Norman
Carr's approach to safaris was on foot - his early influence has left an
indelible mark on Zambia's safari ethos and operators throughout the
country have perfected the "art of the walking safari". Robin
Pope and Phil Berry, amongst a few
others have maintained this wonderful tradition. We have a natural bias
towards walking safaris and strongly recommend them to the majority of
our clients - you will only find comparable trips in select parts of
Zimbabwe and only one in Botswana.
The ideal
situation in Zambia is a backed-up trip between seasonal bush camps, as
a minimum, over 7 days. These seasonal camps offer exclusivity (a
maximum of 8 guests) and access to some of the finest safari locations
in Africa.
Every year we run a few "one on one" safaris,
totally exclusive and private - speak to Trish
about the new season
One of
the most alluring options is a full-blown grand portered trail exploring
the South Luangwa over 10 days - the best on the continent...but
available on special request only
- The
four primary areas of interest (Victoria Falls, Kafue, Luangwa and
the lower Zambezi) are best linked via air charter.
- The
sequence isn't of too much importance but we most often recommend
the Zambezi Valley as the first destination with Victoria Falls as
the final stop over - international links are reasonably secure, we
manage the local links reasonably well
- Duration
wise, it's best to plan on approximately 13 days worth of safari
activity. (Bear in mind that access into remote areas is relatively
expensive. This fact together with the special allure of some of
these spots warrants a minimum of 6 nights in these areas alone -
don't cut yourself short on time.)
Logistics
into parts of Zambia make natural combinations of Victoria Falls and
Kafue as a western option and Matusadona, Mana Pools (lower Zambezi) and
Luangwa an ideal eastern option.
- In the
case of Kafue, we use the Victoria Falls/Livingstone border crossing
as a means for a fly-in connection with the Park.
- In the
case of the eastern combination, Kariba is the central hub in
Zimbabwe from which we charter directly to Mfuwe. (Mfuwe is also
easily linked with Lilongwe in Malawi.)
- A
third alternative is to do a simple road transfer from Kariba to
Lusaka and then link either with Kafue or Luangwa by air charter.
(Whilst being reasonably simple and relatively inexpensive if you're
already in Zimbabwe - it'll take a full day).
One of our advantages is having operations on the ground in
the right places - if you plan well in advance, arrangements are usually
quite simple, if you're planning a really last minute safari then it may
cost a premium but it's always possible... ask
about one of our 1999 clients on a last-minute 3 week honeymoon
Zambia's
phenomenal variety of birds (740 species) and diverse habitats is a
major attraction to bird watchers.
It is
also ideal for species-specific safaris for those in search of leopards
and other nocturnal species as well as some of the uniquely
water-adapted mammals and important populations of endemic giraffe and
antelope. The endangered African Wild Dog are the focus of one
particularly good safari at Old Mondoro
and Chiawa in the Lower Zambezi National Park. 
The small
size of the lodges and seasonal bush camps plus the high standards of
guiding lend naturally to the needs of specialists or travellers looking
for a more exclusive safari experience.
We
regularly tailor make private safaris whereby we assign a Professional
Guide exclusively for the duration of the safari. (These
safaris need to be planned at least a season in advance - Speak
to Trish or Chris....)
Zambia Menu
Safari
ideas
