The best accommodations Luangwa River Basin

Jean-Luc and Laurence will give you a warm welcome at the Wildlife Camp, an excellent address. Superb site with a clear view on the Luangwa, at the entrance of the park and close to Mfuwe. You can observe hippos from the pool, but also giraffes, elephants... The cuisine, served under the straw hut bar-lounge, is made from products of nearby farms. The chalets and safari tents are designed for the average budget; low budget camping. Bush camp stay can be combined. Game drive, walking safari in all inclusive or optional.

Buffalo is the first bush camp established in the park, on the banks of the Mwalshi River. Mark Harvey, who runs the camp, is also an excellent safari guide. The six reed cabins, two of which are on stilts, are re-installed each new season. The lodge is located in the heart of the black rhino protection area and is a good entry point for their observation. Game drives are available, but the specialty of the Buffalo is the 4-5 hour walking safari . The lodgeorganizes transfers from Kapishya lodge or the northern towns.

Located in the heart of the park, this large lodge built over a lagoon offers a panoramic view of hippos, elephants and antelopes drinking here. The 18 chalets are truly luxurious apartments, with wooden floors and beautiful decorations. All have a veranda with a view of the lagoon. The pool is quite large. In November, it is common to see elephants crossing the reception area to taste the fruits of the nearby mango tree. Can be combined with excellent bush camps in the south of the park. Great spa facing a hippo pool.

Set around a few trees, Mwaleshi Camp is located on the banks of the eponymous river, 10 km from the confluence with the Luangwa River where the other Remote Africa camp in this park is located: Takwela Camp (opened in 2019). As in any bush camp, the reed chalets combine comfort and rusticity, and the services are of a high quality. In addition to game drives, the camp offers day trips to Mwaleshi Falls and a day trip to the Bangweluu swamps. Visitors stay a minimum of 2 nights. Can be combined with camps in South Luangwa.

Run by Dutchmen Peter (photographer) and Kirsten, this camp near the park entrance is refined. The double or family chalets, facing the Luangwa River, combine natural materials, afro arty decoration and well-made furniture. Other options: rustic safari tents on platforms, immersed in the forest. The campsite has a lawn (with barbecues and cold water), platforms and tented huts. Swimming pool by the river. Good music at the bar, inventive cuisine with exotic flavors. All-inclusive formula possible.

What a transformation: Flatdogs Camp has been revamped and is now a beautiful and luxurious lodge at the gateway to the park and Mfuwe. A good compromise in price, since it is just at the entrance of the park, near Mfuwe, arranged on an exceptional site on a vast ground overhanging the Luangwa river, crossed by elephants and hippos. The small swimming pool with its deck is a paradise. There is a choice of spacious double tents with bathrooms, family chalets, a two-bedroom tree house and a family tent with a private plunge pool.

A small guesthouse that has grown and now has about thirty rooms distributed in different buildings within a vast and beautiful garden planted with pine trees in which campers can settle. Bright, pleasant, the less expensive rooms are organized around a patio. Others are real apartments with veranda, living room and small kitchen. All have a bathroom, TV, fan, small fridge and kettle. The set is old but the prices are reasonable. Billiards at the bar at the entrance.

The sublime Kafunta River Lodge spreads its refined luxury on the banks of the Luangwa. Access to the park is from the south, via a small reserved ferry. Imagine yourself in the lovely pool watching the giraffes drink from the floodplain. Or watch a herd of elephants taking a mud bath in front of your terrace. Restaurant, pool, designer lounge with distinguished sofas and boma. The stilt cottages and two suites were renovated in 2019. Small massage room. Can be combined with Island Bush Camp and Three Rivers Camp.

The only address in the park accessible to independent travelers in 4x4 and self-drive, this campground is located in the northern part, on the side of the Muchinga escarpment, about 1 km from the park entrance marked by the Mano Scout Camp. It is very basic, organized for campers to be completely self-sufficient in terms of food and drinking water. It has barbecue areas and a solar power generator, cold showers and dirt pitches under the trees.

Managed by Shenton Safaris, this bush camp is located 7 km north of Kaingo, another claw camp. It is located in a picturesque area frequented by many wildebeest and elands. The 4 reed cabins are decorated with beautiful batiks from the Tribal Textile workshop and the roof is designed in such a way that you can sleep under the starry sky. You feel like you are in the heart of the wilderness. Observatories have been installed nearby. The safari guides, led by Derek Shenton, are particularly attentive to photographers.

Well located in the park at the junction of the Luangwa and Mwamba rivers, this small lodge run by the Shenton family has 6 comfortable chalets, including 2 "honeymoon" chalets. Each has a terrace overlooking the Luangwa River. In the lounge, one can notice the magnificent bar carved in a chigomier trunk. Its privileged location offers beautiful game drive & walk. Kaingo has opened a number of observatories to photograph the hippos in their intimacy and an elephant hide allows, in addition to admiring the pachyderms, to spend a night on a platform.

Reopened in late 2019 after a total facelift by Chiawa, this design and aesthetic camp has nothing to do with a bush camp. Eight safari tents are all equipped with a star bed in an adjacent tower, a refreshing plunge pool, but also wifi and even air-conditioning, a rarity in the rooms and appreciated when it is 40°C. The terrace of the lounge restaurant facing the flood plain is sublime, the meals refined. Its isolated position in the heart of the park guarantees exceptional game drives in this area populated by leopards.

Located within the South Luangwa National Park, set back from the river but overlooking the valley from a hilltop, this lodge was the private residence of President Kenneth Kaunda for the duration of his term. Today, it is under the management of Chiawa Camp as is the exclusive Puku Ridge Camp in the heart of the national park. It is currently undergoing a complete renovation. The new lodge with a spa is scheduled to open in 2023.

In a most charming setting, the 6 thatched chalets with whitewashed walls offer a superb view of the Luangwa River. The décor is seductively rustic. The open-air bathrooms are very pleasant. The lodge is located in the Lupanda Game Reserve, in the middle of ebony and acacia trees that regularly attract elephants and giraffes. For families, there are two superb houses, Robin's House and Luangwa Safari House, with their round architecture. Can be combined with a stay at Nsefu Camp and/or Tena Tena Camp.

The Croc Valley Camp is an excellent budget address located on the banks of the Luangwa River at the entrance of the National Park and Mfuwe, it has a small swimming pool, a bar and a restaurant with a cosmopolitan and lively atmosphere. There is a choice of spacious double safari tents, air-conditioned dormitories with 2 to 4 beds, a camping site and a good deal: pretty double "eco-tents" for rent, fully equipped. Ping-pong table, hammocks hanging on the river bank in front of the hippos. Optional: full board with 2 activities per day and transfer.