Tafika Walking Trails

a contender for the best walking safari in Africa

Tafika Walking Trails is a multiple day walking trail located in the South Luangwa North area of eastern Zambia.

This northern sector of the park is reserved for walking, so there are no vehicles and virtually no other people, you really do have the place to yourselves.

From Tafika Camp (where most guests will have stayed for 1-4 nights beforehand), it is usual to drive a short distance north, before crossing the river in a small boat and heading out on foot into the bush. From there, the trail then involves walking in a roughly circular route, overnighting at both Chikoko Tree Camp and Big Lagoon Camp along the way.

Your luggage will be separately portered into camp, so you might like to leave any unnecessary gear back at base, save the guys lugging your two metre wooden giraffe around the bush.

After a short walk of less than an hour we arrive into the shady glade which is home to Big Lagoon Camp, which is centred on an open-sided ‘chitenge’, leading out to a deck over the lagoon. Guest accommodation is in just three reedwork rooms with outdoor bathrooms.

Next morning, the trail continues, to eventually reach Chikoko Tree Camp, which is very similar in style.

Animals in camp

As with most camps in the valley, it is often possible to view a lot of animals in and around camp, especially elephants and baboons.

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

South Luangwa lies to the east of the country and is usually accessed by light aircraft services from Lusaka or Livingstone.

From Mfuwe Airport it is three hours by road into camp.

usually combined with Livingstone and other safari areas