Luangwa River Camp

a pleasant base from which to explore central areas

Luangwa River Camp is located in the South Luangwa Central area of eastern Zambia.

The camp is in a lovely riverside position on the eastern bank of the Luangwa River, around 4 km north of the main Mfuwe Bridge Gate into the national park. This area north of the bridge is a Game Management Area, so remains clear of human habitation and also contains a reasonable amount of wildlife.

It is a small and relatively upmarket camp, centred on an unusual main building fronted by a row of Balinese style columns and built around a central courtyard filled, rather bizarrely, with banana trees and fronted by a modest infinity swimming pool. This is surrounded by an open-sided thatched building, with dining areas to the right, bar and lounge areas to the left.

Rooms

Guest accommodation at Luangwa River Camp is in five substantial suites, each constructed blockwork under thatch and surrounded by a wooden verandah. The bedroom area is fronted by French doors and contains a small lounge area and beds under a large walk-in mosquito net and cooled by a floor-standing fan. The inside bathrooms are also fronted by French doors and have a very large sunken bath and semi-circular shower. Out front each room has a pathway to a private seating area above the river.

Activities

Luangwa River Camp provides the following guided activities…

• vehicle safari
• walking safari
• village visits

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 45 minutes by road into camp.

usually combined with Livingstone and other safari areas