Kaingo Camp

a great option for serious wildlife photographers

Kaingo Camp is located in the South Luangwa North area of eastern Zambia.

The camp is in a very pretty position on the western bank of the Luangwa River, with broad views out across the surrounding floodplain, often with a range of wildlife in view. It is one of the most northerly camps in the reserve, which means that the areas in which it operates its safari are usually very quiet and peaceful.

The family nature of the camp is reflected in its particularly relaxed and informal atmosphere.

The vehicle turnaround is immediately outside the main building, guests are delivered right to the door, which is a rather unusual opening. The open-sided mess, or ‘chitenge’, contains the main lounge and dining areas, featuring a bar made out of a huge leadwood trunk. Out front there is a very pleasant campfire area, whilst a modest shaded deck juts out over the river and provides a nice place to sit out and watch wildlife during the heat of the day.

The lodge also has a very high ratio of return guests, people come back here time and time again, which can only be a good sign.

Another aspect we appreciate is the fact that meals are announced by drums, which is in no way cheesy, but really does add to the atmosphere of the place. It’s really surprising more camps don’t do it.

Rooms

Guest accommodation at Kaingo Camp is in a total of just six rooms, which are of an unusually heavy construction by the standards of the park. Concrete floors and blockwork walls are topped off by traditional thatched roofs. Comfortable beds are fitted with large mosquito nets, with conventional bathrooms out back. To one side of each chalet there is a large stone bath, a long lounge in which is a lovely way to spend a part of your siesta. Out front is a small private jetty from which to view the river.

Animals in camp

A particularly pleasant feature of Kaingo Camp is the amount of animals which can be seen here, notably some rather habituated bushbucks and vervet monkeys, with hippos and elephants also visiting, often during the evenings.

Activities

Kaingo Camp provides the following guided activities …

• vehicle safari
• walking safari
• night vehicle safari

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.

It is also possible to charter into the nearby Lukuzi Airstrip, especially if you are coming from a more unusual location.

usually combined with Livingstone and other safari areas