Kaingo Camp

Highlights

• Kaingo Camp is Shenton Safaris' flagship camp, owned and run by the Shenton family since 1992
• Six brick-and-thatch chalets, each with an outdoor bathtub and a private deck over the Luangwa River
• Leopard country: "Kaingo" means leopard in Nyanja
• Exclusive use of the Hippo Hide and the Elephant Hide, plus the Wild Dog Lagoon and Carmine Bee-eater hides
• Carmine bee-eater hide guaranteed in September and October
• River Song Star Bed: a two-level riverside platform for a night under the stars
• Three activities a day: game drives, walking safaris and hide visits
• Afternoon drives continue after dark with a spotlight for nocturnal wildlife
• A maximum of four guests per vehicle, with camera rests, super-clamps and bean bags
• About 120 km of private loop roads across an 80 km² area of the park's remote north
• A thousand-year-old leadwood bar and a river-level deck for afternoon tea
• All meals, drinks and laundry included, with fresh produce from the camp's own plot

Information

• Lodge type: Classic Safari Camp
• Location: South Luangwa National Park, Zambia
• Lodge size: 6 Safari Chalets
• Recommended stay: 3-7 nights
• Malaria risk: Yes. South Luangwa is a malaria area, and prophylaxis is recommended
• Getting there: 70-minute scheduled flight from Lusaka to Mfuwe International Airport, then a 2½-hour 4×4 game-drive transfer to camp

Kaingo Camp: Where Leopards Whisper And The Wilderness Calls

Kaingo Camp is Shenton Safaris' flagship camp in South Luangwa National Park: six brick-and-thatch chalets on the Luangwa River. Barry Shenton and his son Derek built it in 1992, and Derek and his wife Jules still own and run it. It lies in the park's remote northern sector, a 2½-hour game-drive transfer from Mfuwe, far from the busy Mfuwe-area loops.

The name says what to expect. Kaingo means leopard in Nyanja, and the camp took the name after Goldie, a resident female leopard who liked the place enough to move into one of the chalets. Leopards remain the signature sighting. Elephant, hippo, lion, puku and the Luangwa's huge buffalo herds keep the drives between them busy.

The Shentons grade and maintain their own network of roughly 120 km of loop roads across an 80 km² area of forest, lagoon, plain and wafwa, the old courses of the river. Few other vehicles use these roads, so sightings are rarely shared. The camp is unfenced. Hippos grunt below the decks at night, and elephants wade across the river in front of the main area over brunch.

This is a camp for people who want to get close: serious photographers, keen walkers, and anyone who would rather sit at eye level with a hippo in a hide than watch from a crowded vehicle. Jules Shenton is a zoologist and wildlife photographer, and her influence shows in the hides, in how the vehicles are fitted out, and in the pictures on the chalet walls.

Rooms And Suites

Kaingo Camp has six brick-and-thatch chalets. All face the Luangwa River and are spaced well apart for privacy. Each has a king-size bed, an en-suite indoor shower, an outdoor bathtub and a private deck built out over the river bank.

Solar power runs a fan and charging points in every chalet, and the rooms are fully mosquito-proofed. The décor is rustic and personal: wooden furniture, local African textiles and Jules Shenton's wildlife photography on the walls.

The outdoor bath is the best seat in the room. Fill it in the heat of the afternoon, between activities, and the opposite bank becomes a private screening of elephant, puku and baboon coming down to drink.

Cuisine And Wine

Meals at Kaingo are full board, and all drinks are included, wine with dinner among them. Much of the fresh produce comes from the camp's own plot near Mfuwe Airport, and Shenton Safaris was a finalist for best safari cuisine in 2024.

The day runs on safari time:

• Coffee before the dawn activity
• A tea break in the bush
• Brunch back in camp, overlooking the river
• Afternoon tea on the deck
• A sundowner on the evening drive
• Dinner around the table with your guide and fellow guests

Zambian dishes sit alongside international cooking, and the kitchen handles dietary requirements given at booking.

Facilities

The centre of camp is an open-sided thatched main area facing the river. It holds the dining space, a reference library and the leadwood bar, cut from a tree reckoned to be around a thousand years old.

In front of it, a broad deck sits low over the Luangwa, close to water level. Afternoon tea is served here, and it is the best spot in camp for game-viewing and birding without leaving your chair. After dinner, a firepit with seating looks across the river into the park. Laundry is included in the rate.

Kaingo is unfenced, and wildlife moves freely through camp, so children must be supervised at all times.

Activities

Kaingo Camp offers three shared activities a day, all included in the rate: game drives, walking safaris and hide visits.

Game drives last about three and a half hours. Morning drives leave around sunrise with a tea break along the way. Afternoon drives leave after tea, stop for a sundowner and continue after dark with a spotlight for leopard and other nocturnal animals. Shenton Safaris seats no more than four guests per vehicle, and the open 4×4s are fitted with camera rests, super-clamps and bean bags.

Walking safaris began in South Luangwa and remain one of the strongest reasons to come here. Walks go out in the morning for three to three and a half hours, led by a guide and an armed scout over largely flat, open ground. Shenton Safaris won a 2019 award for best walking safari experience. Guests can also walk between Kaingo and its sister camp, Mwamba Bush Camp.

The hides set the camp apart from every neighbour:

• Hippo Hide: exclusive to Kaingo guests. It was Derek Shenton's first hide and sits close enough to the pod to hear every grunt.
• Elephant Hide: exclusive to Kaingo guests, a short drive from camp, where herds cross the river.
• Wild Dog Lagoon Hide: north of camp, for the midday rush of animals coming to drink.
• Carmine Bee-eater Hide: guaranteed in September and October, when the birds nest in the river banks.
• Two mobile hides: moved to wherever the action is.

For one night, guests can swap the chalet for the River Song Star Bed, a two-level platform on the river bank a short drive from camp. Dinner is served on the lower deck. Upstairs there is a king-size bed under the open sky and a bathroom with a bath, and the hippos call all night.

Frequently Asked Questions

Where is Kaingo Camp and how do you get there?

Kaingo sits on the Luangwa River in the remote northern sector of South Luangwa National Park, eastern Zambia. Guests fly into Mfuwe International Airport, about 70 minutes on a scheduled flight from Lusaka. A Shenton Safaris guide meets them there for a 4×4 transfer of roughly 2½ hours, most of it a game drive through the park. Return airport transfers are included in the rate.

Is Kaingo Camp in a malaria area?

Yes. Kaingo, like all of South Luangwa National Park and most of Zambia, is in a malaria area, and anti-malarial prophylaxis is recommended. The chalets are mosquito-proofed. Guests should still use repellent, cover up from dusk, and visit a travel-health clinic before departure for advice on the right medication.

Why is Kaingo Camp good for wildlife photographers?

Kaingo, Shenton Safaris' flagship camp in South Luangwa, was built around getting close with a camera. Guests have exclusive use of the Hippo Hide and the Elephant Hide, plus access to the Wild Dog Lagoon Hide, the Carmine Bee-eater Hide and two mobile hides. Vehicles carry no more than four guests and are fitted with camera rests, super-clamps and bean bags.

When is the best time to visit Kaingo Camp?

Kaingo is open from mid-May to the end of October, the dry season in South Luangwa. June to August brings cool mornings and thinning bush. September and October are hot, with game concentrated along the Luangwa River and carmine bee-eaters nesting in its banks. Kaingo's carmine hide is guaranteed in those two months, and September dates book out a year ahead.

What is included in a stay at Kaingo Camp?

Rates at Kaingo, Shenton Safaris' camp in South Luangwa National Park, include accommodation, all meals and drinks, laundry and VAT. They also cover return transfers from Mfuwe Airport and three shared activities a day: game drives, walking safaris and hide visits. Park levies are charged on top per person per night. Flights, visas, gratuities and personal expenses are excluded.

In Conclusion

Kaingo Camp is the South Luangwa camp to book if leopards, walking and photographic hides top your list, and if you would rather your camp were run by its owners than by a head office. Six chalets, four guests to a vehicle, a private network of loop roads and some of the finest hides in Africa add up to a safari you share with very few other people.

Getting there is simple. Take a 70-minute scheduled flight from Lusaka to Mfuwe, then a 2½-hour game drive into the park, with camp waiting at the end of it. We recommend three nights at Kaingo, then a walk or drive across to Mwamba Bush Camp for three more. That combination gives you the river and the hides first, then a classic bush camp, all in the same expert hands.

Kaingo is open from mid-May to the end of October. June to August is cool, green-gold and quiet. September and October bring the heat, the big herds on the river and the carmine bee-eaters. Those months fill a year in advance, so plan early.

Uyaphi.com has been planning African safaris from Cape Town since 1999, almost three decades of building trips like this one. We'll fit Kaingo into a complete safari in Zambia, with flights, transfers and onward connections to the Lower Zambezi or Victoria Falls arranged. As always, there are no booking fees and no credit card surcharges. Tell us your dates, and we'll check availability at Kaingo and across South Luangwa National Park.