Kafunta Island Bush Camp

Highlights

• Five raised chalets open to the Luangwa River
• Morning and afternoon walking safaris with a guide and armed scout
• An elephant photographic hide at a waterhole beside camp
• Hot bucket showers in open-air bathrooms
• The "kitchen safari" behind the wood-burning stove
• Sundowners on foot, then a night drive back to camp
• A remote southern sector, far from other camps, built for safaris in Zambia on foot

Information

• Lodge type; Bush Camp
• Location; South Luangwa National Park, Zambia
• Lodge size; 5 Chalets
• Recommended stay; 3-7 nights
• Malaria risk; High — South Luangwa is a malaria area; take antimalarials
• Getting there; Lusaka to Mfuwe Airport about 1 hour 10 minutes by scheduled flight (roughly 580 km, 11+ hours by road); Mfuwe Airport to camp 3½–4 hours by road

Uncover The Wild At Kafunta Island Bush Camp In The South Luangwa National Park

Kafunta Island Bush Camp is a five-chalet walking safari camp on the Luangwa River in the remote far south of South Luangwa National Park. It opens only in the dry season and is run by the owner-managed Kafunta Safaris. Mahogany trees shade the camp, the nearest other camp is a long way off, and every day is built around exploring the valley on foot with a professional guide and an armed scout. This is the quiet antidote to the busier Mfuwe sector: no mains power, no Wi-Fi, very few other vehicles. You get the river, the trails and some of the finest wildlife viewing in Zambia.

Getting here takes commitment, and that is part of the reward. The camp lies about 3½ to 4 hours' drive from Mfuwe Airport and 2 to 2½ hours south of its sister property, Kafunta River Lodge. Most guests pair the two: a few nights of game drives and creature comforts near Mfuwe, then a deep dive into the wild south.

Rooms and Suites

The camp has five bush chalets, each raised on a wooden platform above the riverbank and open-fronted to the Luangwa, so you wake to the river rather than a wall. They are simple, honest and comfortable, and they put you right in the bush:

• Beds under walk-in mosquito nets
• A private viewing deck over the river
• Open-air en-suite bathroom with a hot bucket shower, flushing toilet and washbasin with cold running borehole water
• Solar lighting, with paraffin lamps in the evening

The bucket shower is hauled up and filled with hot water for you. Showering under the open sky with the Luangwa below is one of the great small pleasures of a Zambian bush camp.

Cuisine and Wine

Meals come from a wood-burning stove and a small, remarkably resourceful kitchen team, and the food far outstrips what the equipment would suggest. Breakfast and lunch are served in the thatched dining area. Dinner is often by candlelight under the stars. Guests are welcome behind the scenes on a "kitchen safari" to watch bread, roasts and puddings come out of a bush kitchen with no mains power. Local drinks are included in the rate.

Facilities

Facilities are deliberately minimal: a shady thatched lounge, a bar, a dining area and a campfire on the riverbank where the evening's sightings get retold. There is no electricity in the chalets and no phone signal or internet, and laundry is included. The camp is unfenced, so staff escort guests to and from their chalets after dark. This is not a luxury lodge. It is a classic, rustic bush camp for travellers who would rather hear lions at night than check their email.

Activities

Walking safaris are the main activity, run in the morning and afternoon in small groups led by a professional guide and escorted by an armed scout. On foot you notice what a vehicle drives past: tracks, dung, termite architecture, birdcalls and the shift in the wind that tells you elephants are close. The afternoon walk ends with sundowners, and a vehicle then meets the group for a night drive back to camp, the best time to search for leopard, genet and civet. Children must be 12 or older to walk.

Other safari activities available:

• Game drives and night drives
• Excellent birding along the river
• An elephant photographic hide at a waterhole just outside camp
• Cultural excursions to local communities

Frequently Asked Questions

Is Kafunta Island Bush Camp in a malaria area?

Yes. This Kafunta Safaris camp lies in South Luangwa National Park, Zambia, a high-risk malaria area. Take antimalarial medication prescribed by a travel doctor, use insect repellent and cover up at dusk. Every chalet has beds under walk-in mosquito nets, and the camp operates only in the dry season, when mosquito numbers are lower than during the rains.

How do you get to Kafunta Island Bush Camp?

Fly to Mfuwe Airport, the gateway to South Luangwa, on a scheduled flight of about 1 hour 10 minutes from Lusaka. From Mfuwe, the camp is a road transfer of roughly 3½ to 4 hours into the remote south of the park, or 2 to 2½ hours from sister property Kafunta River Lodge. Transfers from Mfuwe Airport are included in the rate.

When is Kafunta Island Bush Camp open?

This seasonal Kafunta Safaris camp in southern South Luangwa, Zambia, opens only in the dry season, roughly June to October, and closes for the summer rains. The later dry months are hotter, but they draw wildlife to the Luangwa River and its lagoons, which makes walking safaris especially rewarding. With only five chalets, it pays to book early.

What activities are offered at Kafunta Island Bush Camp?

Walking safaris are the focus of this South Luangwa camp: morning and afternoon walks in small groups with a professional guide and an armed scout. The afternoon walk ends with sundowners and a night drive back to camp. Game drives, birding, an elephant photographic hide at a nearby waterhole and cultural excursions are also available.

Can children stay at Kafunta Island Bush Camp?

Kafunta's remote walking camp in South Luangwa, Zambia, is not set up for young children. Guests must be 12 or older to join walking safaris, the main activity, and the unfenced riverbank setting suits adults and older teenagers best. Families with younger children usually do better at Kafunta River Lodge near Mfuwe, which has a broader range of vehicle-based activities.

Is there electricity or Wi-Fi at Kafunta Island Bush Camp?

No. This South Luangwa bush camp has no mains electricity, no Wi-Fi and no phone signal. Chalets use solar lighting and paraffin lamps after dark. Ask Kafunta Safaris about charging cameras and phones before you travel. For most guests, being properly off-grid in the remote south of the park is a large part of the appeal.

In Conclusion

Kafunta Island Bush Camp is the camp for travellers who want South Luangwa on foot, in a quiet corner of the park, with just five chalets on the river. Walking is the reason to come. Small groups, a professional guide and an armed scout give you the time to read tracks, catch the smell of elephant in the riverine bush and stop for a carmine bee-eater. Simple chalets, hot bucket showers and candlelit dinners round out a true bush camp, run with warmth and skill.

Pair it with Kafunta River Lodge: start with game drives near Mfuwe, then head south for three or more nights of walking. Come between June and October, when the dry season concentrates wildlife along the Luangwa. Uyaphi.com has been building Zambian safaris since 1999, and 27 years of putting travellers on the ground in Africa go into every itinerary, from Lusaka flights to the last transfer, with no booking fees and no credit card surcharges. Tell us when you'd like to travel and we'll build your Luangwa walking safari around you.