Zungulila Bushcamp

Highlights

• The most remote of The Bushcamp Company's six bushcamps, deep in the wild southern sector of South Luangwa National Park
• Just four Meru-style safari tents and a maximum of eight guests
• A natural spring below camp that pulls elephant, buffalo and plains game within sight of your veranda
• Outdoor bathtubs and outdoor showers with hot and cold running water
• Walking safaris with a specialist guide and armed scout — the camp's signature activity
• Day and night game drives through one of the least-visited corners of the Luangwa
• Guided walks between Zungulila and its sister camp, Kapamba
• Solar-powered camp with Wi-Fi, fully refurbished in 2024
• Fireside dinners and sundowners above the Kapamba River floodplain

Information

• Lodge type: Classic Safari Bushcamp
• Location: Kapamba River, southern South Luangwa National Park, Zambia
• Lodge size: 4 Meru-style safari tents (8 guests)
• Recommended stay: 3-7 nights
• Malaria risk: Yes — South Luangwa is a malaria area; take antimalarial tablets prescribed by your doctor
• Getting there: Proflight from Lusaka to Mfuwe Airport (70–80 minutes), 45 minutes by road to Mfuwe Lodge, then a 3.5-hour game-drive transfer to camp

Immerse Yourself in the Untouched Wilderness at Zungulila Bushcamp

Zungulila Bushcamp is a four-tent classic safari camp on the Kapamba River in the remote southern sector of Zambia's South Luangwa National Park, run by The Bushcamp Company. It sits on a raised bank beneath winterthorn trees, looking out over a wide floodplain, and it is the furthest-flung camp on the company's circuit — a 3.5-hour game drive beyond Mfuwe Lodge. Out here you share the bush with very few other vehicles, and that is exactly the point.

The camp's secret weapon is the natural spring that trickles out below the main area. In the dry months it is one of the few reliable sources of water for miles, so elephants, buffalo, puku and impala file down to drink throughout the day. Siesta time, normally a lull on safari, becomes some of the best game viewing of your stay — from the deck, from your veranda, or from the bath.

Rooms And Suites

The four tents are classic Meru-style canvas, each with a private veranda facing the floodplain or the spring. Two of them look directly over the spring, which makes them the most sought-after beds in camp. The 2024 refurbishment kept the old-Africa bones and freshened everything inside, so the feel is unmistakably bushcamp, with the comfort of a far bigger lodge.

Each tent has either a four-poster king-size bed or twin beds, draped in mosquito nets, and standing fans in place of air conditioning. With a maximum of eight guests, Zungulila is small enough to book out entirely for a family or a group of friends on a safari in Zambia.

The bathrooms steal the show. Every en-suite has hot and cold running water, an outdoor shower and an outdoor bathtub — and few things on any African safari beat a late-afternoon soak while a herd of elephants drinks at the spring a short distance away.

Cuisine And Wine

Meals are fresh, generous and cooked in a small bush kitchen with a surprising amount of skill, built around local ingredients and adjusted to any dietary needs you share in advance. Breakfast is early and hearty before the morning walk, lunch comes during the midday siesta, and dinner often moves to the fireside under a sky full of stars.

House wines, beers, spirits and soft drinks are included in the rate; premium wines are charged separately. Sundowners on the floodplain, with the spring below and the light going gold, are a nightly ritual worth staying out for.

Facilities

The thatched main area combines a lounge, bar and dining area with a deck over the Kapamba River and the spring below. Solar power runs the lighting, battery charging and hot water, and Wi-Fi is available, though there is no cellphone signal — the camp keeps 24-hour radio contact with Mfuwe Lodge and the sister camps. A limited laundry service is included, there are no hairdryers, and mosquito nets and repellent are provided in every tent.

Activities

Walking safaris are the reason to come to Zungulila Bushcamp. South Luangwa is the birthplace of the African walking safari, and here every walk is led by a specialist guide with an armed park scout, reading tracks, dung and alarm calls on the way to elephant, buffalo, lion and the smaller wonders most visitors drive straight past. Walkers must be 12 or older.

Game drives in open 4x4 vehicles cover the wider southern sector, and afternoon drives run on into night drives after sunset, when spotlights pick up leopard, genet, civet, hyena and the occasional porcupine. Birding is excellent along the river and floodplain throughout the season.

For the keenest walkers, the camp can arrange a guided walk across to its sister camp Kapamba, turning a stay into a proper bush journey on foot. Evenings end at the fire with a drink and the day's stories.

Zungulila Bushcamp FAQs

Where is Zungulila Bushcamp and how do you get there?

Zungulila sits on the Kapamba River in the remote southern sector of South Luangwa National Park, Zambia. Guests fly from Lusaka to Mfuwe Airport on Proflight Zambia, about 70–80 minutes, then drive 45 minutes to Mfuwe Lodge. From there a 3.5-hour game-drive transfer reaches camp, so the journey doubles as your first safari activity. Shared road transfers from Mfuwe Airport are included in the rate.

Is Zungulila Bushcamp in a malaria area?

Yes. Zungulila is in South Luangwa National Park, which is a malaria area, and antimalarial tablets are recommended for every visitor. See a doctor or travel clinic six to eight weeks before departure for a prescription. The camp provides mosquito nets and repellent, and long sleeves and trousers in the evening add useful protection. Malaria vaccines given to children do not replace tablets for adults.

What activities are offered at Zungulila Bushcamp?

Walking safaris are the main activity at Zungulila, led by a specialist guide with an armed park scout through South Luangwa's southern sector. The camp also runs day game drives in open 4x4 vehicles, night drives with a spotlight after sunset, birding along the Kapamba River, sundowners and fireside dinners. Keen walkers can arrange a guided walk to the sister camp, Kapamba. Walkers must be 12 or older.

Can children stay at Zungulila Bushcamp?

Children aged 12 and over are welcome at Zungulila, and they may join walking safaris as long as they can keep pace and stay quiet. The camp is best suited to teenagers over 16 because walking is the focus. Families with younger children are better placed at The Bushcamp Company's Mfuwe Lodge or the private villas at KuKaya, which welcome all ages.

When is Zungulila Bushcamp open and when should you go?

Zungulila is open from 15 May to 1 November and closes for the rainy season. Game viewing builds as the bush dries out, and September and October are the peak months, when animals concentrate around the natural spring below camp and along the Kapamba River. May and June bring greener landscapes, cooler walking weather and fewer vehicles in South Luangwa's southern sector.

What are the tents like at Zungulila Bushcamp?

Zungulila has four Meru-style canvas safari tents, refurbished in 2024, for a maximum of eight guests. Each has a private veranda, a four-poster king-size bed or twin beds with mosquito nets, standing fans, and an en-suite bathroom with hot and cold running water, an outdoor shower and an outdoor bathtub. Two of the tents look directly over the natural spring where elephants come to drink.

In Conclusion

Zungulila Bushcamp is the camp for travellers who want South Luangwa on foot, far from other vehicles, with real comfort waiting at the end of each walk. Four tents, a spring that brings the elephants to you, outdoor baths, night drives and some of the finest walking guides in Africa — it is the Luangwa at its most remote and most rewarding.

It works best as part of a wider journey. Most guests spend a night or two at Mfuwe Lodge, then travel south through The Bushcamp Company's circuit, combining Zungulila with Kapamba or another bushcamp for three to seven nights of walking before connecting to the Lower Zambezi, Victoria Falls or a beach in Malawi or Mozambique. Rates form part of a safari itinerary, and we tailor every one around your dates, budget and interests.

Book early. The camp opens only from 15 May to 1 November, and with just eight beds, the peak months of September and October fill fast. Uyaphi.com has been planning African safaris from Cape Town since 1999 — 27 years of matching travellers to the right camps, in the right order, at the right time of year — with no booking fees and no credit card surcharges. Tell us when you'd like to travel and we'll build your South Luangwa safari around you.