Zambia Travel Guide

Ye it is the real Africa!

Zambia, Safari Experience 04MAY 2008

I found the Safari park “Track and Trail” from the internet and paid my fees in US dollars in advance. Everything went very smoothly. The safairi park is situated in South-Luangwa, which was recommened to me by relatives.

I was picked up at Mfuwe airport by kirsten, one of the owners, who took me in a jeep to the park, that in itself was quite an experience as we drove into the sunset. Safari parks aside, one of the most spectacular thinbgs about Zambia is her sunsets which alwasy leave me gobsmacked.

By the time we arrived at the campsite it was dark, where I enjoyed a few mosi beers, tot eh sopund of hippos grunting nearby. The rules of the site where “no walking around unsupervised” which meant drinking beer and the usual toilet trips were slightly annoying even if it was for my own safety. Please don’t get me wrong, I was actually terrrified walking around and didnt want to walk around on my own!! I took my beer backc to my beautiful chalet, where I saw a note and a whistle. More house rules, “If you meet an animal please blow this whistle – DO NOT USE FOR SPIDERS”. My first reaction was to go looking for spiders in the bed!! Sleeping for me was very difficult, I was not used to the great African orchestra of baboons, birds, frogs, bats, insects and above all the deep grunts and belches from the many hippos. I have to admit I did not get very much sleep, but I really did not mind the 05:00 call, where I was was met for breakfast. Derek, my guide, was extremely knowledgeable and not only did I see “the usual” elephants, bufalo, zebra, baboons and the like, but also teh very rare african wild dog. The entire safari was completed with stories, anecdotes, legends, science and traditions which I will not go into here.

After a siesta, we had a night safari, includinbg a small pinic in the wilderness. The night safari was astonishing and was “very african” you even got the feeling you were part of a David Attenborough documentary. The evening meal was served with love, wow, I had informed Kirsten I was a vegetarian, and she made the most wonderful meals. She even made her own peanutbutter which was better than any I have had in Holland.

The following day, I had another spectacular safari in the morning, and I was dropped off at Mfuwe airport form y flight.

If I can summarise:

location – excellent
Food – to die for
Wildlife – stunning
Staff – they went beyond the meaning of service
Beer – a little expensive

Would I recommend it? YES!

A wonderful experience.

I was so impressed with the guides and people who helped us in the camp. I was in Zambia for a 4 day safari and was totally thrilled with the number of animals I saw. I would recommend Zambia as a safari destination to everyone. The weather was ideal and we were able to see the wild life during the day and at night with the large spot lights. The camp was well equipped with large tents, restaurant, bar and swimming pool and is in a perfect location right on the river.

A beautiful place brimming with friendly people, amazing wildlife encounters and stunning landscapes

I have enjoyed fantastic safaris in Zambia in the months of January, February, March and April. The birdlife, mammals and trees are fascinating, and I managed to see everything on a fairly close up level so got good photographs.
I have stayed in a range of beautiful locations, including lakeside lodges and simple accomodation.
The weather was dry, apart from a few huge thunderstorms, I would return to Zambia at this time of year again.
The local peopl I met were friendly and very photogenic.

The "real" Africa experience

Having visited Kenya, Tanzania, Botswana, Uganda, Namibia and South Africa, my favorite safari country is Zambia. Specially (North) Kafue and North Luangwa.

The scenery of the Busanga plains is exceptional, and for the rest Kafue will always surprise you with better and more thrilling game sighting while you are alone. So much unlike Tanzania and Kenya where every big cat cannot move without 20 safari vehicles on its tail.

North Luangwa is great for day long bushwalks, encountering the big 5 on foot. A vast space with *no* other man around for many, many miles. If you start to think what might happen if you break a bone on a long walk, far, far away from any help and infrastructure, North Luangwa is not for you.

If you like to encounter lions, stand in between 200 buffalos when you stepped out of the tall grass, this is the place to go.

Isolated non-commercial wildlife haven with heavenly bush camps.

We loved the bush camps in Zambia and stayed with Norman Carr in the South Luangwa. The time of year was a little disappointing for wildlife at a couple of the camps but the ones nearer to the river were fantastic. The guides were very knowledgeable and friendly and happy to please. Weather was spot on and there was no issue with flies. We also stayed at the Camp on the Zambezi and this was absolutely the highlight - an abundance of wildlife, no rush of safari vehicles at every sighting and the most friendly helpful people.

Fantastic park, great to see the animals up so close

Stayed at Flat Dogs Camp for about 4 days, and found it a great location to explore the park as it was very close to one of the entrances. The camp is open, therefore elephants, monkeys and hippos wander through quite a lot, so you can sometimes get a great view from the swimming pool. Our guide took us in using an open land rover, and knew all the sites where the animals would be located. This meant we got to see the lions quickly, which would have been impossible if we had tried to do it ourselves. Later, he and another guide took us walking in a section of the park (precautions were taken of course!!!) and described the various animals, tracks, and vegetation that could be seen. We used out own vehicle the following days, dividing the park into sections we wanted to visit as it was too big to do in one day. Was great just to be able to go where you wanted though don't advise getting stuck in the sand! Flat Dogs camp had great accomodation, good choice of food, bar, pool, and offered guided tours - definately recommended.

Zambia is still not overrun with tourists.

A Valley lost in Time

The Luangwa Valley in south-eastern Zambia is all but lost when talking about the most popular tourist destinations in Africa. Few people outside of Safari enthusiasts and back-packing adventurers had ever visited the place before the late 1990's, and in that fact lies it wonders and its charm. The valley is small by African standards being only 482 km long and 120 km at its widest point. It is situated at the southern tip of one of the spurs of the Great African Rift.

In places where the rift formed land on both sides began to slump. Just such a depression formed the Luangwa Valley and isolated it from the outside world by means of steep hills and daunting cliffs. For centuries its very inaccessibility guarded a vast wilderness where wild animals thrived and few people visited.

The Luangwa Valley is one of the few really wild places left in Africa. It has high concentrations, and a wide variety of wild animals.

If you have ever wanted to visit a wild and wondrous place that you thought no longer existed, go to the South Luangwa National Park. You will find it is an experience that you can connect with, in a deeper sense, and as with me, it will keep calling you back; back to a vast wilderness where today animals roam the land much like they did when our ancestors walked the earth.

I've traveled the world a lot, but still my experience did not prepare me for a place like this – a place where hippopotamus came up from the river at four in the morning to eat the sweet grass outside my bedroom window, a place where wild lions watched me watching them from only a few feet away, a place where there are no bars or restrictions, except common sense, between you and these totally wild animals. I was not only a guest of Norman Carr Safaris, but of this truly remarkable place and its wildlife. I felt honored and privileged to be there. It was exhilarating to ride and walk among them as they continue to roam, with little or no fear of humans.

My first task was finding a safari outfit to which I was willing to entrust my life. This adventure would not be a concession ride, nor would it be a zoo. This, I was hoping, would be the real thing! As it turned out, I need not have worried. Most Safari operations in the area are small. Wholesale tourism has yet to invade this little corner of the world.

For me one operator, Norman Carr Safaris, stood out from all the rest. On its Web Site http://www.normancarrsafaris.com/ I read the history of how they got started and was impressed with Norman Carr’s philosophy and vision. Living in the valley most of his life he was appointed one of the areas first Game Rangers. He believed that there was a special appeal to walking the bush. Safari the Old Way was what it was called, and its success in the Luangwa Valley was due in no small part to the man who has been called "the father of the non-consumptive walking safari". Bush drives are great but you are only and "observer" of Nature. When you walk the bush (not some carefully selected path) you are a "participant" with Nature!

Eco-tourism is supposed to be a new concept, but Norman Carr was doing it more that 50 years ago. He strongly believed in sharing the profits of his enterprise directly with the indigenous peoples of the region, to help them become self-sustaining and provide an alternative to illegal poaching.

Norman Carr Safaris offer the variety of a luxury safari lodge and a selection of five authentic and wonderfully appointed bushcamps. All the guides are indiginous and a number of them, still there, were personally trained by Norman Carr himself.

The Luangwa Valley is a place where time, for time’s sake, is meaningless except to know when it was time to leave, and wishing you could stay just a little bit longer. It is said that if you ever find a place like this, you will always go back. I could not understand that statement or pull such a place exerts on something deep inside you, until I went there. I still don’t fully understand it but I can tell you it is there today, whispering in my ear, calling me back!

The first time I visited the Luangwa Valley was in March of 2007 during the birding season when the birds were displaying their colorful mating plumage. I went back in June of 2008, right before winter set in. Everything was still green and the animals were plentiful. I plan to return in 2012.

Zambia is fabulous - wonderful scenery, wildlife and, generally the people.

Everything was as good as I expected when I lived there - only better. Saw stacks of wildilfe in the Kafue National Park/Lower Zambezi National Park, with the attendant prolific birdlife. The weather in Zambia is superb in September - warm, sunny, cloudless days and hot - but not the hottest months [October/November] aren't for the faint hearted as it gets VERY hot, particularly in the Zambezi Valley.
We drove around ourselves and found that generally the roads were good and have improved since I left home in 2001.
There has been much investment in the country; the bush camps are 'wild', not like the very 'touristey' operations in Kenya where if something unusual is spotted within 5 minutes suddenly 40 vehicles arrive. The camps are rustic, homely, comfortable and offer good food, ambience and second to none safari guides.
Thoroughly recommended!

Park and accomadations are great, but the animals have been greatly reduced over the years. My wife grew up in Zambia and recalls a much more populated national park.