South Luangwa National Park

A rough diamond of safari destinations

South Luangwa N.P. was the most developed destination of our Zambia Safari and we had our best sightings of wildlife there. Compared to the other parks, it was easy to get around (e.g. roadsigns, maps, good roads ). And even if a lot of lodges are near to the gates, it wasn't as crowded as other famous national parks in Kenia or Tanzania.
We had a great - but hot -time there, meeting nice people and enjoing the comfort of beautifully situated lodges.

Shenton Safaris in South Luangwa (Kaingo and Mwamba Camps) a must-do.

We have just come back from the most amazing holiday in South Luangwa and Lower Zambezi. We stayed with the Shenton owned small exclusive safari camps Kaingo Camp and Mwamba Camp in South Luangwa. We absolutely loved both camps. The wonderful staff and guides at both camps were amazing, the food absolutely delicious and the accommodation very good. I am dreaming of our return.

Incredible wildlife in dense areas

At that time the park was more exciting and less touristic than other parks in south and east Africa

The wildlife was abundant but it was the variety of tours that made the South Luangwa days outstanding. We went on ordinary day safaris, night safaris and hiking safaris. The old Landcruiser without doors and roof was an extra thrill booster. The guide Jason knew where to find the animals and also managed to avoid too close encounters while walking. Extremely exciting experience. Highly recomended!

Absolutely amazing

My wife and I stayed at Mfuwe Lodge in South Luangwa National park. There wasn't a brick building in sight except for the airport. It was a little pricey but worth every cent. We saw the big five including a leopard. Our guide was very well educated and spoke fluent english. We took off for the morning safari after breakfast. The weather was beautiful. The sky looks so blue and the sunsets are a vivid orange. The night sky is light up with stars. We saw hippos bathing, a lion had just made a fresh kill and there were a few other lions from the pride hanging out there. The open four wheeler (toyota land cruiser of sorts) was fun to ride in with ups and down in the dirt road.

After we got back to the lodge, we had lunch. We are vegetarians and had informed the lodge of our meal preference up front. We rested a bit in the afternoon in the lodge. We went out again for an evening safari where we saw a leopard that was trailing a herd of impalas. We slowly followed it for about 45mins as it was inching closer and closer to one implala it had singled out. Unfortunately, it was getting very dark and we decided to head back.

Overall, a very good experience. Would definitely go again.

One of the most unique experience.

The wildlife was magnificant. We've seen all of the big animals, except for the Rhino (obviously:( ). Lodging was also fantastic and a hippo joined us at the breakfast once, until he was spooked away by one of the guards.
The guide was alright, knew the wildlife just fine, but his driving skills were quite bad. We got stuck in the pile of sand, and he literally had no knowledge how to use the winch... The jeep was also very old and got broken down quite a few times.

Fantastic first safari, few people and lots of animals.

This was a fantastic 4 day safari, 2 days at Kapani Lodge and 2 days at a very luxurious bush at Mchenji with Norman Carr Safaris. We saw more than 60 different species of animals and birds during those days. The guides and scout were exceptionally well trained and knowledgeable on most aspects of the wildlife and plants. A very personal service was provided and the night drives were terrific for seeing hippos feeding on land and several leopards, a very special treat. A great destination for all the great African mammals except cheetah and rhino.

During the two 3-4 hour drives each day we only met other a couple of 4x4. There was none of that following along in a queue of traffic! The food and the accommodation were also 1st class. I highly recommend this place.

The South Luangwa River attracts heaps of animals, and one can camp just outside the park, on the banks of the river. It is my ideal safari experience, to be immersed IN the wilderness. No need to drive all day. Just live in the outdoors and be an organic member of it all.

The national park in Zambia with the best infrastructure and the highest densities of animals and a very diverse landscape. All this offers a premier safari experience competing with the best areas in the whole of Africa.

Walking safaris! South Luangwa is the birthplace of walking safaris in Big 5 country, and still one of the most magical places to do it in. Some of the best game guides in the business share their knowledge here, showing you the big and small wonders of the African bush. The night drives in southern Luangwa are also legendary, with regular sightings of leopards, civets and gennets. This is one of the wildest and most beautiful Parks I have had the pleasure of spending time in.