal)
hippo. The heat of midday is spent relaxing in the shade of a grove of
sausage trees, perhaps catching forty winks in the process. In the
afternoon the journey continues through the ebony groves and lagoons of
the northern section of the park. This is wild area and always carries
the anticipation of sighting rare game such as wild dog or eland en
route to the sundowners spot. After sunset the night drive begins with
excellent opportunities to spot shy nocturnal animals such as genets,
civets, bush babies and maybe even the diminutive Sharpe’s Ghrysbok.
The adventure ends back at camp in time for a welcome BBQ dinner,
drinks and a warming campfire. This is a long but hugely rewarding day,
and you might fancy an early night on your return!
Day 12
The
final breakfast is a scrumptious affair, with a big fry up at the
Kakumbi Salt Pan. Although you should keep a sharp lookout for all the
usual game, this is a particularly special day for the birders. The
route passes through the hauntingly beautiful Cathedral Mopane Forests,
so besides elephant and giraffe, eyes will be peeled for the
specialised woodland birds, such as racket-tailed rollers and white
helmet shrikes. The salt pan itself attracts a host of water birds, and
large flocks of the majestic crowned cranes are a virtual certainty.
Finally it’s back to camp to get ready for the transfer to the airport,
but there will be some time to catch up on your safari journal or
simply relax by the pool before you depart.
* Overnight accommodation in Lusaka is not included in the safari price.
Itineraries
are subject to the availability of the various activities. It may be
necessary for us to shuffle itineraries around, but we will do our very
best to ensure that you don’t miss out on anything!
