If we're not going on holiday to Gabon next year, I was wondering , would it be possible to pull together a fantastic safari holiday for 11 or 12 nights in July 2007 in Zambia if we're on a budget of 4200$ pp (excl. intern. flights) ?
I would like a combination of tents and lodges, budget and luxury . We would need a double and a triple room/tent.
Any suggestions are welcome.
Which game reserves are at their best in July?

We've still not decided on where to go. So many lodges, places, countries are on my "wish" list. Still trying to find the best value for money, the perfect safari for our budget.
1) Zambia ?
2) South Africa (Madikwe, a not yet visited lodge in Timbavati or Sabi Sands, a stay at the Outpost) in combination with Mozambique beach ?
3) Gabon ?
4) Botswana central Kalahari in combination with ? Madikwe ??
....

HildeV,

Luangwa River Lodge (6) $2500pp (stay 5 nights, get 6th night free)
Chongwe River Camp (4) $1920pp

TOTAL = $4420 pp RACK rates (you may be able to find it for under rack rates through the right connection)

(The triple would likely be charged full price of $4420 but would help you possibly negotiate a better price with your agent/tour operator)

This would provide luxury lodging at Luangwa River Lodge, as well as a strategic location that will allow you to explore both the northern and southern parts of the park.

Chongwe River Camp will be a nice change of pace, offering tented accomodations in an incredibly scenic area...elephants will walk right through camp daily.

Another alternative for a longer safari:

Kafunta Safaris 10 Night North Luangwa/South Luangwa Package = $2985 pp sharing

Chongwe River Camp (4) $1920 pp sharing

TOTAL = $4905 pp RACK rate for a wonderful 14 night Zambian safari in high season. Late July / August would be perfect for this itinerary as it will include not only morning and night game drives but also walking safaris, river safaris and canoeing. As a result, you will want tolerable mid day temperatures found in July to early August.

There are plenty of other combinations out there, but here are a couple that will keep you around your budget. Zambia is a fabulous safari destination and helps keep things interesting with all of its different possible activities.

South Luangwa would offer more comfortable weather than South Africa at this time of year since it is further north, especially in South Luangwa. Personally, I have never been a fan of cool weather safaris.

Rocco,

I noticed you always advise people to stay more than 3 nights in one lodge in Zambia.
After 3 nights in the same lodge in South Africa (even at Simbambili) or Tanzania, I always found myself to get the feeling of having seen it all, taking the same roads, the same off road trails.. (never getting bored of the wildlife though).
What 's so special about Zambia that you can spend 6 nights at one lodge ?
thanks for you help

Hilde,

Typically, with people specifying a tighter budget, I advise a longwe stay as it allows for better pricing.

Not too many past visitors to Luangwa River Lodge would argue that 4 nights would be too many, and my thinking is that at that point it is basically buy one night, get one night free, so a sixth night does make sense.

For Lower Zambezi, I am afraid that you may find pricing very high for a couple of the camps and that Chongwe at $480 pppns would likely be your best budget option that would still offer a first class experience.

The Kafunta package I recommended for 10 nights is split between the following camps:

Kafunta River Lodge x 4
Kafunta Island Bush Camp x 2
Wilderness Camp in Luambe NP x 1
Buffalo Camp in North Luangwa x 3

Now, if you had a slightly higher budget and wanted a 12 night Zambian safari, I would recommend the following:

Puku Ridge x 3
Luangwa River Lodge or Kaingo or Tafika x 3
Sausage Tree Camp x 3
Chiawa Camp x 3

However, just eyeballing this itinerary, I believe you would be looking at about $6,750 pp sharing as you are staying at what I consider to be the very best camps and you are not qualifying for any long stay discounts.

Further on the long stays...you must remember that you are not going to be limited to game drives but will have the opportunity for walking safaris, river safaris, fishing for tiger fish, and canoeing, as well, not to mention cultural visits and if you were to go to Tafika in South Luangwa, microlighting.

This is the truth...after three nights at Chongwe River Camp last September, I was so sad to have to leave after only a 3 night stay as I felt my visit was not yet complete...I would have been able to stay a couple nights more easily and enjoyed every moment of it. This is for a camp that is not even in the national park, but rather 15 minutes outside of it...I believe my feelings would have been even more magnified had I been leaving Chiawa or Sausage Tree Camp after only 3 nights since these camps are within the national park.

I mean there are just so many awesome combinations one could come up with:

Tafika (4)
Puku Ridge (4)
Chiawa (4) (but by staying a 5th night you get the 6th night free just like at Luangwa RIver Lodge, which is just one reason why you see me recommend these two lodges so much...the other reason being that they are so highly regarded in most every respect).

Then there are the bushcamps. Besides the obvious choice of Bushcamp Copmany for such an experience (www.bushcampcompany.com) there are other choices such as Mwamba (Kaingo's bushcamp) and Tafika's bushcamps.

Just so many wonderful Zambian camps and so little time!!!

I just received news that the rates of lodges (starofafrica) are going up by 20% in 2007 ! And my budget isn't !
It looks like Zambia will have to wait another year or 2 !
Sigh...

Hilde,

There is still some great pricing out there...take this 13 night itineeary for example:

Kafunta South Luangwa/North Luangwa 10 night safari - $2985 per person

Chongwe River Camp or Kulefu (Star Of Africa), 3 nights - $1340
(Kulefu is actually $5 pppns less than Chongwe for a total of $1325)

Zambian Air = $725 pp

TOTAL = $5050 ($388 per person per night sharing for a high season Zambian safari).

Kafunta River Lodge x 2
Kafunta Island Bush Camp x 2
Luambe Wilderness Camp x 1
Buffalo Camp, North Luangwa x 3
Kafunta River Lodge x 2
Chongwe River Camp or Kulefu x 3

Then what I would do to improve the itinerary is add a flight back from North Luangwa to South Luangwa (and then onward to Lower Zambezi) for the following itinerary:

Kafunta River Lodge x 3
Kafunta Island Bush Camp x 2
Luambe Wilderness Camp x 1
Buffalo Camp x 4 (adding an extra night in North Luangwa)
Chongwe or Kulefu x 3

4 Zambian national parks in high season at $400 per person RACK RATES.

Kafunta River Lodge shares the same driving area as Puku Ridge but then also is closer to the entrance to the park which is actually a very good gameviewing part of the park.

One final option...do the 10 night Kafunta South Luangwa/North Luangwa package but add 3 nights at Kaingo ($490 pppns) or Luangwa River Lodge ($500 pppns) or Tafika ($525? pppns) at the end:

Kafunta (10) $2985
Luangwa River Lodge/Tafika/Kaingo (3)$1500
Air = $425

TOTAL RACK RATE = $4910

Kafunta River Lodge x 3
Kafunta Island Bush Camp x 2
Luambe Wilderness Park x 1
Buffalo Camp, NLNP, x 4
Luangwa River Lodge/Tafika/Kaingo x 3

Now that is a beautiful itinerary that gives you the best of the Luangwa Valley! It would be a shame to postpone based off the prices going up...prices go up each year and every country and to be able to enjoy a high season Zambian safari for less than $400 per person per night is not going to be possible after 2007 (or at least that is my prediction).

For Starofafrica, maybe. But definitely
not others. You must realize that (most)
Lodges seem to go up by 5-10% per year.
That's life I guess!

Cheers
Marc

Sorry to hijack the thread, but what is the single supplement like for these places in Zambia? 50%? Possible to go during a shoulder season that still has good wildlife viewing and allow one to avoid the single supplement?

I have to admit that these itineraries look rather attractive and I'm considering adding Zambia to the list of possibilities for 2007.

Just a couple single supplements off the top of my head:

Luamgwa River Lodge - $500 pp in high season w/ $100 single supplement

Chiawa - $695 pp in high season w/ $205 single supplement.

The average will be about 25 - 30% extra for a single supplement.

A couple more single supplements:

Puku Ridge = $475 pppns in high season + $130 s/s


Robin Pope Safaris

Nkwali = $480 pppns in high season + $225 s/s
Nsefu and Tena Tena = $560 pppns in high season + $225 s/s


Kafunta Safaris Packages

5 night Bush Experience = 1425 US$ per person sharing + Single Supplement $285 USD (3 nights Kafunta River Lodge and 2 nights at Kafunta Island Bush Camp)

7 nights Bush Experience = $1995 pps + Single Supplement $395 USD (4 nights Kafunta River Lodge and 3 nights at Kafunta Island Bush Camp)


Chongwe River Camp

$480 pppns in high season + $225 s/s


Kaingo

$490 pppns in high season + $225 s/s

Tafika

$650 pppns in high season (August/September) + $200 s/s

Okay...I have located great opportunities for single travelers:

2007 Pricing

Chongwe River Camp - April 01st to May 31st and Nov. 01st to Nov. 15th

$430 per single per night


Puku Ridge - Jan. 01st to Mar. 31st and Nov. 01st to Dec. 31st

$330 per single per night


Luangwa River Lodge - Feb. 01st? to May 31st and Nov. 01st to Nov. 30th

$380 per single per night

I guess there aren't a lot of options for the single traveler in the Lower Zambezi if you want to avoid the single supplement. So, if I did something like this in May:

6 nights LRL = $1900
3 nights Chonge River Camp = $1290
2 nights Victoria Falls (say, $250 a night someplace?) = $500
Air Transfers = Around $800?

So, we're talking around $4500 plus international airfare and incidentals for 11 nights in May for a single traveler? That's not too bad. I'm afraid that high season would be out of the question for me as those single supplements are killer (at least for the Lower Zambezi - Kafunta is reasonable).

lifelist,

Air transfers would be just a bit higher, especially if returning to Lusaka after Victoria Falls. $900 if departing out of Livingstone, and $1100 if returning to Lusaka.

These are some great prices! What would game viewing be like in late June early to mid-July?

BahamaBreeze,

By July, Zambia will be well into high season. Just keep in mind that it is about so much more than just the gameviewing in South Luangwa. It is about the activities, the wonderful owner run camps, the Zambian people (who rank as the friendliest I have yet encountered), the majestic Zambezi River, the meandering Luangwa River and the beautiful landscapes.

Although I am supposed to be more objective, Zambia for me is tops. I really enjoy the Sabi Sand Game Reserve in South Africa and I had an absolutely wonderful time at most places in Tanzania (and the gameviewing was phenomenal in the Ndutu area of the Serengeti), but there is just something magical about Zambia.

Rocco, in today's LA Times (Mon 7/31/06), Global Report, Financial Times, wanted to alert you to the article "foreign investors think small" about Zambia? It may be online, at least today.

Clematis,

Thanks for this info...I would have never seen it otherwise.

Here is a link to the article for anybody else interested:

http://tinyurl.com/ngjkv