Zambia African Vet Safari

We will meet at the “Staravia” Air Charters office in the domestic terminal of Kenneth Kaunda Airport, at 11h15. 

The office is in the corridor between domestic arrivals and domestic departures, next door to the Europcar office.  We will all meet here in preparation for our flight scheduled for 12h00 departure. Please remember the luggage restrictions:  15kg luggage per person in soft bags plus 5kg hand luggage per person.

For those arriving on the previous day, please contact us as soon as possible for assistance with hotels and transfers.

Flight time is approximately 30 minutes.

On arrival, transfer from the airstrip to the camp and check in. Enjoy lunch and some time to freshen up and relax.

Late afternoon, you head out on a game drive in an open game viewer with your local guide and African Vet Safaris veterinarian. This is your chance to start spotting all the magnificent wildlife to be found here and get those photos of a lifetime!

After stopping for sundowners to stretch legs and enjoy a drink, return to camp after sunset to enjoy dinner and a good night’s sleep after the day’s travels.

The Lower Zambezi Region

Set along the Zimbabwean border, the Lower Zambezi is one of Zambia’s most pristine and wildlife-rich regions. The vast floodplains, ancient forests, and sweeping escarpments create a spectacular backdrop for game viewing. Elephant herds wade through the shallows, hippos grunt from the river, and crocodiles bask on sun-drenched sandbanks. The park is home to abundant wildlife, including buffalo, lion, leopard, and countless bird species. Activities here range from game drives and walking safaris to canoeing, boating, and fishing for the iconic tigerfish.

Overnight: Baines’ River Camp

Nestled beneath Jackalberry and Tamarind trees on the banks of the Zambezi River, Baines’ River Camp offers an elegant blend of old-world charm and modern luxury. The camp accommodates up to 20 guests in beautifully appointed Explorer Suites and one Family Suite — each boasting private verandas, air-conditioning, king-size beds, and spacious en-suite bathrooms with views over the river.

Enjoy exceptional cuisine, warm hospitality, and a tranquil setting ideal for unwinding after your adventures.

Activities available:

• River Cruises: A serene way to view wildlife and enjoy spectacular scenery. Expect hippos, crocodiles, elephants, waterbuck, and prolific birdlife.
• Sunset Cruises: End the day with golden light over the Zambezi and a refreshing drink in hand.
• Walking Safaris: Explore the bush on foot with an expert guide — ideal for observing tracks, insects, birds, and flora.
• Canoe Safaris: Glide silently along the river channels, taking in the wilderness from a unique water-level perspective.

Your stay for the next 4 nights includes:

• Accommodation on a twin or double share basis

All meals, local drinks, and two daily safari activities

After an early morning game drive and hearty breakfast, you’ll meet the local conservation team for an insightful presentation on wildlife protection and anti-poaching initiatives within the Lower Zambezi.

Learn about the challenges of safeguarding large mammals and how veterinary science contributes to ecosystem resilience.

In the afternoon, set out on a boat cruise along the Zambezi River. Watch as elephants cross in front of your boat, fish eagles call from the trees, and hippos surface nearby. The cruise concludes at sunset — a spectacular display of colour mirrored on the calm waters of the river.

Dinner and overnight at Baines’ River Camp

Rise early for a morning field activity with the anti-poaching or research team. You’ll assist in checking camera traps and monitoring wildlife movement while accompanying rangers on patrol routes or game-drive transects. This immersive experience offers a behind-the-scenes look at modern conservation techniques/research.

Return to camp for a well-earned breakfast and enjoy some leisure time — relax by the pool, read on your veranda, or indulge in a spa treatment (optional extra).

In the late afternoon, depart for another game drive, continuing your exploration of the Lower Zambezi’s diverse habitats. No drive is ever the same as you search for new species not yet seen, or witness different behaviours.

Enjoy another stunning sundowner before returning to camp for dinner.

Today begins with an early morning walking safari — one of the most intimate ways to experience the bush. Guided by an expert tracker, you’ll learn about spoor identification, vegetation, and the delicate balance of life that sustains the ecosystem (subject to confirmation based on group size). Return for a hearty breakfast, followed by time at leisure.

In the afternoon, choose between a game drive or a boat cruise, depending on your mood. Whether you’re gliding along the river or traversing the park’s floodplains, each outing offers a new perspective on this spectacular wilderness. It goes without saying that there will be sundowners to enjoy while out…

Enjoy the evening at leisure with dinner at camp.

After a final morning game drive and breakfast, it’s time to bid farewell to the Lower Zambezi. If you prefer to relax and lie in for a change, listening to the sounds of the bush as you wake, today is your day…..

Either way, you’ll check out after breakfast, at around 10h00 and transfer to the nearby airstrip for your charter flight to the next destination on your safari journey.

The flight is scheduled to depart at 11h30 and is approximately 35 minutes long.

After landing and loading luggage, it’s a quick drive to your new lodge, spotting wildlife along the way.

After check-in, a light lunch will be served.

After lunch, one of the reserve ecologists will briefly explain their role in the reserve and the purpose of monitoring and data collection, as well as discussing the veterinary procedures you will participate in and are funding through your participation.

Afterwards, your African Vet Safaris vet will present a talk in preparation for the veterinary work to follow the next day. This gives guests an insight into the procedures to be done, the conservation reasons and how to safely participate.

Late afternoon, time permitting, embark on a short game drive with your new guide to explore the unique landscapes and wildlife of this new area. Each region reveals its own secrets — from different vegetation zones to new species of antelope or birdlife you may not have seen before.

Enjoy sundowners in the bush, then return to camp for dinner and an evening discussion outlining the exciting plans for the days ahead, if not already covered. Drift to sleep surrounded by the sounds of your new environment.

Nyamvu Game Reserve lies along the banks of the legendary Luangwa River, a vital artery of the Great East African Rift Valley that winds south-west through Zambia’s eastern provinces. Renowned for its abundant wildlife and welcoming communities, the Luangwa Valley offers a quintessential African wilderness experience.

Covering over 42,000 hectares (100,000 acres) of pristine bush, Nyamvu Game Reserve forms part of a vast wildlife corridor stretching from South Luangwa National Park in the north to Lower Zambezi National Park in the south. The reserve encompasses six major habitat zones, ranging from dense evergreen riverine forests to sweeping open grasslands, each supporting unique ecological communities.

The reserve is committed to building a wildlife legacy, focusing on the protection of large, functional ecosystems that ensure ecological and social value for future generations. Responsible wildlife management has fostered thriving populations of iconic species, including elephants, lions, leopards, and buffalo. Nyamvu also protects endangered and vulnerable species, such as African wild dogs and the endemic Thornicroft’s giraffe. Bird enthusiasts will delight in the abundant avifauna, with species such as Pel’s fishing owl, Arnot’s chat, Narina trogon, African skimmers, and the western banded snake eagle regularly sighted.

Situated within the Mwape and Luembe Chiefdoms, Nyamvu Game Reserve provides meaningful employment to local communities. Through a partnership with the Nyimba Foundation, the reserve amplifies its impact, supporting initiatives in education, healthcare, clean water, and community empowerment, while simultaneously promoting wildlife conservation.

Sustainability is at the heart of the reserve’s operations. Camps are fully powered by solar energy, minimising fossil fuel use and creating a tranquil, eco-friendly environment. This peaceful setting allows wildlife — including bushbabies, bushbuck, and elephants — to roam freely through camp areas, offering guests an intimate and undisturbed wildlife experience.

Nyamvu Lodge offers seven luxurious chalets on the banks of the Luangwa River, each with two queen-sized beds and en-suite bathrooms. The comfortable rooms have fans but no air-conditioning, due to the solar energy supply. Enjoy full board accommodation with meals prepared by in-house chefs and service by dedicated wait staff.                                                                       

The lodge’s dining area overlooks the river, providing opportunities to observe wildlife as it drinks or crosses nearby. Sundowners on the viewing deck are an unforgettable way to relax at day’s end. The lodge is supplied with clean borehole water, and Wi-Fi is available in a central location, though we encourage guests to disconnect and fully immerse themselves in the wilderness. The small splash pool offers guests a chance to cool off in the heat of the day while sipping a cold drink and watching the animals come down to the river to do the same.

After an early breakfast, today’s focus turns to the darting and collaring of two roan antelope — a rare and elusive antelope species whose movement and herd behaviour are vital to understanding grazing dynamics in the area.

Join the veterinary team as they prepare the tranquilliser darts and do a final safety briefing.

Once darted and safe to approach, assist in monitoring the animals’ vitals post-darting, and record biometric data. All being well, there’ll be time for those once-in-a-lifetime photos too!

Finding the roan herds and placing a dart can take time, so it's important to come prepared to wait, as for all darting operations, patience is required.

A packed lunch will be enjoyed in the field, ensuring you remain close to the operation site.

Return to camp for a short siesta, then set out for a late afternoon game drive. The goal will be to test the newly fitted tracking collars and observe the roan in their natural habitat, if you can locate them.

Before dinner, the research team will deliver an evening presentation detailing how tracking data informs ecosystem management and species protection efforts.

Sleep well after an exciting day.

An early breakfast starts another exciting field day. Today’s operation involves the darting and collaring of two buffalo cows — key grazers and vital to understanding disease transmission, herd migration, and predator interactions.

Head to the rendezvous point on the reserve for final preparations and safety briefings.

The darting will be done from a vehicle, with a drone to assist, or potentially a chopper again.

When the buffalo is immobilised and it is safe, guests will be allowed to leave their vehicle and join the duty veterinarian, hands-on! There will be an opportunity to help monitor and treat the buffalo / assist with procedures. Provided the patient is stable and the work is done, there will be time for those photos of a lifetime too! Buffalo are formidable beasts, and this is a unique opportunity not to be missed!

Once all is done, the vet will reverse the immobilising drugs, and you’ll watch the buffalo recover from a safe distance. Hopefully, he heads off in a direction away from you!

After the procedure, enjoy a packed lunch in the bush, or lunch back at the lodge, pending time and location.

After lunch there will be some leisure time or a chance for some optional activities, such as a relaxed leisure fishing session at Temwani Dam, a picturesque waterbody frequented by hippos and birdlife.

In the late afternoon, join the research rangers for a lion call-up — an acoustic lure used to locate lions in the reserve. The goal is to identify a healthy adult for darting in the coming days.

Freshen up back at the lodge and enjoy dinner and the tales of the day around the campfire.

Enjoy another good night’s rest.

After a light breakfast/ snack, participate in an early morning drive to check and reset trail cameras, placed strategically across the reserve to monitor nocturnal activity and predator-prey movement patterns.

This is followed by a guided safari walk in the reserve, led by a professional guide, providing insights into spoor identification, vegetation, and animal behaviour.

A brunch will be served back in camp and will be followed by discussions with a local Zambian veterinarian, related to the work you are participating in.

In the afternoon, the team will review lion sightings or signals received via telemetry. If the identified pride or individual is located, you’ll join the lion call-up and darting operation, an intense and highly controlled veterinary exercise.

Depending on the lion prides’ locations and who needs collaring, we may start trying to dart this evening already….. If we are not successful, we will continue our attempts tomorrow.

These particular lions are fairly habituated to game drive vehicles but are less shy at night, as for most predators. Hence, our darting attempts are likely to be at night. Provided they are in an accessible area, one hopes to have success, but you may need to set up a “bait station” and use some animal calls to lure them in…. There are never any guarantees with wildlife in the wild….

These massive beasts are truly impressive, and their size and obvious strength will make the hair on your neck stand up, especially when you get hands-on!

Once all the procedures are done, and photos taken, the antidote is administered and you monitor the recovery of the lion, before leaving it capable to fend for itself. Sometimes the recovery can be a long process….

As for the other species, your participation in this safari covers the costs of this procedure, and hence contributes directly to lion conservation – thank you once again for choosing to make a difference!

Return to the lodge after dark for dinner and some sleep after a busy day!

Spend the morning visiting a local school supported by Nyamvu Lodge, engaging with community conservation initiatives, or opt for another game drive.

Spend the rest of the day at leisure in the camp.

If the lion has not yet been collared, we’ll try again tonight, following the same procedure. If we have been successful, it’s a chance for another game drive and sundowners in the African bush.

Back in camp, enjoy dinner and storytelling around the campfire.

Enjoy an early morning river drive to the Luangwa–Mvuvye Confluence, where you’ll witness the morning stirrings of wildlife and reflect on the week’s accomplishments.

A picnic brunch is served along the riverbank.

Return to camp late morning to rest over the heat of the day.

If not yet completed, tonight may offer the final darting opportunity for the lion, allowing participants to observe one of the most powerful moments of the research program.

Dinner is enjoyed back in camp with time around the fire discussing the many experiences of the past week, departing with unforgettable memories, and the knowledge that your participation has made a tangible contribution to wildlife conservation in Zambia – thank you!

After breakfast, check out and head back to the airstrip for the charter flight back to Lusaka.

Your private charter is scheduled to depart at 08h30, and the flight time is approximately 45 minutes.

Note: We recommend not booking any international onward travel departing before 13h30 to allow for late arrivals/eventualities.

Onward travel is for your own arrangement; however, Brothers Safaris is happy to assist with quotes and bookings upon request.

                                                                           *** Your safari ends here ***