Zambia: Leopards, Elephants & Waterfalls Oh My!

Arrive in Lusaka, the capital of Zambia, where you'll be meet by our guide at the airport and transferred to our hotel. After checking in, we'll meet for a welcome dinner and overnight stay at the lovely The Latitude 15 Hotel.

You take the first scheduled Proflight – Zambia’s
local air carrier to Mfuwe town, the gateway to South Luangwa National Park which is Zambia’s signature wildlife experience. It’s a one-hour flight. 

Upon arrival at Mfuwe, our group will be
met and transferred to Kafunta River Lodge, 
located just outside the park gates, a 30 minute
drive from the airport. Our lodge is known for its
magnificent view of the Kafunta River floodplain
which it faces. 

Beyond this floodplain, lies the Luangwa River – one of the best game viewing areas in the entire South Luangwa National Park.

Kafunta River Lodge has the only natural hot tub in
the Luangwa Valley, fed from a natural geothermal source on the grounds. With an average temperature of 37 degrees, the water is very
therapeutic. During cooler nights from May to July,
this truly is the perfect ending to an eventful day’s safari.

Settle in, unwind, enjoy a fabulous lunch while taking in the panoramic views. Your first game drive and night safari follows afternoon tea at 3:30pm. 

Dinner on site will be relaxing as we will all be exhausted from our day's activities.

This morning we will rise early for coffee, tea, and a light breakfast to fuel us for our stunning sunrise game drive. We will stop for refreshments along the way. You will surely be dazzled by the scenery. 

For lunch we will have a scrumptious buffet lunch. Afterwards we invite you to relax, take a nap or read a book. Later on enjoy tea and cakes before heading back out into the wilderness for more Safari and animal viewing. Along the way we will stop for a sundowner* and reflect on the day as the sun sets. 

*A sundowner is a cocktail or glass of wine in the bush, enjoyed while watching the sunset. There is perhaps nothing more rewarding in this world!

Once the sun sets our night safari will begins as the nocturnal animals awake for a new day. Your first night drive will be a thrilling experience. Once back to camp we'll enjoy a lovely four course meal.

Today is free for you to do what you want. Walking safaris with an experienced guide and an armed scout can be arranged or you can participate in the morning game drive with coffee in the bush. 

It is also possible to arrange visits to an Mfuwe school and community project as well as Mulberry Mongoose workshop which creates lovely jewelry from snares collected by anti-poaching teams.

As always breakfast, lunch and dinner will be taken at the lodge.

After the morning’s game drive, we will transfer to the remote Lion Camp in the northern part of the park, where, as the name implies, there is typically a healthy population of lions. 

All game viewing is impressive in this area with possible sightings of leopard, wild dog, large herds of elephant and buffalo. Not to be forgotten we may also see the unique Thornicroft’s giraffe, the Cookson’s wildebeest, the Crawshay’s zebra and an incredible diversity of birds. Due to the camp's location, game sightings are more exclusive.

Lion Camp offers guided walking safaris as well as game drives. We'll arrange our walking activities with the lodge upon arrival. 

Lion Camp’s cuisine is among the Luangwa Valley’s best - so we will dine in style.

The daily routine at Lion Camp is very similar to what you have experienced at Kafunta River Lodge. 

Early wake-up call, a light breakfast, and then off to game drive or walk the park until mid to late morning. After lunch there is a rest period followed by afternoon tea, an afternoon game drive, a night safari and then home to enjoy the campfire and dinner.

What will we see today?

Today we will fly on a scheduled flight back to Lusaka. The flight time will be about one hour with a connection. We will be able to get refreshments at the airport while we wait (excluded from the tour price). 

Upon arrival be meet at the airport in Livingstone and transported to the David Livingstone Safari Lodge and Spa. After checking in, you'll have time to relax by the pool or enjoy a massage* at the spa.

Tonight we'll relax enjoying dinner under the stars. 

*Not included

After a filling breakfast at the resort, we'll take the hotel shuttle to the awe-inspiring Victoria Falls! 

June is an excellent month for water flow over the falls as the rainy season has recently passed. It’s a good idea to bring a light raincoat and plastic bag for cameras and phone to protect them against June’s high-water flow and spray.

Then we'll return to the hotel for a road transfer to the departure point for The Elephant Cafe located upstream of Victoria Falls. The Elephant Cafe is rated the best in Zambia. Although it can be reached by road, the 30 min speedboat ride is the most memorable way to get there. Meet the herd of rescue elephants which the cafe helps support before enjoying lunch overlooking the Zambezi River. 

This afternoon the group can enjoy some personal down time at the lodge. Helicopter flight over the falls or a sundowner cruise are optional activities which can be arranged and paid for privately. 

At tonight's dinner, we'll celebrate our time together and all the fond memories we have made together. Afterwards, enjoy stargazing next to the fire while you hear the unique song....the sounds of Zambia.

After breakfast, we'll say our goodbyes to our new friends with fond memories of our time together. Livingstone hotel will arrange our transfers back to the airport of our flight home.