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African Safaris and Tours
Remote Lodges In Zambia
Remote Safari Camps in Zambia: Unplug in the Lower Zambezi, Kafue and South Luangwa
Zambia is big, thinly peopled and still gloriously wild at the edges. Its national parks are unfenced, the roads to them are long, and many camps sit far from towns and the busier lodge areas. These are small camps, often only a handful of tents, where the loudest thing at night is usually a hippo.
The camps below lie in or beside three parks: the Lower Zambezi, which faces Zimbabwe's Mana Pools across the river; Kafue, Zambia's oldest and largest national park, where Shumba Camp stands on a tree island out on the Busanga Plains; and South Luangwa, where several bush camps follow the Luwi River.
Getting there is part of the adventure. Air transfers are always the better choice in Zambia, where roads are decaying, eroded or flooded in the rains, so most guests fly to a nearby airstrip and are met by their guide. Our Zambia safaris show how these camps fit into a full itinerary.
Zambia's Remote Safari Camps
Amanzi Camp
Rates form part of a safari itinerary
Amanzi Camp overlooks the Zambezi in the Lower Zambezi, where the river runs broad and slow and Zimbabwe's Mana Pools lies on the far bank. It is a camp for travellers who want river life, big wildlife and very little else to distract them.
Busanga Bush Camp
Rates form part of a safari itinerary
Busanga Bush Camp stands on the Busanga Plains in the far north of Kafue National Park, Zambia's oldest and largest national park. The open floodplain around camp is grazed by lechwe and puku and hunted by lion.
Busanga Plains Camp
Rates form part of a safari itinerary
Busanga Plains Camp sits in the far north of Kafue National Park, where lechwe and puku graze the floodplain and lion hunt the open grass. It is a sister camp to Mukambi and Fig Tree Bush Camp, an easy pairing with a river stay.
Chiawa Camp
Rates form part of a safari itinerary
Chiawa Camp was the first camp in the Lower Zambezi National Park, opened by the Cumings family in 1989 and still run by them. It stands on the Zambezi with Zimbabwe on the far bank, and offers game drives, walking safaris, canoeing and boat trips. Its sister camp, Old Mondoro, lies deeper into the park.
Fig Tree Bush Camp
Rates form part of a safari itinerary
Fig Tree Bush Camp has just four tents, raised about three metres on platforms over a sandy lagoon on the Shishamba River in central Kafue National Park. Four tents means few guests and a wonderfully quiet camp. It is a sister property to Mukambi and Busanga Plains Camp.
Kafunta Island Bush Camp
Rates form part of a safari itinerary
Kafunta Island Bush Camp is a small bush camp on an island in South Luangwa National Park, its thatched chalets looking out over an oxbow lagoon. It is made for travellers who want the Luangwa's superb wildlife without the bustle of the busier lodge areas.
Kafunta Three Rivers Camp
Rates form part of a safari itinerary
Kafunta Three Rivers Camp takes its name from the three rivers that meet near camp in South Luangwa National Park. Expect giraffe on the plains and lion on the hunt, with comfortable rooms to come back to.
Kaingu Lodge
Rates form part of a safari itinerary
Kaingu Lodge is owner-run, on the Kafue River in the Namwala Game Management Area. Kafue National Park lies across the water, a ten-minute boat ride away. It is a quiet river stay with the warmth of owner hosting.
Kakuli Bush Camp
Rates form part of a safari itinerary
Kakuli Bush Camp sits at the confluence of the Luwi and Luangwa rivers in South Luangwa National Park. It is a classic bush camp built around walking safaris and game drives, with the rivers drawing wildlife past camp throughout the day.
Luwi Bush Camp
Rates form part of a safari itinerary
Luwi Bush Camp is a walking-safari camp in South Luangwa National Park. Days are spent on foot with an experienced guide, reading tracks and learning the smaller details of the bush that a game drive rushes past.
Mchenja Camp
Rates form part of a safari itinerary
Mchenja Camp is a tented camp in South Luangwa National Park, designed to blend into the riverine bush around it. It pairs luxury accommodation with the real feel of a bush camp, and the wildlife is never far from your tent.
Nsolo Camp
Rates form part of a safari itinerary
Nsolo Camp stands on the banks of the seasonal Luwi River in South Luangwa National Park, designed to blend into the riverbank bush. It is small, quiet and properly wild, the kind of camp where the bush comes right up to the door.
Old Mondoro
Rates form part of a safari itinerary
Old Mondoro is Chiawa Camp's sister camp, set deeper into the Lower Zambezi National Park with just five reed-and-canvas rooms. Five rooms means a small, intimate camp, with the Zambezi Valley's wildlife all around and very few other guests to share it with.
Puku Ridge Camp
Rates form part of a safari itinerary
Puku Ridge Camp stands on a ridge in South Luangwa National Park, looking out over the floodplain where the puku it is named after graze. The height gives the camp wide views across the plains below, and elegant safari tents to enjoy them from.
Shumba Camp
Rates form part of a safari itinerary
Shumba Camp stands on a tree island out on the Busanga Plains in the far north of Kafue National Park. Its six tents sit on wooden platforms, there is a pool, and hot-air balloon flights drift over the plains. Shumba means lion, fitting for grasslands where lion hunt.
Remote Lodges in Zambia: Frequently Asked Questions
What makes a safari camp in Zambia remote?
A remote camp is one set well away from towns and the busier lodge areas, usually small and usually reached by light aircraft. In Zambia that tends to mean a handful of tents in or beside an unfenced national park, with lion, hippo and elephant for neighbours and very little else.
Which parks are Zambia's remote camps in?
The camps in this collection lie in or beside three parks: the Lower Zambezi, Kafue and South Luangwa. In Kafue they are on the Busanga Plains in the far north and along the Kafue and Shishamba rivers. In South Luangwa several follow the Luwi River, and the Lower Zambezi camps face Mana Pools across the Zambezi.
How small are Zambia's remote camps?
Some take only a handful of guests. Fig Tree Bush Camp has four tents, Old Mondoro five reed-and-canvas rooms and Shumba Camp six tents on wooden platforms. Fewer rooms means fewer people on game drives, quieter evenings round the fire and a camp that very quickly feels like your own.
Are any of Zambia's remote camps owner-run?
Yes, at least two are. Chiawa Camp was opened in 1989 by the Cumings family as the first camp in the Lower Zambezi National Park, and the family still runs it. Kaingu Lodge is owner-run too, on the Kafue River in the Namwala Game Management Area, a ten-minute boat ride from Kafue National Park.
Which remote camps sit on platforms, islands or ridges?
Several do. Fig Tree Bush Camp's tents stand about three metres up on platforms above a sandy lagoon, and Shumba Camp sits on a tree island on the Busanga Plains. Kafunta Island Bush Camp is set on an island in South Luangwa, and Puku Ridge Camp looks out from a ridge over the floodplain.
Who suits a remote safari camp?
Remote camps suit travellers who want quiet, space and unhurried time in the bush, often on a second or third safari. Keen walkers are well served: Luwi Bush Camp and Kakuli Bush Camp both offer walking safaris. Anyone who wants shops, a busy bar or a quick road out will be happier closer to town.
Map of Lodges in and around Zambia
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