20-35 years of age
US
65+ years of age
Review about Time + Tide Africa by Rick Sooy
Norman Carr Safaris is the original safari company in the Luangwa Valley. They pride themselves on the level of service that they offer to their guests. Their attention to detail starting with the reservations team and finishing with the staff who looks after you whilst you are out on safari is surperb.
US
65+ years of age
A Valley lost in Time
The Luangwa Valley in south-eastern Zambia is all but lost when talking about the most popular tourist destinations in Africa. Few people outside of Safari enthusiasts and back-packing adventurers had ever visited the place before the late 1990's, and in that fact lies it wonders and its charm. The valley is small by African standards being only 482 km long and 120 km at its widest point. It is situated at the southern tip of one of the spurs of the Great African Rift.
In places where the rift formed land on both sides began to slump. Just such a depression formed the Luangwa Valley and isolated it from the outside world by means of steep hills and daunting cliffs. For centuries its very inaccessibility guarded a vast wilderness where wild animals thrived and few people visited.
The Luangwa Valley is one of the few really wild places left in Africa. It has high concentrations, and a wide variety of wild animals.
If you have ever wanted to visit a wild and wondrous place that you thought no longer existed, go to the South Luangwa National Park. You will find it is an experience that you can connect with, in a deeper sense, and as with me, it will keep calling you back; back to a vast wilderness where today animals roam the land much like they did when our ancestors walked the earth.
I've traveled the world a lot, but still my experience did not prepare me for a place like this – a place where hippopotamus came up from the river at four in the morning to eat the sweet grass outside my bedroom window, a place where wild lions watched me watching them from only a few feet away, a place where there are no bars or restrictions, except common sense, between you and these totally wild animals. I was not only a guest of Norman Carr Safaris, but of this truly remarkable place and its wildlife. I felt honored and privileged to be there. It was exhilarating to ride and walk among them as they continue to roam, with little or no fear of humans.
My first task was finding a safari outfit to which I was willing to entrust my life. This adventure would not be a concession ride, nor would it be a zoo. This, I was hoping, would be the real thing! As it turned out, I need not have worried. Most Safari operations in the area are small. Wholesale tourism has yet to invade this little corner of the world.
For me one operator, Norman Carr Safaris, stood out from all the rest. On its Web Site http://www.normancarrsafaris.com/ I read the history of how they got started and was impressed with Norman Carr’s philosophy and vision. Living in the valley most of his life he was appointed one of the areas first Game Rangers. He believed that there was a special appeal to walking the bush. Safari the Old Way was what it was called, and its success in the Luangwa Valley was due in no small part to the man who has been called "the father of the non-consumptive walking safari". Bush drives are great but you are only and "observer" of Nature. When you walk the bush (not some carefully selected path) you are a "participant" with Nature!
Eco-tourism is supposed to be a new concept, but Norman Carr was doing it more that 50 years ago. He strongly believed in sharing the profits of his enterprise directly with the indigenous peoples of the region, to help them become self-sustaining and provide an alternative to illegal poaching.
Norman Carr Safaris offer the variety of a luxury safari lodge and a selection of five authentic and wonderfully appointed bushcamps. All the guides are indiginous and a number of them, still there, were personally trained by Norman Carr himself.
The Luangwa Valley is a place where time, for time’s sake, is meaningless except to know when it was time to leave, and wishing you could stay just a little bit longer. It is said that if you ever find a place like this, you will always go back. I could not understand that statement or pull such a place exerts on something deep inside you, until I went there. I still don’t fully understand it but I can tell you it is there today, whispering in my ear, calling me back!
The first time I visited the Luangwa Valley was in March of 2007 during the birding season when the birds were displaying their colorful mating plumage. I went back in June of 2008, right before winter set in. Everything was still green and the animals were plentiful. I plan to return in 2012.
Review about Botswana by farleycw
The country appears to be English-speaking, tourist-friendly, well organized and well run. It's very close to Victoria Falls which is a big attraction on its own.
US
65+ years of age
Review about South Luangwa National Park by Rick Sooy
The concentration and variety of wildlife is astonishing including all the animal and birds you would ever hope to see. There are also three Luangwa Valley sub-species: Thornicroft giraffe, Crawshey's zebra and Cookson's wildebeest. We saw them all, up close and personal.
A wonderful day on the land and on the river observing all kinds of wildlife.
Our trip was organized by Grand Circle Travel Co. and included Kruger, Addo and Chobe National Parks. We liked Chobe Nat. Park because it was more open than Kruger and allowed a more unobstructed view of the animals. Grand Circle also arranged for a great trip on the river at Chobe where we saw animals like the hippos that we didn't see in Kruger. Kruger was very good, however. Any trip to So. Africa should include a trip to Kruger and Chobe Nat. Parks because they're so vast. Chobe has a lot of wildlife on, in and around the water and it shouldn't be missed.
US
US
The most mind-blowing park we visited--simply amazing!
We spent 10 days at South Luangwa National Park: we could easily spend 50.
The wildlife was incredibly diverse and abundant. We saw over 100 species of birds, including eagle owls; lions every day, including a lion killing a buffalo; 100s of crocodiles; various species of antelopes; zebras, giraffes etc. Moreover, the quality of the guides is superb. Guides must undertake rigorous and lengthy training and testing before taking clients.
This was the last park we visited on our 45 day Southern Africa trip, which included Etosha National Park, Waterberg Plateau National Park, Mana Pools National Park, Lower Zambezi National Park, and Moremi Preserve. Of all the parks we visited, this is the one we would most like to revisit.
IT
20-35 years of age
A quiet, wild, marvellous country in the middle of nowhere
During our trip we had the opportunity to do many game safari which was our first activity, and we enjoied all of them. In particular we beloved the walking safari, the canooe safari and the boat safari in the okawango river, which is for sure our preferred place in botswana for kind of anumals and birds, scenery, sunsets on the river. Kalahari desert also is fantastic due to the fact that you feel really in an ancient world. On the other side, Chobe park had the biggest amount of animals but also of... tourists ! Accomodations where perfect in any place, even too much confortable. Highlights ? Leopard chasing during night in Moremi reserve,
IT
20-35 years of age
Review about Central Kalahari Game Reserve by Monty1978
In the middle of the bush, in the middle of the desert. Anybody there, lions tracks beside your room. Unique.