Norman
Carr's approach to safaris was on foot - his early influence has left an
indelible mark on Zambia's safari ethos and operators throughout the
country have perfected the "art of the walking safari". Robin
Pope and Phil Berry, amongst a few others have maintained this wonderful
tradition. We have a natural bias towards walking safaris and strongly
recommend them to the majority of our clients - you will only find
comparable trips in select parts of Zimbabwe and only one in Botswana.
Do some research...
The ideal
situation in Zambia is a backed-up trip between seasonal bush camps, as
a minimum, over 7 days. These seasonal camps offer exclusivity and
access to some of the finest safari locations in Africa.
One of
the most alluring options is a full-blown grand portered trail exploring
the South Luangwa over 10 days - the best on the continent...but
available on special request only
- The
four primary areas of interest (Victoria Falls, Kafue, Luangwa and
the lower Zambezi) are best linked via air charter.
- The
sequence isn't of too much importance but we most often recommend
the Zambezi Valley as the first destination with Victoria Falls as
the final stop over.
- Duration
wise, it's best to plan on approximately 13 days worth of safari
activity. (Bear in mind that access into remote areas is relatively
expensive. This fact together with the special allure of some of
these spots warrants a minimum of 6 nights in these areas alone -
don't cut yourself short on time.)
- None
of our Zambian safaris are packaged tours so there's lots of
flexibility.
- Unless
special interest activities have been requested we strongly
recommend: a canoe safari on the lower Zambezi , a walking safari in
Luangwa, a mobile safari in Kafue and a brief stop (usually 2 nights
maximum) in Victoria Falls.
Logistics
into parts of Zambia make natural combinations of Victoria Falls and
Kafue as a western option and Matusadona, Mana Pools (lower Zambezi) and
Luangwa an ideal eastern option.
- In the
case of Kafue, we use the Victoria Falls/Livingstone border crossing
as a means for a fly-in connection with the Park.
- In the
case of the eastern combination, Kariba is the central hub in
Zimbabwe from which we charter directly to Mfuwe. (Mfuwe is also
easily linked with Lilongwe in Malawi.)
- A
third alternative is to do a simple road transfer from Kariba to
Lusaka and then link either with Kafue or Luangwa by air charter.
Zambia's
phenomenal variety of birds (740 species) and diverse habitats is a
major attraction to bird watchers.
It is
also ideal for species-specific safaris for those in search of leopards
and other nocturnal species as well as some of the uniquely
water-adapted mammals and important populations of endemic giraffe and
antelope.
The small
size of the lodges and seasonal bush camps plus the high standards of
guiding lend naturally to the needs of specialists or travellers looking
for a more exclusive safari experience.
We
regularly tailor make private safaris whereby we assign a Professional
Guide exclusively for the duration of the safari. (These safaris need to
be planned at least a season in advance.)
Zambia Menu
Safari
ideas
