As soon as the BBC aired the newest series of David Attenborough’s ‘Dynasties’, Zambia was back at the forefront of our travel-obsessed minds. We watched, enthralled, as cheetah pounded across the plains in our living rooms and the chatter of African Wild Dogs became the soundtrack to our midweek mealtimes. The more we watched, the more we knew we had to get out there and experience it for ourselves. Ever up for an adventure, Laura, our Africa expert, followed the BBC and Netflix film crews – currently out there filming Attenborough’s latest docuseries’ ‘Kingdoms’ – and boarded a flight over to Zambia.
Besides our Dynasties-inspired reasoning, we’d heard incredible stories about Zambia’s untouched wilderness and next-level wildlife experiences. Not to mention the breathtaking lodges nestled beside elephant-peppered watering holes or perched above awe-inspiring ridges as hyena prowl beneath. Sounds incredible, right? But surprisingly, Zambia is yet to become a household name when it comes to bucket list safari destinations with the Mara, Serengeti and the like continuing to draw wildlife lovers en mass from around the world. As a result, safari experiences in Zambia are intimate and thrilling, rarely will you encounter another jeep of wildlife enthusiasts. But it won’t be like this for long. As in-the-know adventurers turn their eyes to Zambia’s myriad offerings, now’s the chance to explore this incredible country before the rest.
After a year away from the African bush, Laura couldn’t wait to get back into the wilderness, “nothing makes me sleep like a baby more than the sound of hyena whooping in the distance!”. She was driven by a yearning to unpack the hype, delve deep into the allure of the great Zambian wilds and follow the film crews behind her beloved wildlife documentaries. The promise of huge leaps of leopard and packs of wild dog only heightened her excitement; it was almost time to play out her long dreamt-of views of elephant meandering across beautiful, open acacia groves, in the shadows of the Zambezi escarpment.
Away from the epic views and wildlife experiences, Laura was also keen to explore some of the long-time established camps, the likes set up by Norman Carr and Robin Pope when first pioneering the photographic safari. This, alongside some of the design-led newcomers on the scene, gave way to a cool contrast of lodge explorations, with rustic, authentic bush camping dotted alongside some OTT opulence. She was in for one epic adventure.
The South Luangwa National Park is known for having some of the best leopard sightings in Africa, but it never occurred to Laura that she might glimpse 14 in the 10 days! The sightings in the Lower Zambezi NP alone counted for over half of these… Wildlife lover? This is the place for you. The variety and flexibility of activities meant each day was thrillingly different, with the usual awe-inspiring game drives alongside boating, fishing, walking, river lunches, and sleepouts. These sleepouts are a huge draw, giving adventurers the chance to live out their wild child dreams and channel their inner Attenborough, it’s the ultimate wilderness experience.
Now, the wildlife. Laura always knew the South Luangwa would be amazing; the safari guides she’d chatted to during her lifetime of African travels had waxed lyrical about the region’s epic wildlife. But the true dark horse of her adventure was the Lower Zambezi, historically thought to be the more chilled safari destination and mistakenly believed to have less wildlife. Yet Laura was treated to some of the most incredible wildlife encounters she’d ever had, glimpsing 3 leopard; 2 prides of lion; a pack of 26 wild dog; elephants not just around but all over the camp; more hippos and crocs than you knew existed; beautiful kudu; lots of buffalo and hundreds of beautiful birds. All within her first 24 hours!
Sausage Tree Camp – This spot has some seriously cool rooms with private plunge pools and epic, immersive activities; think lunch on the river, sundown boat trips, a stunning stretch of river perfect for canoeing, great sundowners, delicious food (ask for a margarita, it was perfectly mixed!). A cool pool area, and showstopping views over the river from the main area with a cool breakfast bar setup.
Old Mondoro – An absolutely incredible setting, on which are dotted old-school style bushcamp rooms and communal areas with all the luxurious touches, around an open winterthorn grove. Elephants are free to wander throughout (so sometimes you have to be driven to the loo!), and you’ll enjoy wildlife-peppered views to the river in one direction and the woodland in the other.
Sindabezi Island – A stunner of a camp at Vic Falls, it’s the more safari-style camp compared to its sister lodge, Tongabezi (which we also think is absolutely magic). It has a Robinson Crusoe-esque feel, on a sand island – Laura fell asleep to the sound of a pride of lions calling back and forth to each other in Zambezi National Park, just over the other side of the river. Intimate and rustic, but beautiful and spoiling in equal measure.
Kutali Camp – Let your wild side out with this back-to-basics but incredibly cool camp, run by a seriously fun team where the guiding is epic, the area is one of the most beautiful spots in the Lower Zambezi and the focus is on getting out and having fun, no rules (a vibe we can wholeheartedly get behind!).
Wild dog vs buffalo hunt! Gruesome, and raw, but awe-inspiring, particularly as wild dog are so highly endangered. The sound of the stampeding hooves, with the adult dogs chasing the front half of the buffalo herd, and the back half of the buffalo herd chasing the action and the dog puppies, who were trailing slightly behind. We became almost a part of the kill, as at one point the buffalo came to use our vehicle to protect itself from behind, my ankle was half a metre from them so it all felt very real. To see such a successful pack, doing something unheard of by taking down a buffalo which should be way beyond the fighting weight of wild dog, was incredible and uplifting to see an environment facilitating these unusual animals so well.
Home of the walking safari and the mighty Victoria Falls, Zambia is a fantastic safari destination that gets you right off the beaten track and into the wildlife-filled wilderness where you'll sleep in luxurious lodges or out under the stars.
2 weeks+
