4 Best Hotels in Zambia

KaingU Safari Lodge is a small owner-run camp comprising a two-bedroom family house and six classic en suite safari tents. The tents are raised on rosewood decks to provide ideal views over the myriad channels and islands formed by the Kafue River. It's also very remote—situated in the southern reaches of the Kafue National Park. The thatched main building has a lounge, bar, and dining room, where the hosted dinner conversations cover all topics. Two activities are included every day, and the selection ranges from chilled-out river safaris to serious birding excursions. The natural splendor of deepest Zambia takes precedence—at this camp even the swimming pool is a wholly natural Jacuzzi in the rapids of the Kafue!

Having opened its doors in 2022, this family-owned retreat on a secluded stretch of the Zambezi about 15 minutes outside of Livingstone is a stellar new addition to the luxury accommodation options on the Zambian side of the Falls. With a design that seamlessly blends colonial opulence and modern bush chic, the lodge comprises just five free-standing suites, as well as a single family cottage unit, making a stay here a particularly intimate affair; all of the suites have their own private plunge pool. The award-winning restaurant uses locally sourced ingredients from the on-site kitchen garden to serve up beautifully presented meals either in the thatched main reception area or on the riverside terrace. 

There is no formal dress code, but this camp offers the perfect backdrop for throwing practicality to the wind and dressing up for dinner. All the hallmarks of the genuine safari experience, including beautiful river views, great creature sightings, exhilarating guided bush walks and dining alfresco by lamplight, are perfectly balanced by a splendidly chic minimalist design that focuses on space and subtle earthy tones. If traveling with kids, the more family-oriented Potato Bush Camp, which falls under the same ownership, is within walking distance from Sausage Tree and is similarly spectacular. The closest airstrip is Jeki, which is a two-hour flight from Livingstone and 40 minutes from Lusaka in a small aircraft. Sausage Tree Camp is a one-hour drive from Jeki. 

Run by African Bush Camps, probably the continent's premier black-owned safari company, this beautiful lodge nestled inside Most-Oa-Tunya National Park has been built with a particularly strong emphasis on the environment, using sustainable and locally sourced materials to create a distinctly original design that blends contemporary flourishes with light earth tones and African-style structures. All ten of the lodges enormous suites, including two interconnecting family suites, have their own private plunge pools and uninterrupted river views. Among the range of activities offered in-house, a guided rhino tracking walk is a unique highlight.