Zambia·June 8 - 16 2024

Zambia: Leopards, Elephants & Waterfalls Oh My!

The place that I've been to where I was just completely awestruck, happy, moved is Victoria Falls between Zambia and Zimbabwe. -Hill Harper

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Overview

What makes Zambia so special? Zambia's national parks are bursting with first-class wildlife, like lions and wild dogs. Fewer visitors at smaller camps mean fewer groups led by some of the best-trained guides on the continent. Zambia is the birthplace of walking safaris. Nothing beats the feeling of Africa under your feet. Daily game activities include an afternoon drive leading into a nighttime safari. The smaller Zambian accommodations are models of low-impact tourism but with so much style. Zambia shares the famous Victoria Falls with its neighbor Zimbabwe. Victoria Falls may not be the highest falls on the planet, but they are the widest. During high water, an average of three million liters of water plunge over the edge of the falls every second of the day. Victoria Falls deserves its status as one of the original Seven Wonders of the World, and on this trip, you'll experience them from both sides!

Highlights

Join an escorted walk with both guide and armed ranger to experience Africa at ground level.

Join an escorted walk with both guide and armed ranger to experience Africa at ground level.

Spend a few days at South Luangwa National Park, Eastern Zambia’s signature wildlife destination.

Spend a few days at South Luangwa National Park, Eastern Zambia’s signature wildlife destination.

Enjoy a sundowner cocktail after a sunset game drive

Enjoy a sundowner cocktail after a sunset game drive

Victoria Falls is the world's greatest sheet of falling water

Victoria Falls is the world's greatest sheet of falling water

Luxury hotel & camp accommodations including daily animal sightings from the comfort of your room

Luxury hotel & camp accommodations including daily animal sightings from the comfort of your room

Savor the finest food in Zambia

Savor the finest food in Zambia

Itinerary

Here's a day-by-day itinerary of the trip.

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Lusaka

Day 1: Saturday, June 8, 2024

Fly into Lusaka, Zambia’s capital. Our guide will meet you at the Lusaka airport and transfer you to the hotel. After checking in, we'll meet for a welcome dinner at the lovely Latitude 15 Hotel, our home for the night.

Included

Dinner

Welcome drinks

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South Luangwa National Park

Day 2: Sunday, June 9th, 2024

We'll take the first scheduled flight to Mfuwe town, Zambia’s gateway to your signature wildlife experience, South Luangwa National Park. (It’s a short, one-hour flight). 

Upon arrival at Mfuwe, our group will go to Kafunta River Lodge, just outside the park gates. A 30-minute drive from the airport, Kafunta River Lodge is known for its magnificent view of the Kafunta River floodplain. 

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

Kafunta River Lodge has the only natural hot tub in the Luangwa Valley. It's 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 end to an eventful day’s safari.

Settle in, unwind, and savor a fabulous lunch while enjoying the panoramic views. Our first game drive and night safari follow afternoon tea at 3:30 p.m. 

Exhausted from our day's activities, we'll have a relaxing dinner on-site.

Included

All Meals

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South Luangwa National Park

Day 3: Monday, June 10th, 2024

This morning, we'll rise early for coffee, tea, and a light breakfast to fuel us for our stunning sunrise game drive. South Luangwa has the densest concentration of wildlife in Africa, from predators like lions, leopards, and African wild dogs to big game favorites like elephants, buffalo, and hippos - this park has them all. 

After lunch and a rest at the camp, we'll head back into the wilderness for more Safari and animal viewing in the late afternoon. We'll stop along the way for a "sundowner" and reflect on the day as the sun sets. 

Our night safari starts after sunset as the nocturnal animals awake for a new day. Your first-night drive will be a thrilling experience. 

Back at camp, we'll enjoy a lovely four-course meal.

Included

All Meals

Walkingdrive

South Luangwa National Park

Day 4: Tuesday, June 11th, 2024

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

It's also possible to arrange visits to a Mfuwe school and community project and the Mulberry Mongoose workshop, which creates lovely jewelry from snares collected by anti-poaching teams.

As always, we'll have all meals at the lodge. 

Included

All Meals

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South Luangwa National Park

Day 5: Wednesday, June 12th, 2024

This morning, we'll meet for coffee, tea, and a light breakfast. Then, we'll head out for another amazing sunrise game drive. 

We're on the lookout for lions, leopards, wild dogs,  elephants, buffalo, and hippos. One can never get enough wildlife viewing opportunities. 

We'll return to the camp for lunch and a rest.

Before we head out for an afternoon safari, we'll enjoy afternoon tea and cake. 

Afternoon "sundowners" will allow us time to reflect on the day as the sun sets. The night safari starts after sunset. You're about to meet the nocturnal animals as they start their day.  

Back at camp, we'll enjoy a lovely four-course meal.

Included

All Meals

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Livingston

Day 6: Thursday, June 13th, 2024

Today, we'll say goodbye to Kafunta River Lodge and all it has to offer. Our next destination is just as incredible. 

We'll head to the Mfuwe Airport for a flight to Livingstone. Today is a travel day. A driver will meet us at the Livingstone airport and drive us to the David Livingstone Safari Lodge and Spa. Welcome to the Mighty Zambezi River. Why not spoil yourself with a treatment at the spa (optional and not included)? 

Dinner is at the Kalai Restaurant. Rest easy and get excited about tomorrow's adventure. 

Included

B-D

Snacks

Not Included

Spa Treatment

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Zambezi River

Day 7: Friday, June 14th, 2024

After breakfast, we'll visit the awe-inspiring Victoria Falls! 

June is an excellent month for water flow as the rainy season recently ended. Take a light raincoat and plastic bag for cameras and phones to protect them from the spray coming off the falls.

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-minute speedboat ride is the most memorable way to get there. We'll meet the herd of rescued elephants, which the cafe helps support, before enjoying lunch overlooking the Zambezi River. 

This afternoon, enjoy a relaxing time at the lodge. A helicopter flight over the falls (highly recommended) or a sundowner cruise are optional activities that can be arranged and paid for privately. 

At tonight's dinner, we'll celebrate our time together and all the fond memories we'll have for a lifetime. We'll stargaze at the fireside while listening to that unique song ....the sounds of Zambia.

Included

All Meals

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Victoria Falls

Day 8: Saturday, June 15th, 2024

This morning, enjoy time on your own. Relax at the resort or plan a diverse activity such as a helicopter flight over the falls(Optional not included). Head into Livingstone’s small town center. While there, check out the Livingstone Museum

We will meet at the hotel by 3:00 p.m. for our sunset cruise on the beautiful five-star - Lady Livingstone. The Lady Livingstone is an upmarket river cruiser designed to ensure that guests have everything they want while on board. 

Included

Breakfast

Dinner

River Cruise

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Livingstone

Day 9: Sunday, June 16th, 2024

After breakfast, we'll say goodbye to our new friends with fond memories of our time together. Livingstone Hotel will arrange your transfer back to the airport for your flight home.

Included

Breakfast

You'll Be Staying Here

The Latitude 15 Hotel

The Latitude 15 Hotel

The Latitude 15 is Lusaka’s original boutique hotel, a 30-minute drive from the international airport, in a residential area of the city. Complete with a restaurant, bar, and spa. 

Kafunta River Lodge

Kafunta River Lodge

Situated 30 minutes inside the park, Kafunta River Lodge will knock your socks off. Each private chalet, the main lounge, and the dining decks overlook the game-rich floodplain. 

The David Livingstone Safari Lodge and Spa

The David Livingstone Safari Lodge and Spa

This luxurious Zambia Hotel with river-facing rooms ensures each guest enjoys the same serene views that once captivated David Livingstone, the intrepid explorer and missionary who was the first European to set eyes on the Falls. 

Hosts

Rupi Mangat

Rupi Mangat

Rupi is a travel writer with a particular interest in wildlife conservation and sustainability. She is a third-generation Kenyan who has been on safari countless times since she started writing professionally in 1998. She works with the Wildlife Clubs of Kenya as the editor of Komba, the magazine that promotes wildlife conservation among schoolchildren. With her strong connections with conservation organizations like the Wildlife Conservation Trust, which is not-for-profit, we’ll be spoiled by an insider’s view of the often challenging world of Africa’s amazing wildlife.  

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Price

Private Room

Private Room

Everyone gets their own fabulous room!

FROM$10,515.00/pp

Water runs through them!

Zambia & Zimbabwe

Zambia and Zimbabwe are neighbors, sharing the Victoria Falls between them. Zambia is a first-class destination with fewer tourists, enabling a more personalized safari experience. Once there, you must head over to Zim to experience the falls from both sides! Safe, secure, and otherworldly, this region does not disappoint. 

Zambia & Zimbabwe

What's Included

What's Included

All meals excluding lunch on day 7 and 8

The Elephant Cafe by boat excursion

All safari and game drives, entry to Victoria Falls

Flights within Zambia

2 glasses of house beer or wine with dinner

All ground transportation within the country

International Flights to Lusaka

Zambia entry visa

Gratuities

Personal purchases

Trip & Health Insurance (required)

FAQs

In winter, which is when we will be visiting, there’s hardly any rain and humidity is low. The skies are cobalt blue, the days are hot, and the nights are cool. Expect high's in the high 70's and low's in the mid 50's. 

Think LAYERS! The mornings will be chilly during the morning game drives and the afternoons will be warm. Light weight clothes in neutral colors to ward off the sun. All of our hotels have pools so don't forget your bathing suits to lounge after lunch. One of our luxurious hotels has put together a packing checklist.  Don't forget a hat and sunscreen.  

All US and Canadian citizens will require an e-visa to enter Zambia, GG2W will instruct you as to how to apply. Both travel insurance and medical insurance are required. Please see our travel insurance page for more information. Your passport must be valid for six months after departure from America. Please remember to bring your COVID-19 vaccine card.

As for other vaccines, the CDC recommends cholera, hepatitis A&B, rabies, typhoid, and malaria pills.

Fly into the capital city of Lusaka. 

The trip officially starts on June 8th, but if you are traveling across an ocean to get to Zambia, consider arriving a day early so you have time to relax and adjust to the local time zone. If you do decide to arrive early, please let us know and we will take care of booking your room for you and make sure that you are kept in the same room as you will be in when the trip starts. 

The domestic carrier will be using in Zambia requires checked luggage to weigh less the 15 kg and carry-on bags to weigh less than 5 kg. All of your bags will be weighed before boarding the plane. There will be a fee if your bags are overweight. So, pack smartly as you will want to buy souvenirs.

Inquire about this trip

Zambia: Leopards, Elephants & Waterfalls Oh My!

Zambia· June 8 - 16 2024· 8 nights

FROM$10515/pp