Safari highlights include the Luangwa Valley, home of the walking safari, where you will also be
able to experience after dark game drives. The beautiful South Luangwa National Park and
remote North Luangwa National Parks and possibly the finest wildlife sanctuary in Africa.
You will travel through some of the most remote villages in Southern Africa and discover the
culturally rich Shiwa Ng’andu estate and Kapishya Hotsprings, as well as the breathtaking
landscapes of Mutinondo Highlands.
morning game drive
evening game drive
An early start today! After breakfast, we head out on the long and very wild and remote road
north. We are passing through some of the remotest villages in Zambia, cut off from the rest of
the area for 6 months every rainy season due to unpassable roads and surging and rising rivers
that are teeming with crocodiles and hippos.
This drive is long, but a great journey through the Zambia that few tourists get to see. We spend
the nights in luxury safari tents on the banks of the Luangwa River, opposite North Luangwa
National Park.
On those 2 days, we walk... There aren’t many parks left in the world that can claim to be truly
wild... but this is one of them. North Luangwa is truly remote, and after the luxury of the game rich
South Luangwa, where animals are used to cars in close proximity, walking is the best way to
experience North Luangwa National Park.
We experience walking safaris for up to 5 hours each morning with a highly trained guide and an
armed ranger that will take us into the heart of the action. The guide will explain everything there
is to know about the bush; from discovering different plants and their uses, to how to track
animals and distinguish between the different bird calls.
The afternoons are spent relaxing by the river where the animals come to you.
Today we start off after breakfast for a drive through the middle of North Luangwa from East to
West through the rhino sanctuary. These ancient relics are tough to spot in the thickets they
prefer but are thriving in this park thanks to the conservation efforts of the Frankfurt Zoological
Society and North Luangwa Conservation Society.
We are headed for a beautiful property founded by colonial government officer Stewart Gore
Brown in 1914. Still occupied by his relatives, it is a working farm and game ranch, and has a
beautiful hot spring set in a wooded area on the Mansa River.
Today is spent enjoying the hot spring, relaxing by the pool, taking a hike in the hills nearby or
maybe visiting the Manor House at Shiwa Ng’andu (at own expense, about 20km’s away) built by
Stewart Gore Brown in 1920.
After breakfast, we are heading further south towards the escarpment and the Luangwa Valley,
where we find the extraordinary Mutinondo Wilderness. Set in unspoilt miombo woodland, this
gem is set on granite rocks and surrounded by huge inselbergs that dot the landscape.
The landscape of the nature reserve is breathtaking. The area is an absolute dream for active
holidaymakers.
There are no dangerous animals and so you can go hiking or mountain biking
over 60km’s of hiking trails including the 10 peaks walk.
Mutinondo also has several waterfalls that one can visit on foot, a beautiful river - which gives this place it’s name - for swimming and some river craft (canoe, kayak and stand up paddle boards) for guests to enjoy. Also a great spot for birding.
We leave Mutinondo and head towards Lusaka, stopping off in Mkushi for the night to break up
the 10+ hours of driving it takes to get back to the capital city of Zambia. We spend a night at a
splendid lodge just south of Mkushi.
(the option of driving the escarpment back to Mfuwe and South Luangwa for a flight back to Lusaka the next day...this option is only available Mid Aug to end Oct)
We drive back to Lusaka and say our goodbyes at the delightful Ciela Resort & Spa, very close to
Lusaka International Airport, where you will stay overnight before boarding your international
flights. Bon Voyage
