Luxury South Luangwa National Park
Tours made for you

Home of the walking safari and the highest game concentration in Zambia

Walking safari

Explore the park on foot with a guide

Sleep out

Spend a night under the stars

Wildlife spotting

Look for over 60 species of animals

A game-rich sanctuary to heighten your senses

Way back in 1950, a young game ranger called Norman Carr initiated a far-reaching and visionary conservation concept which was to pave the way for modern conservation and tourism. He encouraged Senior Chief Nsefu – the paramount Chief of the Kunda people in the Luangwa Valley – to set aside a portion of his tribal land as a Game Reserve, where he built the first game-viewing camp open to the public in Northern Rhodesia (now Zambia).

The original ‘Walking Safaris’ started here in this remarkably game-rich sanctuary, and they are truly the most exhilarating experiences you could experience while out in Africa. All your senses are heightened and it’s a wonderful opportunity to pick out the smaller details of the park. Rather than scanning the horizon, your eyes are drawn to what’s right in front of you, from paw prints and animal dung tiny insects and the vegetation that provides shade, shelter and sustenance to the park’s inhabitants.

The Luangwa River sustains a whole host of wildlife, birds and vegetation. There are 60 different animal species and over 400 different bird species. Throughout the park’s 9,050 square kilometres, lions, leopards, African wild dogs, hippos and elephants roam, as well as more unusual species such as Crawshay’s zebra.

Highlights

Sleep out under the stars in a dry river bed with just a bed roll and a mosquito net, not even a tent

Explore the park on foot, paying close attention to the smallest details that make this region so special

Keep a look out for over 400 species of bird, on river banks and in the tree, checking a variety of rare creatures off your list

Jody van Merode

Travel Designer

With one of the largest concentrations of wildlife in southern Africa, and the option of walking safaris, South Luangwa National Park is the ideal destination for anyone really wanting to get up close to Africa's inhabitants, big and small.

Jody van Merode

Senior Travel Designer

Trip inspiration

Get inspired with our South Luangwa National Park example trips and then get in touch to plan your own adventure

10 Day trip

A Zambian Walking Safari

Spend 10 exhilarating days exploring South Luangwa National Park on foot with experienced guides

From

$0 pp

Luxury Waterfall, Safari and Beach Adventure

A Luxury Tour through Zambia and Malawi, from the thunderous Victoria Falls and South Luangwa Park to the shores of Lake Malawi

From

$0 pp

15 Day trip

Incredible Zambia and Botswana Safari

Three different - but equally incredible - safaris across two countries

From

$0 pp

Why book with Jacada?

Personalised design

We’ll plan your trip around your specific interests, tastes and preferences, providing helpful tips and honest advice based on first-hand knowledge of the destination.

Authentic experiences

Our expert guides and brilliant travel concierges are hand-picked to provide a genuine experience, bringing your destination to life with care and passion.

Responsible travel

Our luxury trips are designed with responsible travel principles that prioritise travel experiences that are both good for you and good for the planet.

Luxury accommodation in South Luangwa National Park

There are many incredible places to stay in South Luangwa National Park. Here are some of our favourites, handpicked by our travel designers:

South Luangwa National Park

Chinzombo Lodge

A more contemporary and certainly deluxe addition to the safari lodges of South Luangwa, Chinzombo is an ambitious property that cleverly maintains its authenticity on a secluded bend of the Luangwa river. Within sixty acres of private land, its six standalone and geometrically-designed villas are incredibly spacious and brings together modern innovation with the atmospheric style of camping. One of the villas can accommodate a family of five, and these are all connected by a winding path lined with Msikzi trees leading you towards the main lounge and dining area complete with firepit, spa facilities, yoga and exercise areas. Enjoy day and evening game drives in this pristine wilderness, along with the signature walking safaris.

South Luangwa National Park

Mfuwe Lodge

Set around two lagoons and shaded by a canopy of ebony and mahogany trees is where you’ll find South Luangwa National Park‘s award-winning Mfuwe Lodge.The open plan reception, lounge, dining, and bar areas of the lodge overlook the two lagoons, with the wallowing hippo and thirsty wildlife sure to keep you entertained. There are 18 accommodations available, including two suites and three family rooms, styled as thatched air-conditioned chalets. Inside, each chalet has a comfortable sitting room, with the suites featuring an additional seating area upstairs, and the family rooms supplying ample space for two children. This region of the park is renowned for its prolific game, and giraffe, buffalo, antelope, and crocodile also being regular visitors to Mfuwe Lodge’s lagoon. Walking safaris can be arranged on request, but the majority of outings are game drives. Each year at Mfuwe Lodge, whole families of elephants visit between late October and mid-December to indulge on the fallen fruits from the large mango tree in the lodge grounds, a sight that is wonderful to behold. Activities also include spending some time with the local Mfuwe community and discovering the true meaning of relaxation at Mfuwe Lodge’s Bush Spa. As the sun sinks below the horizon, there is nothing better than finding a spectacular spot in the heart of the bush for a refreshing drink.

South Luangwa National Park

Mchenja Bush Camp

A quietly luxurious bush camp, Mchenja sits in under the shade of a grove of ebony trees on the banks a great sweeping bend in the Luangwa River. Five stylish octagonal tents have their own private en-suite open air bathroom plus Victorian style baths with river view. The central lounge is built around one of the old fallen Mchenja (ebony) trees and guests can cool off there in the camp’s plunge pool. Brunch is taken in the shady lounge but dinner is more often served on the river bank under the stars. Guests staying at Mchenja can choose whether they want to view their wildlife on foot or an open vehicle. The camp is the perfect destination to complete a walking or driving safari that has combined stays at Mchenja’s sister bush camps, with a little more comfort and pampering after time in the bush.

South Luangwa National Park

Puku Ridge

For incredible vistas and prime game viewing, Puku Ridge Camp is a superior choice for a stay in the South Luangwa National Park. Its allure comes from its outstanding location: perched on a hilltop in an exclusively remote area of the park, it offers guests panoramic views over the floodplains below. The opportunity for exceptional insights into animal behaviour is enhanced by the design of the camp which is camouflaged to blend in with its surroundings while leaving a minimal carbon footprint. Composed of a large living and central dining area and seven generous safari tents each with their own viewing deck, the feel of the camp is spacious and comfortable. Tents benefit not only from their own indoor showers and baths, but from outdoor facilities that are carefully shaded by forest for unique viewing experiences. Every area of the camp has been designed to take advantage of the incredible viewing opportunities offered by its surroundings, giving you the chance to spot more than 60 mammals and over 400 bird species while unwinding in communal areas, resting in your tent or even when in the bathtub. When you do venture out from the comfort of this luxury camp, you’ll be brought on game drives in especially designed 4×4 vehicles or on exciting and informative bush walks accompanied by expert guides. Lying nestled in a remote game-rich area of the park, lion, leopard, elephant, giraffe and zebra can frequently be seen alongside antelope, buffalo, bush babies, and impala.

South Luangwa National Park

Nsolo Bush Camp

Four spacious chalets sit on raised wooden decks with grass and reed walls and large, open air en-suite bathrooms. Each chalet runs on solar power and is set under the shade of evergreen trees with private verandahs overlooking the surrounding bush and waterholes in the Luwi River. The open sided lounge is on the banks of the Luwi River with a bush bar and dining area offering a peaceful refuge where guests can study the camps collection of books or watch a variety of game visiting the permanent pools of water on the riverbed. This is one of the South Luangwa’s more remote, luxury safari camps with many wonderful walking areas in the vicinity. There is also the opportunity to participate in game drives for those wishing to combine walking and driving. Various lion pride territories overlap in this area and the cats use the dry river bed as a thoroughfare and a means not only of locating their prey, which come to drink, but also of locating their rivals who must be warned to stay away.

South Luangwa National Park

Chichele Presidential Lodge

This stunning hilltop lodge was built in the 1970s for Kenneth Kaunda, the former president of Zambia. It has thankfully retained its original colonial style, and outside the grand dining room a long veranda stretches with views down the valley to the Luangwa River itself. On warm evenings, dinner is served outside near roaring fires that all adds to the atmosphere. Dinner is often accompanied by the grunt of lions or the saw of leopards in the wooded valleys that surround the lodge. Each of the ten suites at Chichele comes complete with a four-poster bed, air conditioning, luxurious bathroom and every amenity guests could wish for – all in the middle of the African bush. As with the rest of the lodge, the suites are decorated in an understated and elegant Victorian style. Watching the sun rise over the Luangwa Valley from a private suite is a rare privilege and well worth getting up early for. From Chichele Presidential Lodge, you also have the particular privilege of being able to go on night game drives, when it is possible to see all sorts of animals that are seldom seen by day – such as leopard, hyena and bush baby.

Ready to plan your adventure?

Whatever you want from your South Luangwa National Park tour, our team of expert travel designers are ready to help.

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When to visit

All year round. Dry season is April through to October (October can be very hot). This is also the best time to see the game as they are easier to find as they hunt good watering holes. The wet season is November through to April, when the rains are dramatic.

Best time for safari

April–October

Green season

December–March

Victoria Falls in full flow

April–October

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South Luangwa National Park

Whatever you want from your adventure in South Luangwa National Park, our team of expert travel designers are ready to help.

Start planning

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We recently returned from a trip to South Africa, Zimbabwe, and Zambia booked through Jacada Travel. From the initial stages of planning through to following up with us at the end of our vacation, Jacada went above and beyond our expectations with personalized service. Jamie and Eugenia, our travel designer and concierge respectively, took our ideas and preferences and ran…

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We have just returned from a wonderful holiday...the absolute best! Starting at the Victoria Falls, viewing from both the Zambian and Zimbabwean sides and topped it off with a view from above (helicopter).....was stunning! We then went onto Botswana staying at both Selinda and Mombo Camps....both camps were outstanding! Accomodation, food, game drives, guides and the 'team' on the ground…

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Jacada is beyond incredible and we look forward to planning future adventures with them. Our experience was flawless from beginning to end. Iain listened to our dream trip ideas and came up with a bucket list itinerary to Namibia, Zambia, Zimbabwe, and Botswana. James took over and guided us with his amazing care til departure. Such peace during our travels…

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Luxury South Luangwa National Park Tours made for you

A game-rich sanctuary to heighten your senses

Highlights

Jody van Merode

Jody van Merode

Why book with Jacada?

Discover more of Zambia

Meet your Africa team

When to visit

The Best Time to Visit Zambia

Zambia travel guides

Iguassu or Victoria Falls: Which Is Right for You?

11 African UNESCO World Heritage Sites You Have to See

First-Time Safari Guide: Everything You Need to Know for 2024-25

Iguassu or Victoria Falls: Which Is Right for You?

11 African UNESCO World Heritage Sites You Have to See

First-Time Safari Guide: Everything You Need to Know for 2024-25

Plan your trip to South Luangwa National Park

Plan with peace of mind

Luxury South Luangwa National Park
Tours made for you

Plan your trip to
South Luangwa National Park