SanDiego1K

Overview:
We had a magical trip to Zambia in August, perfect in almost every way. If you haven't considered Zambia for a safari, I encourage you to do so. We had great animal sightings and wonderful camps. We found the people very friendly and were warmly welcomed everywhere. As soon as we left, we wanted to return.

Our camps:

1. Chinzombo, South Luangwa National Park
2. Lion Camp, South Luangwa National Park
3. Anabezi Camp, Lower Zambezi

We went in early August, their winter. I had been obsessively checking temperatures before our trip and was surprised by how warm it was. I packed a coat and certainly didn't need it. Cool temps tended to be in the middle of the night. It quickly warmed up when the sun came up. I would not have wanted to go any later. There was still water in the rivers but it was low enough to make game viewing satisfying. Again, I'm not sure I would have wanted to go much earlier. Zambia has very seasonal viewing, with much of South Luangwa unreachable during many months of the year. Lion Camp is open from May thru October. From January thru April it can only be reached by boat (and that's by its security staff). Chinzombo is open year round as it sits just outside the park.

Proflights Zambia has regularly scheduled service to Mfuwe (South Luangwa National Park) and Jeki (Lower Zambezi). Mfuwe is a busy town and has larger planes in and out. Jeki is actually inside Lower Zambezi National Park. We flew a small 12 seater plane from Mfuwe and an 8 seater plane on to Lusaka. There was no ticket counter and no security. We took off half an hour early as all passengers had arrived. It was fun!

SanDiego1K

Chinzombo opened in 2013. It immediately won awards in both 2014 and 2015 as the best new property in Africa. It sits just outside the Mfuwe Gate to the national park. Guests are taken to the camp by boat. The safari vehicle drives up to their private dock where their boat awaits to take guests across. The depth of the river varies depending on the time of year. That means the number of steps required to reach the camp vary as well. It's a very picturesque way to reach the camp but it is also possible to drive to it. It adds perhaps half an hour to drive to the backside of the camp.



View from camp of boat approaching; safari vehicles line up on far side for guests


Armed guard who joined us for game drives

The public area was comfortable and extensive, especially when you consider the camp only has 6 tents.


Comfortable sitting, looking out at river


More seating


Table set up for breakfast. Each group had its own table.


Bar


Swimming pool


Picture of Norman Carr whose home stood here in the 1970s


More pictures of Norman Carr

SanDiego1K

Generally, we had individual tables for each group for meals other than the one bush lunch where we all ate together.

Fun breakfast with pots of porridge and bacon, eggs and toast grilled over this open bbq


Bush lunch with elephants. More came for mud baths in the river as we dined.


Our tents were lavish and large, both inside and outside. These were by far the most luxurious of the three properties where we stayed.



View from bedroom toward bathroom


Bathtub


Shower


View thru room netting outside over swimming pool to river


There was a variety of seating outside including this sofa


Loungers


Private pool, unheated, and it was never warm enough to get in it

Concluding thoughts about Chinzombo:

Chinzombo was a stunning property, comfortable, with good food and great service. The tents were the best that we had of the three properties where we stayed. However, we grew tired of being outside the park. We saw other game vehicles at almost all sightings. We went out for one evening game drive and saw lights all across the sky from other vehicles. We don't regret staying there but we were happy to move on to Lion Camp in the most remote corner of the park.

SanDiego1K

We moved on to Lion Camp from Chinzombo. It was roughly a two hour drive, within the national park, so a game drive all the way. The closest camp to Lion Camp is Mchenja, a Norman Carr camp. Otherwise there is nothing close. It is independently owned, though the American owner has brought in a management company this year. The camp was completely rebuilt this year and is fresh and lovely. Do you know the difference between a lodge and a camp? A lodge, such as Chinzombo, is open year round. A camp, like Lion Camp, is open seasonally. Lion Camp opened in May and will close in late October. The rivers in the park become sufficiently high that it is impossible to reach the park by vehicle more than six months of the year. All the furniture is put into a big locker to protect it. Two staff stay to guard the camp. They are switched out every two months when new staff come in by boat.

The camp is on the edge of an oxbow lagoon, overlooking an open plain. It was our great joy to sit and watch zebra, elephants, and more come to graze and get water.

In the central area, there is a wide range of seating options from comfortable overstuffed sofas and chairs to chairs set around a firepit. There is a small infinity pool, not good for more than about 3 strokes, and loungers for sun bathing. Tables are moved for meals to the location of your choice, for example close to the best viewing area across the river and plains, or higher near the bar. Food was excellent.

We learned about Lion Camp from @KI-NRT who gave me invaluable advice when putting together this trip. He was insistent that we try Lion Camp or Mchenja due to their remote locations. I am so glad we did. This was a very special place.



Sign as you approach camp


Entrance to camp


Comfy seating


More seating


Bar


Billiard table


Fire circle


Plunge pool


Plunge pool

SanDiego1K

We loved the ability to walk ourselves to and from the center of the camp. Elevated walkways made this possible. Our room was comfortable but small compared to Chinzombo. However, we liked the contemporary bathroom.

Elevated walkway to room (it's a level walk out from the central area, high enough for small animals to cross underneath)


Entrance to tent


Bedroom


Sitting area that looks over plains


Privacy screen for toilet


Sink


Shower

SanDiego1K

The art in and around the camp gave it a sense of place. I think most of it was from the former incarnation of the camp.


Carved pole where safari vehicles assembled


Another carved pole



Beaded chair used in the prior incarnation of the camp

Ericka

SanDiego1K

After four amazing days in two great camps in South Luangwa, we were ready for a change of pace. We flew a tiny plane on a nonstop flight from Mfuwe Airport to Jeki airstrip. There were 2 people whom we had met at Chinzombo, also headed to Anabezi, and 7 other passengers, headed to a different game park. We were let off at Jeki while they stretched their legs, then flew on. The other two people had their own safari vehicle and in fact, we learned they paid for their exclusive use throughout their trip. The gentleman was an avid photographer and wanted to go out on his schedule. We did not pay and had the good fortune to always have vehicles to ourselves.

It was roughly a 45 minute drive to the camp but was lengthened into a satisfying game drive. We had seen cape buffalo in South Luangwa, but here saw herds of 200 and 300. We saw more lions and lots of elephants. The camp reminded me of a colonial time, compared to the very contemporary camps we had just been. The lovely couple running it were the brother and sister-in-law of the man who owned it. They had spent decades in southern Africa, predominantly Zimbabwe where they experienced some of the hardship of the country. They returned to the UK and the brother-in-law persuaded them to come to Zambia 3 years or so ago.

The camp is built along the Zambezi River. It was great to sit anywhere in the camp and look out at the animals that came up to the river. I had enough land drives that I was really appreciative of taking a boat out on the river. They offered fishing which apparently is very popular.


View of the Zambezi River

Dining and sitting area

Sitting area toward swimming pool

Bar

Comfortable seating; all day tea and coffee

SanDiego1K

Our room was very large and very comfortable. It had an indoor bathtub and an outdoor shower. It had both indoor and outdoor toilets as well as a tiny plunge pool.



Living room


View from living room of Zambezi River


Bedroom. We had a king bed but forgot to take pictures. We were given a clean, made up room for our pictures.


Desk and dresser


Indoor bathroom


Outdoor toilet


Outdoor shower


Outdoor deck


Tiny plunge pool

SanDiego1K

We really appreciated having some alternative activities. One morning, we had breakfast in the bush. The camp maintains a permanent site for this. The staff stay there for two weeks at a time and then rotate out. I was truly impressed that they had a toilet there.

Breakfast in the bush


An actual bathroom in the bush


Toilet and sink - impressive

SanDiego1K

We had an afternoon boat ride that was wonderful. It was just the two of us, our guide, and our boat man. We had our sundowners on the river. We went out near dusk and saw a number of animals come to the water to drink. But the highlight was seeing elephants who had crossed the river to a tiny island to eat then crossed back again as the sun fell.



Evening on the river


Elephants crossing river - trunks held up


Camp elephant - he wandered around all over the grounds


Our plane in; safari vehicles lined up at the camp for morning game drives

offerendum

Very nice! I like it and the idea of a camp elephant. Was he on his own? Could you touch him?

SanDiego1K

He was on his own. We stayed well clear of him. I call him the camp elephant because he appeared to pay daily visits. He walked along the path to the rooms, then wandered on down to the river and walked along it. I follow #Anabezi on Instagram. I see a number of people posting pictures of an elephant at the camp, I assume is the one who was there when we were.

bhrubin

Thanks for the summaries and photos, @SanDiego1K! Looks like a wonderful trip, indeed!

You probably know what I'm about to ask: was there air con in the tents?

SanDiego1K

No and it was warm during the day. Camps had an air con system over the bed, meant to be used when the mosquito nets were down. And we had fans in two rooms. There was no way for it to be cooled to your standards.