Kafunta River Lodge

Highlights

• Cross into South Luangwa National Park by pontoon in the dry season, bypassing the queue at Mfuwe Bridge
• Soak in the only natural hot-spring tub in the Luangwa Valley
• Track leopard, lion and wild dog on day and night drives with long-serving guides
• Watch the floodplain from a floodlit hide beneath the main deck
• Dine on the deck under the stars, beside a towering wild mango tree
• Stay at one of the few owner-run lodges left in South Luangwa

Information

• Lodge type: Owner-run safari lodge
• Location: Eastern bank of the Luangwa River, about 10 km south of Mfuwe Bridge, just outside South Luangwa National Park, Zambia
• Lodge size: 8 chalets, 2 luxury suites and the private Sunset House
• Recommended stay: 3–4 nights
• Malaria risk: Yes — South Luangwa is a malaria area; take prophylaxis
• Getting there: 45-minute road transfer from Mfuwe Airport; about 1 hour by scheduled light aircraft from Lusaka to Mfuwe, with flights also from Livingstone

Discover The Wonders Of Kafunta River Lodge: Your Gateway to Safaris in South Luangwa

Kafunta River Lodge is an owner-run safari lodge on the eastern bank of the Luangwa River, overlooking a wide floodplain and lagoon just outside the South Luangwa National Park. Ron and Anke Cowan arrived in the valley in 1990 and fell for it completely. They opened the lodge to its first guests in 1998, and many of the team who helped build it are still here. That continuity shows in everything from the guiding to the kitchen.

The lodge stands on private land roughly 10 km south of the busy Mfuwe Bridge Gate. In the dry season, the Nkwali pontoon carries game-drive vehicles across the river into the park. It is just 1.5 km from camp and reserved for safari operators, so you skip the morning rush at the main gate. Add superb food, exceptional guiding and some of the best value in the Luangwa Valley, and you have an outstanding base for game drives, photography and birding.

Rooms and Suites

Kafunta has ten rooms: eight thatched safari chalets and two luxury suites, all facing the floodplain. A private safari house completes the picture. Each chalet stands about a metre off the ground on a wooden platform, with cool stone walls and polished stone floors. Mesh double doors let the breeze through and open onto a private veranda. Inside are two three-quarter beds under a walk-in mosquito net with a ceiling fan. The en-suite bathroom has a hot-and-cold shower, twin basins and a flushing toilet.

The two luxury suites are built of stone over two levels and are far more spacious. Their bathrooms add a free-standing bath and his-and-hers basins. Stairs lead from the bedroom to a mezzanine veranda under the thatch, with day beds for afternoon game-watching. You can even sleep up there under mosquito nets. The upstairs balconies are not suitable for children under six.

Sunset House opened in late 2023 on the edge of the floodplain, close to the main lodge. It is a private safari home with its own swimming pool, made for families and groups of friends who want space to themselves while sharing the lodge's guides and kitchen.

Amenities available;

• Mains electricity with back-up generator
• Charging points in every room
• Minibar fridge
• Tea and coffee station
• In-room safe
• Walk-in mosquito nets
• Ceiling fans
• Hairdryers

Cuisine and Wine

The food is among the best in the Mfuwe area: imaginative, generous and beautifully presented. Breakfast is a buffet of fruit, cereals, fresh bread and pastries, with a cooked breakfast served to your table. Lunch is usually a buffet, followed by afternoon tea before the evening drive. Dinner is a set three-course menu, served by candlelight on the deck when the weather allows or in the thatched dining room when it doesn't.

Local drinks are included in the rate. Champagne and premium imported wines and spirits are charged separately. Dietary requirements and children's meals are catered for with advance notice. Drinking water comes from a 60-metre borehole, with filtered and bottled water also available.

Facilities

The heart of the lodge is a huge thatched central area built around a wild mango tree and open-fronted onto the floodplain. It holds a bar-lounge, an indoor dining room, a fireplace and a small library. Beyond it, a vast multi-level wooden deck reaches out over the plain for breakfasts and starlit dinners, with a sunken firepit for evening drinks. A second viewing deck sits high in a tree facing the river and can be booked for a private meal.

Tucked beneath the main deck is a floodlit hide at eye level with the floodplain, superb for photographers after dark. Beside the bar, the infinity pool adjoins the lodge's star feature: the only natural hot-spring tub in the Luangwa Valley, fed by a thermal spring below the property. The camp is unfenced, and hippos often graze between the chalets at night. Complimentary WiFi is available.

Activities

Game drives are the lodge's great strength. Morning drives leave early, and afternoon drives roll on into night drives with a spotlight, when leopard, hyena and genet come out. From May to October the Nkwali pontoon takes vehicles straight into the park. Outside those months, drives enter via Mfuwe Bridge, about 30 minutes away. Most drives explore the Mfuwe sector, among the richest game areas in Zambia, where lion, leopard, elephant, buffalo and, with luck, wild dog are regularly seen in the dry months.

Morning walks are offered for guests aged 12 and over. For a dedicated walking safari, though, we recommend pairing this lodge with its remote sister camps in the south of the park, Kafunta Island Bush Camp or Kafunta Three Rivers Camp, where walking is the focus.

Safari activities available:

• Morning game drive
• Afternoon game drive continuing into a night drive
• All-day drive (on request)
• Guided walking safari (ages 12 and over)
• Private guided Zambia safaris with your own vehicle (prior reservation necessary)
• Floodlit wildlife photographic hide
• Visit to Project Luangwa
• Cultural village tour

Spa and Wellness

The Fig Tree Spa is a small, intimate treatment room tucked beneath a giant fig tree, offering a range of massages and treatments between drives. A gym sits discreetly at the edge of the lodge for guests who want to keep up their routine. For the best recovery of all, slip into the hot-spring tub as the sun drops over the floodplain.

Frequently Asked Questions

Where is Kafunta River Lodge and how do you get there?

Kafunta River Lodge sits on the eastern bank of the Luangwa River in eastern Zambia, about 10 km south of the Mfuwe Bridge Gate into South Luangwa National Park. Most guests take a scheduled light-aircraft flight of about an hour from Lusaka to Mfuwe Airport, and flights also run from Livingstone. The road transfer from Mfuwe Airport to the lodge takes about 45 minutes and is included in the lodge rate.

Does Kafunta River Lodge offer walking safaris?

Yes. Guided morning walks are available at Kafunta, but game drives are its real strength. Zambian park rules allow only guests aged 12 and over to walk. For a dedicated walking safari, combine your stay with the lodge's remote sister camps in the south of South Luangwa National Park, Island Bush Camp or Three Rivers Camp, where walking is the focus in a far quieter part of the park.

Is Kafunta River Lodge good for families with children?

Yes. Families are well looked after at Kafunta. Children aged 7 and over are welcome, and younger children are accepted at the manager's discretion. Families get their own game-drive vehicle, the kitchen prepares children's meals, and cots and high chairs are available. The camp is unfenced, with wildlife moving through, so children must be supervised at all times. The luxury suites' upstairs balconies are not suitable for under-sixes.

When is the best time to stay at Kafunta River Lodge?

June to October is the best time to visit Kafunta. The bush dries out, wildlife concentrates along the Luangwa River, and September and October bring the most dramatic predator action. The lodge is open from April to December. May and November offer greener scenery and better value. The Nkwali pontoon crossing into the park runs in the dry season, roughly May to October, when river levels are low.

What makes Kafunta River Lodge different from other South Luangwa lodges?

Three things set Kafunta River Lodge apart. It has the only natural hot-spring tub in the Luangwa Valley, fed by a thermal spring beneath the property. It is one of the few owner-run lodges left in South Luangwa, opened by Ron and Anke Cowan in 1998. And in the dry season its game drives cross into the park on the Nkwali pontoon, avoiding the queue at Mfuwe Bridge.

Is Kafunta River Lodge in a malaria area?

Yes. Kafunta River Lodge lies in Zambia's Luangwa Valley, which is a malaria area, so anti-malaria prophylaxis is recommended for every stay. See a travel clinic before departure, sleep under the walk-in mosquito nets provided in every room, and use repellent and long sleeves at dawn and dusk. The lodge uses a doctor based a few kilometres away in Mfuwe and has links to a flying doctor service.

In Conclusion

Kafunta River Lodge is the South Luangwa lodge to choose when you want first-class guiding, excellent food and a hot-spring soak under the stars without paying luxury-camp prices. The Cowans have run it hands-on since 1998, and you feel that the moment you arrive: the staff are long-serving, the welcome is warm, and the floodplain view from the deck is one of the finest in the valley.

Why go: superb game drives in the Mfuwe sector, among the richest wildlife areas in Zambia, with leopard a regular sighting. Add dry-season pontoon access, the valley's only natural hot tub, and outstanding value for an owner-run lodge.

How to do it: fly Lusaka to Mfuwe in about an hour, transfer 45 minutes to the lodge, and spend three or four nights here. Then move south to Kafunta Island Bush Camp or Three Rivers Camp for walking in wilder country. Families and groups should ask about Sunset House.

When to go: June to October for peak game viewing. Book well ahead for August and September, when the best rooms go early. May and November offer quieter, greener and better-value stays.

Uyaphi.com has been planning African safaris from Cape Town since 1999. That's 27 years of matching travellers to the right camps, flights and seasons across the continent. We'll build your South Luangwa itinerary around Kafunta with no booking fees and no credit card surcharges. Send us your dates using the form below and let's start planning.