Upon arrival in Zambia’s capital City, Lusaka, we will be driven to Latitude 15º Hotel, a boutique African-inspired art filled respite in Lusaka’s Leopards Hill area.  Enjoy a wonderful meal, a dip in the pool and a good night’s sleep.

From Lusaka, we’ll wing our way south to the lower Zambezi National Park ~a stunning and magical place with its ethereal winterthorn forest, wide open floodplains and the mighty Zambezi River.  Lower Zambezi National Park  is a place of sheer beauty, stark contrast and powerful picturesque landscapes with an astonishing abundance of wildlife.

Our home for three nights in this remarkable wilderness will be Royal Zambezi Lodge, set on the banks of the lively Zambezi River in elegant splendor giving you a front row seat to this unique wilderness area.  Enjoy luxury accommodations, fine dining, a tranquil bush spa and award-winning service in an intimate, family-owned lodge.  We’ll experience exciting safari game drives, sunset river cruises and hypnotic canoe adventures all framed by the backdrop of the moody and mystic Zambezi River.  Your stay here will solidify an enduring love of Africa and leave you yearning to return to a place that will steal a piece of your heart. 

A charter flight on our way north and east over the divide will bring us to the vast and glorious  Bangweulu Wetlands for our next stop on this incredible adventure.  Under the direction of the nonprofit African Parks, it’s the place “where the water meets the sky!”.   Here is our chance to see cheetah, huge herds of black lechwe and encounter a dinosaur right out of the picture books,  the legendary and mythical shoebill stork. Our safari will take us by canoe into the verdant papyrus marshlands to observe these charismatic birds ~ one of the few places in the world left to see shoebills in the wild.

Nestled in a grove of trees, Shoebill Island Camp will be our home for three magical nights. Activities here include walking, deep hull (photographic) canoeing and mokoro trips as well as genuine and impromptu community visits with the seasonal fishermen of the region, and fireside talks under an African sky unbroken by civilization.

We’ll fly to the wild wonderful South Luangwa National Park ~”the valley of the leopard”.  This premier wilderness area is an astonishing place where the meandering Luangwa River runs through woodlands and large plains that play host to huge concentrations of wildlife including elephant, buffalo, lion, leopard, giraffe, hippos and over 450 species of birds.  It is here that we will also find one of the last strongholds of the endangered African wild dog ~ a  thrill for any novice or experienced African safari lover.

We’ll spend 3 enchanting nights at Robin Pope Safaris’ Nkwali Camp which sits nestled under an ancient ebony grove on the banks of the Luangwa River. A romantic feeling flows through the camp, and onto our own private corner of this magnificent wilderness. Day and night game drives as well as walking safaris will provide us with exceptional wildlife viewing. During our stay here, we will also have the opportunity for community, school and wildlife conservation engagement to learn more about how your safari dollars help the people and wildlife of the region thrive.

We’ll make our way south following the winding Luangwa River through the South Luangwa National Park and down to the southern reaches to the wild and untamed Lusangazi sector ~  true wilderness where nature is queen.  Here you are in primordial wilds surrounded by astounding numbers of wild beasts that know no master other than themselves.

In this remote and exclusive paradise is the unbelievably luxurious Sungani Lodge, edged by a bountiful lagoon and sheltered by magnificent indigenous trees.  You will settle into pure luxury in an elegantly appointed custom-designed 1100 square foot tent, private plunge pool and a luxurious slipper tub meant for long bubble baths at day’s end.  It’s wild luxury at its finest.   Enjoy game drives, walking safaris and wildlife-watching right from the deck as you surrender to the bliss of this magnificent lodge.

After a bountiful Sungani breakfast and deep sighs of wistful regret we will say goodbye to our friends and the wild creatures of the South Luangwa. Climbing into the African skies will be bittersweet as we make our way toward home with Zambia forever in our hearts.  “…no one can return unchanged, for tawny lions will forever prowl our memory and great herds throng our imagination.”  -George Schaller