Kafunta Island Camp

a focus on walking safari in this remote area

Kafunta Island Camp is located in the South Luangwa South area of eastern Zambia.

The camp is set in a beautiful remote position, deep in the southern sector of the reserve, the only camp on the eastern side of the Luangwa River in this sector, so it really does have the place to itself and feels very remote.

Set up on the high riverbank under a stand of mature mahogany trees, the camp is centred on a simple open-sided ‘chitenge’ of reedwork under thatch, containing the modest lounge and dining areas, leading out to a lovely campfire area.

Rooms

Guest accommodation at Kafunta Island Camp is in five similarly simple rooms, which feature a small seating area and bedroom on an upper level, with a ground floor bathroom behind. The bed is surrounded by a large walk-in mosquito net, whilst the bathroom has a conventionally plumbed basin and toilet, with a bucket shower, hot water being fetched by hand on request in the traditional safari style.

Animals in camp

One aspect that we always appreciate is the amount of wildlife that sometimes passes through Kafunta Island Camp.

There is a particular elephant known as Mr Zambezi, who regularly visits and has been known to poke his trunk into the rooms for a gentle sniff around, which can give you a bit of a shock!

The hippo chorus here can also be particularly strong.

Activities

Activities at Kafunta Island Camp are centred on walking safari only.

South Luangwa is a very high quality safari area that often serves as the primary location in a trip.

The stay duration tends to be 5-8 nights split between two camps, or more occasionally 3-5 nights at one camp. Three camp combinations are also possible.

Seasonality

The best time to visit South Luangwa is during the May-Oct dry season, when the wildlife is focused on the riverine areas and easy to find.

Within that period, May-Jul is pleasantly cool at night, but the animals may not yet be fully migrated back into the river.

Towards the end of that period, Oct-Nov the wildlife should be at its strongest, but the weather is likely to be uncomfortably hot, especially at night. Bear in mind that most camps do not have air-conditioning.

Getting around

Kafunta Island Camp is usually accessed by vehicle from parent facility, Kafunta River Lodge, from which it is around 3 hours by vehicle along a dirt track down the eastern bank of the river and with which it is almost always combined in trips.

The journey down is more or less safari all the way, although the wildlife density is lower on the stretch outside the reserve. Do make sure you stop to see and experience the quicksand.

usually combined with Livingstone and other safari areas