Wild Zambia Expedition
Despite being best known for the breathtakingly beautiful Victoria Falls, the country boasts a diverse range of topography and habitats, which, combined with a tropical climate, makes it the ideal safari destination. Also, Zambia is known as the ideal destination to enjoy walking safaris, and with NPE, you will have the chance to enjoy such activities.
We will visit the three most important national parks, staying at the best small boutique properties, at the heart of the wildlife hot spots, but away from the tourist masses. Walking safaris, solar-power boat rides, canoe rides, 4×4 safaris, activities that guarantee close contact with locals committed to the preservation of flora and fauna of the country, and even the option to fish for the famous Zambezi Tiger-fish, one of the world’s most exciting sports-fish!
Also, we have prepared a fantastic extension to Victoria Falls. There we have selected a family-owned lodge that provides great excursions to the falls, Livingstone, and the other highlights of the region, and also has a first-class horse stable and excellent trails where to enjoy horseback riding.
WHAT MAKES THIS TRIP EXTRAORDINARY
- Visit the most iconic National Parks in Zambia.
- Stay at award-winning, small, upscale camps, right in front of the rivers.
- Overnight at Lusaka at an intimate first-class hotel included.
- Meet the actors of the most important conservation organization in the country.
- Enjoy folk art at a remote camp.
- Superb cuisine, with drinks included.
- Amazing small-plane flights.
- Fish for the Zambesi Tiger-fish (Optional but included).
- Extension to Victoria Falls, with visits to Livingstone, nature parks, and horseback riding (Optional but included).
- Enjoy soft hikes, boat rides, canoe rides, and 4×4 safaris.
Jhon Hemingway
QUESTIONS?
If you have any questions, please let us know. We are here to help you!
Itinerary in Brief
Arrive in Lusaka
Your flight will have you arriving in Lusaka, Zambia, where you will be met and greeted by a New Paths Expeditions representative. Transfer to Latitude 15 Boutique Hotel. We will have free time to relax or enjoy the hotel facilities.
Overnight at Latitude 15 Boutique Hotel (Meals Aloft).
Kafue National Park
After breakfast, your drivers will be waiting in reception for the journey west out of Lusaka to the Kafue National Park. Kafue National Park is the largest of Zambia’s 20 national parks, and the transfer will take about three and a half hours. As the city falls away in the rear-view mirror, you will be carried through small villages that become more and more sparse as the park approaches.
Our destination, Ila Safari Lodge, is set on the east bank of the Kafue River in the central part of the park and will be our home for the next three nights. You will be accommodated in large, luxuriously appointed tents, each overlooking the river in front. All meals, drinks, and snacks are included. Twice a day, every day, we will embark on open 4×4 vehicles to explore the area around the camp in search of the diverse wildlife that populates the park. We will leave camp early in the morning as the sun rises over the African bush, returning mid-morning for a hearty brunch. After enjoying time to rest at our wonderful camp, we will go out again in the mid-afternoon with sundowners and snacks on board. We will return to camp after dark most of the days to enjoy superb dinners.
Overnight at Ila Safari Lodge (B, L, D).
South Luangwa National Park
We will enjoy another early start from camp this morning, but we will be driven back towards Lusaka this time. The road transfer to Lusaka Airport will take 3.5 – 4 hours. Then we will fly to Mfuwe.
The flight to Mfuwe, in the country’s east, will take just over an hour. Mfuwe is the gateway to the South Luangwa National Park.
The drive from Mfuwe Airport to Kafunta Safari Lodge will take about 40 minutes. First, we pass through local villages and the fields of the many subsistence farmers that choose to live along this small stretch of tarred road leading from the airport to the gate of the National Park.
As you turn off the tarred road, you realize what this part of the country is all about. The bush is all-encompassing, and you realize that there are almost as many animals living outside of the National Park as there are inside!
Kafunta Lodge will be our home for the next five nights. It is set overlooking a large floodplain leading down to the Luangwa River itself. In September, this floodplain is a grazing lawn and attracts many different species, all of which can be observed from the camp.
The South Luangwa is regarded across Africa as the ‘home of the walking safari’ We will go out to explore on easy hikes with our highly qualified guides. We believe that you will fully understand the saying that “from a vehicle, you can see Africa, but you can feel, sense, and smell Africa on foot.”
Sticking with the general concept of conservation, we have also arranged for the Seka Theatre Group to visit us at Kafunta and put on one of their educational plays. This group has been working in the area for 25 years. Their main goal is to educate local communities on the importance of protecting the environment in which they live. They perform different plays throughout the Luangwa Valley communities. They will perform one for us one evening.
Overnight at Kafunta Safari Lodge (B, L, D).
Lower Zambezi National Park
On the morning of day 10 in Zambia, you will bid farewell to the Luangwa and head to the Lower Zambezi National Park.
The flight from Mfuwe to Royal Airstrip will take about 1 hour and 45 minutes.
The strip is very close to our next camp, Royal Zambezi Lodge, so the transfer from the airfield will only take a few minutes. As with our previous safari camps, this one also overlooks the river.
The Kafue and Luangwa Rivers that we have visited previously are the two largest tributaries of the Zambezi River, so it is fitting that the Zambezi plays host to this, the final stop on our Zambia safari expedition.
Again, as with the previous camps, all meals and drinks are included while staying at Royal Zambezi, and this camp has earned itself an excellent reputation for the food it serves. You never go hungry while on safari, and this camp is no different. You will be offered an early breakfast before your morning activity, a big brunch/lunch in the middle of the day, a high-tea before your afternoon activity, and then a lovely 3-course dinner before bed. Don’t forget the snacks taken out for all activities. And the activities in this camp are wonderful and varied, you will be able to enjoy safaris in open vehicles and on foot as before, but in this camp, the water activities are something exceptional. You will have the opportunity to go out by boat or to canoe on the quiet side channels that run adjacent to the main river, and for those of you that wish, you will be able to try your hand at fishing for the famous Zambezi Tiger-fish, one of the world’s most exciting sport-fish!
Overnights at Royal Zambezi Lodge (B, L, D).
Back home or continue with the Victoria Falls extension
After breakfast, we say goodbye to our wonderful hosts and drive to the Royal Airstrip and fly to Lusaka. There, our representatives will assist you with all the formalities to catch your flight back home.
Meals (B).
Victoria Falls – Chundukwa Safari Lodge and Horse Ranch (Extension)
Continue your safari by driving north and east into Damaraland, a beautiful and diverse country. Along the route, you’ll cross Namibia’s highest mountain, the Brandberg, which stands at 2,573 meters above sea level, and stop to admire and absorb the magnificence of the environment. Colorful displays, majestic table-topped mountains, rock formations, and strange-looking plants characterize Damaraland. Wind, water, and geological forces have eroded this environment, resulting in rolling hills, dunes, gravel plains, and ancient river terraces.
The area’s variety and solitude, as well as its scenic magnificence, will reward and astound you, giving you a true sense of the term “wilderness.” If time permits, your guide will take you to the adjacent sights and geological sites of Twyfelfontein rock engravings (recently designated as a UNESCO World Heritage Site), Burnt Mountain, and the Organ Pipes.
Overnight at Doro Nawas (B, L, D).
Fly Back Home
This marks the end of your Zambia experience. After breakfast, you will be driven back to Livingstone Airport and assisted with check-in for your flight back home.
Meals (B).
Lodgings
Latitude 15 Degrees Hotel
This boutique hotel is the perfect stop-over before heading on your safari adventure. Its location (20 minutes away from the city center and 30 minutes from Kenneth Kaunda International Airport) will make this hotel your best stop-over after a long flight. It has all the facilities you need for a relaxing day before departing on your adventure.
Ila Safari Lodge
Ila Safari Lodge is located on the banks of the Kafue River in the center of Zambia’s largest national park. This modern first-class lodge is more accessible than most of the camps in Kafue National Park and is perfect as a springboard for reaching some of the park’s more isolated areas.
Kafunta Safari Lodge
The Kafunta River Lodge is set in the riverside forest on the banks of the Luangwa River overlooking the South Luangwa National Park. This classic upscale safari lodge offers guests all the comforts while being situated in an unspoiled wilderness and provides a fantastic safari experience during your stay. You will be able to discover some of the richest wildlife areas of Africa – hippos grunting, elephants bathing, birds chirping above you; it is all at your doorstep.
Royal Zambezi Lodge
Chundukwa River Lodge
When to go
Zambia is often considered best visited during the dry season, which lasts from June to November. Walking safari bush camps are available for six months of the year in and around South Luangwa. High temperatures are expected from September to October in the Lower Zambezi and the Luangwa Valley. Still, if you can endure the heat, you’ll witness extraordinary wildlife as animals compete for scarce water supplies. Rainfall is highest in January and February and lasts from December through March. Outside of these months, it may still rain, but the low crowds and excellent bird watching outweigh the chance of a downpour.
QUESTIONS?
If you have any questions, please let us know. We are here to help you!
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