8 Day Walking Safari Special - South Luangwa, Zambia

Please note this safari is seasonal and only operates between late May and the end of October.

3 nights at Tafika Camp

At Mfuwe International Airport, you'll be met and transferred by road (1hr30 to 2hr drive) to Tafika Camp (a 15-minute charter flight is available at an additional cost).

The camp is situated on the banks of the Luangwa River just outside the South Luangwa National Park, adjacent to the Nsefu Sector which is considered to be the most beautiful section of the park.

With only six spacious thatched chalets, Tafika is an intimate, remote eco-camp where you can shrug off all the cares of modern life and really get back to nature. The food is excellent with fresh produce supplied from the camp's own kitchen garden.

Besides day and night game drives in open safari vehicles and guided bush walks, Tafika offers bicycle safaris which add a new perspective to your safari experience. There's also the opportunity to visit the nearby cultural village and school that Tafika helps to support.

With a wide variety and abundance of wildlife and some of the valley's most experienced guides, Tafika Camp will offer you a remote and unforgettable safari. You'll seldom see other vehicles while out on your game drives. The camp's safari vehicles only have two rows of seats which allow you to benefit from the insights and knowledge shared by your guide. On night drives, dedicated spotters also accompany you to ensure you get the best possible sightings.

4 nights at Chikoko Tree Camp and/or Crocodile River Camp

These two small and exclusive bush camps in South Luangwa form the Chikoko Trails and offer the only true walking safari in the Luangwa Valley.

Here, there are no roads, no vehicles, in fact: no other people! Not surprisingly, this is the area where Norman Carr (renowned UK British conservationist d. 1977) chose to pioneer walking/photographic safaris, over the hunting safaris of the day.

Chikoko Tree Camp and Crocodile Camp are across the river from Tafika camp and both are inside South Luangwa National Park and are accessible on foot. How you get there and how long you'd like to spend at these camps is entirely up to you, but at least four days is recommended.

Getting to the camps is combined as part of a morning or afternoon game walk. Porters will carry your luggage so that all you need to carry is a camera, binoculars and sunscreen.

Crocodile Camp is about an hour's walk away from Tafika Camp, whereas Chikoko Tree Camp is either a two-hour walk or, if you prefer, a 25-minute drive, followed by a 10-minute walk.

Each camp sleeps a maximum of six people in spacious, natural chalets with en-suite facilities, including flush toilets and hot showers in the evenings. You'll be accompanied by an experienced walking guide, armed scout and chef as well as general camp staff to ensure your comfort.

Chikoko Tree Camp's rooms are built three metres above ground and with a great view out over your surroundings. Game viewing is great from either the comfort of your chalet as well as on your daily bush walks.

A typical day at camp

A typical day at camp is to rise early, before the heat of the day, take a long, leisurely walk in the morning (pace dictated by your wishes) with a halfway stop to brew up a welcome cup of tea or coffee with a snack. Ample drinking water is provided.

You return to camp mid-morning to relax, have lunch and perhaps a snooze before heading out on a shorter afternoon walk, returning to camp by dusk.

You'll have a good chance to see leopard, lion, buffalo, elephant and zebra, as well as Cookson's wildebeest and Thornicroft Giraffe (both unique to this area). Kudu and roan antelope are often seen as are huge buffalo herds. The birdlife is prolific and of an endless variety.