Zambia Safari Q.
 

My wife and I are looking at a 10-14 night walking/camp safari in Zambia for between May to Aug '07.
Have probably decided on Puku Ridge and Luangwa River Lodge.
What are peoples thoughts on these two and the best time to go and is it easily tranferable in a day to get to each?
We have a huge interest in Leopards and photography.
We spent 10 nights in the SSGR for our wedding/honeymoon in Aug '04 and loved it and know we're looking for something a little more adventurous!
Also many thanks to people like Roccco and KaveyM for there help and advice in the past.

Cheers
Marc & Rossana

You've picked my two favorite camps in South Luangwa! I went in March and October, I liked them both, some folks just got back from their May/June trips and loved it! It's an easy 1-2 hour transfer from LRL to PR so no worries there. You'd get a morning game drive, transfer (which would be another game drive) and evening game drive at the next lodge...3 in one day! The photography is incredible, but in my 2 trips I only saw 2 leopards, but others have had better luck. Elephants, lions and zebras everywhere.

If you want a better chance of seeing leopards, go more toward August. I only say that because the bush will be more dry and game spotting is supposed to be better then. BUT GO!!!!!! You will love Zambia. LRL is fantastic. I didn't stay at Puku Ridge, but those who have, love it. and yes, PR is just a game drive away from LRL. Tafika camp is also really beautiful. Do a Zambia search here and you'll see all the recent trip reports. Let us know how your plans shape up!

Yes, do a search.......tons of useful posts........thanks to Rocco, ofcourse!!!

Hari

africaaddict,

If your window is limited to May to August, then I would push it back until as late in August as possible. This will get you into prime gameviewing season and will allow for very nice weather, day and night.

However, if you want adventure, I would also urge you to spend a few of those nights in Lower Zambezi. Perhaps 5 - 6 nights (6th night is free) at Luangwa River Lodge, 4 nights at Puku Ridge and then 4 nights at Chongwe River Camp, Sausage Tree Camp or Chiawa in the Lower Zambezi to finish off a wonderful safari. If you have the potential for 14 nights, by all means, use all 14 nights.

You will definitely see leopards in Zambia (there are more leopards in Zambia than in any other country) but they will not be as habituated to vehicles as in the Sabi Sand. However, the overall photographic opportunities you get of the overall wildlife and landscapes will more than compensate and it will be a nice step up from the Sabi Sand.

One alternate itinerary that I think would be very nice and would really allow you to see a lot of South Luangwa is as follows:

Luangwa River Lodge (3)

Kaingo (3) (hippo hides and the opportunity for a few days in one of the most remote areas of the park)

Puku Ridge (4) (this is my favorite location of any South Luangwa camp I have yet visited and I have visited a few)

Chiawa or Sausage Tree Camp or Chongwe River Camp (4) This all depends on your budget and what you want out of your stay.

Alternately, although it was not in such great shape when I visited a couple years ago, Kulefu, Star Of Africa's camp in the Lower Zambezi, is looking fabulous. I have an update with photos that was just mailed to me by the director of Star Of Africa that I would be happy to share with you.

No Zambian safari is complete without the Zambezi River.

Transfers between camps and even between parks are simple. For example, if you did the itinerary I suggested (Luangwa River Lodge followed by Kaingo followed by Puku Ridge followed by Lower Zambezi), it would be like this:

Arrive Lusaka at 6:30AM (overnight flight on British Airways from London). By about 9AM you would be on a light air transfer to South Luangwa, arriving at about 10:20. You would be met by Victor, in all likelihood, from Luangwa River Lodge and be driven back to the lodge, with possibly a short game drive along the way, arriving just after Noon.

After a wonderful three nights at Luangwa River Lodge, you would have about a 2.5 hour drive up to Kaingo. Kaingo is very important to the gameviewing experience as there are Cockson's Wildebeest and even very occasional Roan Antelope in the northern part of the park. Plus, the Hippo Hide at Kaingo is a fantastic experience and will allow you to get hippo photos like nowhere else.

From Kaingo, it is only a 2.5 hour straight drive to Puku Ridge. All road transfers within South Luangwa National Park are included in your nightly rate.

After Puku Ridge, it would be 90 minutes or less back to the Mfuwe Airport where you would likely fly Mfuwe - Lusaka - Lower Zambezi (2.5 hours including a short layover in Lusaka) or if you were lucky you may fly direct from Mfuwe to Lower Zambezi.

Then after finishing in Lower Zambezi, it is a simple 25 minute flight back to Lusaka. You could do a 6:30AM flight back to connect with your 8:30AM flight back to London if you did not wish to spend a final night in Lusaka. While this would cost you your final morning game drive, it would give you that extra night on safari.

Between walking safaris, tiger fishing and river safaris in the Lower Zambezi, morning and night game drives and the incredibly warm Zambian people and incredible landscapes, you should have an amazing experience.

Has anyone been to PR and/or LRL AND to any of the Robin Pope camps? Compare please. Aren't they all in S. Luangwa area?
regards - tom

Tom,

South Luangwa is a huge park.

RPS operates three camps - Nkwali, Nsefu and Tena Tena. Unfortunately, two of the three camps are closed 7 months out of the year, leaving only Nkwali open for most of the year.

A person visiting Nkwali would probably not also visit Puku Ridge as they do share many of the same driving areas. They are not limited to these areas but they are within striking distance of the lodges.

A person staying at Luangwa River Lodge would not share the same driving areas as Nkwali or Puku Ridge.

However, while Puku Ridge is located within the park, Nkwali is located outside the park. I find it a nice advantage to being in the park.

Well, that's why I asked. I hear a lot here about PR and LRL but never been to either. But I have been to Nsefu but not to PR or LRL. (I think all are close to same cost, $500pppn). AND, in Sept will be going back to Nsefu and TenaTena. Both are inside the park. Both are permitted to do night drives in the park.
So, thinking ahead to safari 2007, maybe, what?
regards - tom

Just noticed my name in the first post, (though I'm Kavey F) - I haven't been to Zambia so I'm assuming I was of help on Botswana or South Africa? Whatever it was, I'm glad something I posted was of assistance and you're very welcome. :D

Sorry to hijack - but Tom I am curious why you are staying at Nsefu and Tena Tena... both wonderful, I'm sure, but are in similar areas of the park and probably share the same area for game drives? (I'm just assuming this, and could be wrong..) If it were me, I'd hit different areas, like a bush camp in the very south. Just my 2 cents worth!

Cooncat3
Thanks for responding. I knew someone would ask that. It is not easy to answer. Part of the answer is in fact why I asked the question. The forum reports are good for PR and LRL my experience at Robin Pope in Sept 2006, 4 nights, was also good. So last winter, time to make reservations, and going with what I knew/experienced, I decided to go back to Nsefu for 4 nights. But, you know, what the heck, why not add a couple more nights and stay at two camps. 3 nights Nsefu and 3 TenaTena. They are about 15 min drive from each other so can make the camp transfer without missing a game drive. (For starters, it’s a two hour drive back to Mufwe airport).
But since then forum member matnickstym did a great trip report, 6/21/06 (very recent) on S. Zambia where they stayed at Nsefu and Tena Tena. His/her report was less than enthusiastic. They were there at end of May, hope the camps have read the forum and gotten things more together.
Also, true the two camps are relatively close but in our stay (at Nsefu) we never interacted with vehicles from Tena Tena. They have radios so you’d think they might share game sightings. Go figure.
regards - tom

That was judithlorraine's report that had a dissappointing stay with RPS.

Based on Robin Pope's last newsletter it looks like they were very distracted with hosting their Jeep VIPs and 4 wheelin all over the Valley (Lorraine mentioned a big VIP shindig that went down during her stay).

http://www.robinpopesafaris.net/itsm...tent/index.php

OK Tom - I can follow some of that logic (I think)! That's because when I go back, I will likely stay at the same places, too! HOWEVER - my camps were located at the south, middle and north parts of the park, so I saw different areas. Transfers are handles from camp to camp, and treated as a game drive, so I didn't really miss anything. You really should hit one of the Bushcamp Company's camps down south - I loved Chamilandu - or choose a new place up north, like Tafika, or Kaingo! These places are very, very reputable. Owner owned and run... I wouldn't go any other way. (Of course, I loved LRL as well and would highly recommend that if you can go with three camps, or choose to not go so far north.....)

Transfers are handleD....

Owner owned???? What did I mean by that? ((?))

Yes, the judithlorraine report was an eye opener......hopefully Tom, you will hv better luck with RPS.

Hari

Thanks everyone for their input and advice.
As I suspected, it looks like August will be the best time. Does anyone have some links to flights/Airlines for Joberg to Lusaka to Mfuwe? Have been quoted approx US $1600 for return flights for two!
Cheers
Marc

we flew saa from jnb to lusaka. from lusaka it's zambian air
www.airwaves.co.zm
first leg was $356pp one way last year can't remember the second.
also check www.kulula.com supposed to be cheaper flights from joburg to lusaka from lusaka to mfuwe, it's only zambian air

carey~wasn't me. if i'm in South Luangwa, it'll be at LRL, Puku Ridge and Kaingo next time. i'm like napamatt, if you know something is that good, why change? i'm talking lodges here, not countries!

I agree with Dennis

Hari

AfricaAddict,

With that $1600 air quote for Joburg to Lusaka, you should be able to fly round trip on Zambian Airways (www.kulula.com does their bookings for this particular flight) AND have a night at the finest Zambian lodges in high season!

You should pay about $250 per person round trip booking through Kulula.

As far as Zambian lodges, I am a bit preferential to Dennis' choices, after all, I introduced him to Luangwa River Lodge and Puku Ridge! :)

Kaingo is another excellent lodge that should not be missed.

This is not to say that there are not plenty of other very good operators in South Luangwa (Robin Pope Safaris, Norman Carr Safaris, Bushcamp Company & Kafunta), but the top three, in my opinion would be Puku Ridge, Kaingo and Luangwa River Lodge in no particular order. However, for an excellent value, Kafunta gets the nod.

I am glad to see Kaingo mentioned here as we loved it last year.

As for your concern about missing a drive in the transfer -- that does not happen as the transfer from Kaingo will be at the end of a drive or during the afternoon siesta.

South Luangwa is a large park. Most of the camps are toward the Southern End -- Kaingo is pretty much by itself in the Northern Park and they have excellent guides. You do not meet a lot of other people from other camps which I really liked. There were a lot of animals. We did get a few leopard sitings there -- my first!

We stayed at Luangwa River Lodge after Kaingo and loved that also -- met many more vehicles on the game drives there as they are more in that area but it was not bad. A couple of times the sundowner locations were taken before we got there but no big deal. The owners are great and to be on main power is a nice treat. The bathtub is great!

We did not do Puku Ridge as ther had been some bad reports regarding management then and it is close to Luangwa River Lodge. Sind then, people have stayed and the management has been changed and the place is, I hear here, very good, so I would not hesitate.

We did go to Lower Zambezi and did not enjoy it as much as the South Luangwa. IF you want to do some water activities, then this should be considered as canoeing ot fishing are big in this area. When we were there, we did not see as many animals as the South Luangwa.

To the original poster: I see that you are interested in walking. You might consider a combination of Luangwa River Lodge for an all-around fabulous place to stay, (great food, guides, managers, chalets, vibe) and then look into one of these:
• Bushcamp Company - They specialize in walks. I loved Chamilandu; others on the board gave favorable reviews to Kapamba. Chamilandu is in a beautiful spot, with Chindeni hills across the river, wonderful breezes into the chalets.... or:

• Tafika camp - Also do walks - but across the river, IN the park, they have two walking camps Chikoko and Crocodile. An English couple had just returned from there during my stay at Tafika and they loved it. There are no roads over there and the park is very isolated. They saw leopard - right in camp, I think, as they were just sitting and relaxing, lion, and all the rest. I flew over the area with John Coppinger on his microlight and it looks fabulous. I would def. recommend it. Just more food for thought. You can see we all have our favorite places!

Good luck!
Sharon

Will someone (Dennis or S.Tamiya) please tell whether they thought that Luangwa River Lodge was "close" to Puku Ridge.

Personally, I do not find this to be the case, given that it is a 1+ hour drive away.

I would say that Nkwali and Kafunta are relatively close to Puku Ridge but I would not say the same of Luangwa River Lodge. However, of the three, both Nkwali and Kafunta are outside the park while Puku Ridge has a great location within the park. It is still about a 15 minute drive away from Kafunta & Nkwali.

I think Luangwa River Lodge and Puku Ridge is a wonderful combination, especially if one happens to visit anytime between November to May when Kaingo and the other northern camps (Tafika, Nsefu, Tena Tena) are closed.

However, if one was visiting in high season and only had time to pick two camps, I would definitely say Kaingo should be one of the two camps while the other should be either Luangwa River Lodge or Puku Ridge.

Of course, the very best option is to be able to get all three camps, Puku Ridge, Luangwa River Lodge and Kaingo, in on your safari! Then again, if Puku Ridge is booked solid, after all the positive press it has been receiving lately on the forum, then Kafunta is a nice way to enjoy game drives in a similar area and at an excellent value! :)

Puku Ridge and Luangwa River Lodge are not that close, 1.5-2 hours apart, though in the wet season they do share the same viewing areas as some of the roads are impassable from either camp and all the lodges seem to meet in the middle for drives. In October while at LRL, we did go over to PR area a few times in search of dogs, but the rest of the time we didn't see a Star of Africa vehicle but occasionally. LRL is situated on the river, PR is on a flood pan so the views from the tent/chalet are entirely different. I'd definitely do both again, and throw in Kaingo.

Predator,
Thanks for posting that newsletter from RPS. Wished I could have been included in one of Jeeps VIP, guess I am not ranked high enough yet. What a great testimony for our new Jeep.

Now I have to figure out a way to get to Zambia and have the company pay for it.

Rocco, your suggestion of PR, LRL and Kaingo is whetting my appetite. I will email you direct for more details.

Carla

I would agree that Puku Ridge is not near Luangwa River Lodge. Victor and I did a drive out there one day in search of dogs. I didn't go inside the camp but it is in a very pretty area, and everyone who has stayed there lately loved it. You can't go wrong Carla, and Rocco will be able to plan a very nice trip for you. Can I come?!

Sorry to OP for tacking onto your thread!

Sharon

Carla: do you work for Jeep? I have a 99 Jeep Wrangler with over 180,000 miles now. It is a workhorse that gets me into some rough sites for my field work. Every year I get an invite to go to Jeep Camp to put it through the paces somewhere in the U.S. -- I've never gone but it sounds like fun. I think I would have accepted an invite to drive South Luangwa though!

Predator, I have been the fleet manager for 18 years at South Bay Chrysler Jeep Dodge http://www.south-ca.fivestardealers.com/

180k on your '99, wow! My brother has a '99 Warngler but no where near that many miles. They are great vehicles and most people hang on to them for a long time as they are so reliable.

Maybe someone from Daimler Chrysler will read this and invite us to the next South Luangwa event! DR.Z ...ARE YOU OUT THERE????

Have you heard of the Jeep Jamborees?

Sorry Marc for latching onto your thread, its a good one. I will be following your progress.

Carla

Carla: that's cool, I obviously love my Jeep. All my field work throughout the west has really packed on the miles but the Jeep has taken me though some of the best spots in Colorado, Wyoming, Utah, Arizona, New Mexico and the Dakotas. I'm hoping I can hold off from buying a new one for a little while longer since Africa keeps draining my pockets.

I have heard of the Jeep Jamborees but never attended. Looks like fun, I'm often driving where no one else is.

This has to be the best digression to date.
Nice job! =D>

Marc - hope you guys are still with us! :))

I said I was sorry. Marc are you there?