Lady’s Zambia Safari Guide

Today I want to bring you my guide to a Zambia safari in South Luangwa National Park. This is one of the best places for safaris in Africa, and I’ll show you why.

Zambia Safari

It’s hot in Mfuwe. I feel the heat rising off the airstrip as soon as the plane touches down. “October is called ‘Suicide Month’ in Zambia,” my friend tells me.

“It’s hot, and the scarcity of water means the game viewing is amazing.” We’re headed to South Luangwa National Park, and I can’t wait to see the wildlife on a Zambia safari.

Mfuwe Lodge, Zambia

At the airport, we’re met by Jason. He’s a guide and driver from Mfuwe Lodge, which is famous for having a reception area that elephants walk through.

He shows us to our van, where we pile in along with four Danish guests and head down the road for the 45-minute drive to the park.

On the way, one of the Danes requests we stop at Tribal Textiles, an outdoor artisan market selling all kinds of high-end fabrics and carved goods. The place is full of beautiful things, but I’m eager to get to the animals.

And get to them I do. As soon as we arrive at Mfuwe Lodge, I know I’m in a very special place. The thatched roofs of the main building and Zambia safari bungalows face a large clearing in the bush with several watering holes.

Everywhere I look, baboons, warthogs, zebras, giraffes, and elephants graze in the morning heat. I can’t take my eyes off them.

My friend and I are taken to our bungalow, which the lodge has offered me on a complimentary basis for two nights. It’s at the far end of the camp and is accessible only by a footbridge, which makes me feel like I’m on an adventure.

Set over two floors, the bungalow has upper and lower decks for game viewing, as well as sofas, a large bed with mosquito netting, and a spacious bathroom with a separate shower and tub.

The former looks out onto the wildlife, and I can’t help but wish my shower in London had a view like this.

Speaking of views, as soon as we arrive in the bungalow, we’re greeted by a herd of elephants wallowing in the watering hole right in front of us.

I can’t believe how close they are, and I’m mesmerized. With sightings of this quality from my own room, do I really need to go on game drives during my Zambia safari?

I ask myself the same question during lunch, which takes place on the large terrace of the lodge near the swimming pool.

After getting food from the buffet, I angle my chair towards the animals and enjoy my very own version of the nature channel as baboons play tricks on one another and tiny baby warthogs dart around in the mud.

Can the Zambia safari game viewing really get any better?

Zambia Safari Game Drives

That evening I find out. My friend and I pile into a safari vehicle with four other Californians (small world!), and Jason drives us off into South Luangwa National Park.

As the heat of the afternoon abates and the shadows grow long in the bush, we see everything from grazing impalas to long-necked giraffes.

There’s wildlife aplenty on our Zambia safari; as Jason points out a lilac-breasted weaver, we spot a baby elephant.

But the real treat is a pride of 21 lions. Bellies full from a recent kill, the females walk lazily across the road and settle in by a watering hole to drink, lounge, and play.

There are more cubs than I’ve ever seen, and they busy themselves play fighting as a giant male lion takes in the scene from a distance.

After watching the lions, we stop for sundowners while the sky turns orange and red. Then it’s time for some night viewing on our Zambia safari.

Jason’s colleague Marsten shines a light into the bush as we drive slowly along the road. Soon his efforts are rewarded when we spot not one, but two leopards.

One of them comes so close we can see every spot on its coat, and we sit in awed silence.

Back at the lodge, we have a buffet dinner and then turn in for the night. There’s no Internet access available to guests (the only downside of my stay), so life moves at a slower pace on our Zambia safari than it does back home.

It’s not so bad to go to bed early, though, as we’re up at 5:30am the following morning for another game drive. It too is a success, with lots of buffalo sightings and more hippos and crocodiles than I’ve ever seen.

We spend a long afternoon by the pool, which has actual seats in it for watching the game just over the edge, then drive off again to spot more lions and leopards, spotted hyenas, and even a chameleon.

Our Zambia safari is supposed to end there, with a 10:10am flight from Mfuwe to Lusaka the following morning.

But we beg for one last game drive, and the fact that the others in our car have decided to do a different activity the following morning means our wish is granted.

Off we go again, taking in the beautiful sunrise and saying good-bye to South Luangwa National Park and all its creatures and critters as we travel.

And then we really do go, our little prop plane lifting us high above the park, over the dry rivers and brown earth, above the wildlife, past the lodge, and back to Zambia’s capital.

As we travel, I can’t help but think that while October may be ‘Suicide Month’ in this country, I’ve never seen such an abundance of life concentrated in one area than on my Zambia safari.

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