Itinerary

An expedition trip that shows you the essence of wildest Africa of yesteryear. South Luangwa National Park has long be regarded as one of the greatest wildlife sanctuaries in the world. We explore the park on game drives and game walks before moving north the lesser know, but just as amazing North Luangwa National Park –It’s wild and untouched and you are simply an unobtrusive witness to its natural beauty and drama.

THIS IS AN EXPEDITION TRIP
The concept of  expedition tours is quite simple; we visit unusual destinations as a small group of travelers. There is one expedition leader who is an experienced guide. He/She knows how to run the operations of the tour, how to get through the borders, do the meal planning, keep the vehicle moving etc.

However these are places that we seldom visit, and as such the expedition leader will not have detailed knowledge of every destination. Where bookings are required, we will make bookings in advance, but much of the itinerary will be flexible and final route will be at the discretion of the expedition leader and subject to road conditions.

All participants on expedition trips must understand this tour requires flexibility and an appreciation of the open style of travel. This is not a set tour, it is an exploration. It’s an adventure!

Day 1 LILONGWE [camping ---]
[B = Breakfast, L = Lunch, D = Dinner]
This expedition starts in the afternoon in Lilongwe at Kiboko Campsite. In the afternoon we meet the rest of the group and enjoy a restaurant meal (own expense) and discuss our upcoming adventure into the heart of the wildlife oasis of the Luangwa Valley.

Day 2- 7 SOUTH LUANGWA [camping BLD]
Leaving Lilongwe behind us, we cross the border into Zambia at Chipata as we head towards the Luangwa Valley. The road can be very rough and bumpy, and slow.
There are many game parks in Africa that may lay claim to be “Africa’s Best Game Reserve”, but South Luangwa has a better claim than most. Few other parks have South Luangwa’s remarkable wildlife spectacles (day & night) in the isolation of a true wilderness. The concentration of game around the Luangwa River and it’s ox bow lagoons is among the most intense in Africa, and coupled with low visitor numbers South Luangwa always comes out around the top of the list.
Our stay in South Luangwa is unashamedly about wildlife viewing. With the plentiful wildlife that flourish in the park, we will explore the area on morning and afternoon game drives both inside the park, and in the game management areas that border the park.
A highlight of visiting South Luangwa is to go on a walking safari with a knowledgeable local guide, and night game drive in an open 4WD game viewing vehicle, where we hope to spot some of the elusive nocturnal predators.

Day 8 - 11 NORTH LUANGWA [camping BLD]
Moving north along the eastern bank of the Luangwa River we have a long journey as we move further north to the heart of the Luangwa Valley and North Luangwa National Park.
This remote tract of land covering 4636 square kilometres offers one of the finest wilderness experiences in Zambia, if not Africa itself. The beauty of visiting this park is the truly remarkable opportunities to experience Africa as it was. It is wild and untouched and you are simply an unobtrusive witness to its natural beauty and drama. The park is noted for its massive herds of buffalo, a spectacular sight if they’re seen on the run, kicking up dust for miles behind them. Large prides of lion are found in the area and it is not uncommon to witness a kill. Other common mammals are hyena, Cookson’s wildebeest, bushbuck, zebra, warthog, baboon, vervet monkey, puku and impala. Elephant and leopard are also seen, but not as frequently as in the South Park.
The road infrastructure in North Luangwa is very limited due t the remoteness of the park, we are very unlikely to see anyone else during our stay in the park.
We explore the “open to the public” northern zone of the park on morning and afternoon game drives in our expedition vehicle. Due to the lack if infrastructure we will have to be completely self sufficient, but it will be well worth the trouble to spend a short amount of time in the remarkable wilderness area.

Day 12 - 13 LUSAKA – TOUR ENDS [camping Bx2,Lx1 -]
After spending 10 amazing days in the wild and remote wilderness areas of Northern Zambia, we slowly make our way back to civilization.
On day 12, coming out of the rugged terrain of North Luangwa, we camp for the night in the town of Chipata, and enjoy our final dinner together at a local restaurant (own expense)

Day 13 we have a long drive back along the “Great East Road” back to Lusaka. This Expedition back in time to wildest Africa, ends in the afternoon at Lusaka Airport.

HIGHLIGHTS

South Luangwa National Park

North Luangwa National Park