Zambia in Style

Chikunto Safari Lodge sits in the heart of Zambia's wonderful South Luangwa National Park and could well have hit upon the perfect combination of remoteness and luxury. Situated on the edge of the Luangwa River — a tributary of the mighty Zambezi — the lodge offers a high level of comfort and hospitality without being 'over the top' or pretentious, and at all times keeps to its ethos of offering an authentic wilderness safari experience.

Although Chikunto is more of a 'camp' than a lodge, its five tents are luxurious and spacious and pitched on raised wooden decking. Each tent has a private bathroom and its own seating area. The complex has a swimming pool — from which Elephants, Giraffes and other wildlife can be admired — and is perched near the banks of the Luangwa River, surrounded by pristine mopane woodland, grassy plains and seasonal waterholes. One of the tents is also attached to a special stargazing platform on which guests can sleep out overnight if they wish. For more information on this feature, please refer to the detailed tour itinerary.

Chikunto Safari Lodge is a permanent lodge, not a temporary seasonal bush camp. It is located deep within the national park, an hour's drive from the entrance gate at Mfuwe. As such, it is in one of the quieter regions of the reserve and we are likely to see few other visitors during our stay. The lodge takes a maximum of 12 people at a time, and on most of our safaris here, we take exclusive use of the property and fill all five tents with Naturetrek guests. Chikunto is totally immersed in the wildlife. In the dry season (August to November), numerous game animals wander down to drink in the river, whilst after dark we can listen to the nocturnal sounds of the bush from our beds and may well hear the roar of a distant Lion or a noisy Hippo wandering past.

All of our holidays to the South Luangwa National Park begin with a flight to Lusaka (usually via Dubai) and a short internal flight of less than an hour to Mfuwe, on the edge of the reserve. We will then transfer to Chikunto Safari Lodge in their open safari vehicles for seven nights. Each of our days in the Luangwa Valley will start with a pre-dawn wake-up call and a morning safari in search of the park's abundant wildlife. Returning late morning for lunch and a siesta, we will head out again later in the afternoon in the cooler latter hours of the day and then return to the lodge after dark, spotlighting for nocturnal mammals and birds as we go. Morning drives can be replaced with a walking safari or two for those who wish (subject to how dense the vegetation is at the time of our stay).

The diversity and sheer abundance of wildlife in the South Luangwa National Park defies belief. Elephants are common, as are Hippo, Warthog, Impala, Puku and African Buffalo. The valley even has its own subspecies of giraffe, zebra and wildebeest (Thornicroft's, Crawshay's and Cookson's respectively), and we should have little difficulty in finding prides of Lions and clans of Spotted Hyenas. Leopard and African Wild Dog are likely too, sightings of the latter in particular have become more frequent in recent years (especially as the rains approach). Heading out after dark will greatly increase our chances of seeing a Leopard and most afternoon drives end with a spotlighting session after sunset. These night drives also offer the chance of seeing Southern Lesser Galago, Scrub Hare, African Civet, Honey Badger, White-tailed, Bushy-tailed and Slender Mongooses, Large-spotted Genet and even Four-toed Sengi (Elephant Shrew) — as well as hunting Lions and other predators.

Those with an interest in birds as well as the mammals will not be disappointed, and during our week-long safari it is typical to notch up over 200 species. Among the favourites are Saddle-billed Stork, Black Heron, Steppe, Wahlberg's and Martial Eagles, Lilian's Lovebird, Lilac-breasted Roller, Malachite Kingfisher and White-fronted Bee-eater, together with a raft of weavers, glossy starlings, rollers, hornbills and many others. Thousands of colourful Southern Carmine Bee-eaters descend on the valley between late August and late November to breed (there is a colony near the lodge), whilst after dark we might see the amazing Pennant-winged Nightjar, and if very fortunate, perhaps the rare Pel's Fishing Owl.

Following an exciting week amongst the mammals, birds and other wildlife of Zambia's South Luangwa National Park, we must return to Mfuwe Airport for our flight to Lusaka and ultimately home.