Liuwa Plains & the Kafue Safari - Zambia Nov 2024

Day notes

On arrival, you will be met by your driver who will take you to Wild Dogs Lodge.  Relax in the pretty chalets, have a drink and dinner in the restaurant looking out on to the gardens and get a good night's sleep, ready for your safari to start in earnest tomorrow morning.

Day notes

Our passion for mobile safaris shows through in our safaris in the Liuwa Plains National Park. We are uniquely able to privately use a key mobile safari campsite in the core wildlife area. The camp is operated by Jeffery & McKeith Safaris' offshoot company 'Reel Nature', who offer mobile safaris, guiding and remote location support to wildlife documentary film-makers from around the planet. under the 'Reel Nature' banner.

The private camp will be set up at 'Katoyana'. Each secluded tent is set away from the other, perfectly placed on an island of shade trees. Bathroom/shower facilities are separate.

We will use custom-made game drive vehicles with in-car charging and camera rests to help get great shots. We will get out of the car often to get a closer look at the blanket of flowers that occur, or get an eye-level photo of wildlife.  

Lions are here, and recently Wild Dogs have also been released into the park. Cheetahs are the subject of many studies and are pretty often seen. It is best known for its population of hyenas who are currently the apex predator. Your guides will do their best to introduce you to the clans.

At this time of plenty, days are spent exploring the vast grasslands and the many waterholes. Liuwa is home to Africa's second-largest wildebeest migration. There are also great numbers of zebra, and a chance to see Oribi, Red Lechwe, Reedbuck and more. Birds are such a great feature of Liuwa, especially at this time. Many migratory species arrive, adding to the vast array of grassland birds, waders, cranes, ducks and raptors.

Using our experiences and working relationships with wildlife conservationists working in Liuwa, we are best placed to make the most from a safari on Liuwa. 

Day notes

Musekese Camp is a small and authentic camp.  Chalets are constructed with local materials and traditional canvas, with an organic shape that blends seamlessly into the bush looking out onto the astoundingly beautiful Eden Lagoon.

Chalets are open-fronted giving you a close and eye-level experience. You will be looking directly onto the lagoon with wildlife always in view. Chalets are enclosed at night with insect-proof mesh, and beds have big billowing mozi nets also.  To reduce the overuse of natural resources, showers in the chalets are gas-fired reducing the need to burn wood to heat water.

Musekese Camp centres around a tented 'boma' with a bar and a library, as well as a welcome cooling breeze.
Meals are served here or in the shade of magnificent old trees on the deck, where you have views of the wildlife and birds right in front of the camp.

All of the team in the camp are amiable, and very engaging and have been employed from villages adjoining the Kafue, bringing the benefits of tourism directly into the local communities. Some team members first joined Jeffery & McKeith on "day one" to build a track into what is now the Musekese conservation area, and have remained to be trained in a variety of jobs from safari guides to chefs.

  Wildlife very often passes through the camp, especially elephants. The camp is in the territories of both a resident lion pride and several leopards.  Encounters are entirely possible, and so you will be walked to and from your tents after dark, and occasionally in the daytime.

Days at Musekese are built around your preference for activity. All of your activities are expertly guided by the most respected and knowledgeable guides in the Kafue. Game drives both morning and afternoon in custom-built open vehicles equipped perfectly for comfort with camera supports and charge points. 
Throughout the season boat safaris on the nearby Kafue and Lufupa river system are a fantastic experience giving visitors a very different perspective. Walking safaris are a sublime way to experience every small sign and sound and with luck encounter the biggest of animals.
 During your stay, you may like to visit the Musekese Conservation the Anti Poaching Unit created and funded by Jeffery & McKeith safaris, which is an interesting morning and a chance to explore further afield.

Typically days at Musekese begin as you are woken early (05.15 am-ish) to enjoy a light breakfast of fruit, porridge, cereals and fresh bread toasted on the fire, before setting off on maybe a game drive or walking safari. Local conditions and wildlife activity may mean that an activity is altered, but this is the beauty of this safari, it's totally flexible around getting you the best sightings possible.  Early morning is an excellent time to see animals when they are at their most active, as the morning progresses, there will be a chance to stop for refreshments (tea/coffee). 

Depending on sightings, you will return to camp in time for a tasty lunch made by skilled cooks using fresh local produce. Meals are varied and healthy, taking inspiration from Zambia's culture, expect imaginative and delicious meals and snacks with fresh salads savoury dishes at lunch and dinner.

With a few hours to relax after lunch, this is a chance to catch up on sleep, or you could spend an hour or two sitting quietly in the hide. Or sit and enjoy the view from your private deck or enjoy a cool drink and a book in the boma. At 3 pm after a traditional afternoon tea and cake, you will set out on an afternoon activity, taking a different route into the bush. 

 Returning to camp as darkness falls. Or staying out to search for nocturnal species.  A warm shower? An aperitif by the fire before sitting down to dine under the stars with your hosts and no doubt enjoy interesting lighthearted conversation, giving you an insight into life in the bush for people and animals. Sleep comes easily here with the sounds of the lagoon wafting through the walls of your tent.

Day notes

Transfer by road  back to Lusaka to catch your international flight home.  A charter option rather than a road transfer is available at an additional cost.