Lodges in Zambia

The map on the left shows our general route in Part 2 of our trip, in which we visited several regions of Zambia. Below is a personal blog of our trip, day by day, as we traveled through Zambia.

We arrived in Lusaka, the capital, near the midpoint of our trip. Having just spent a great week with a terrific guide in northern Tanzania, we were refreshed and ready to go. OK, I was ready to go- my wife was a bit tired, as we were up at 4:30am to go to Nairobi's airport.

We had to transfer at Lusaka's airport to a commuter plane for an hour-long hop to Mfuwe, the regional airport (international airport, they call it, due to occasional flights to Zimbabwe). Wildlife Camp had arranged for transportation from the airport, so we didn't have to arrange anything once we got there.

Wildlife Camp is where my wife's brother stays every year when he visits Zambia. He's an archaeologist, and we had promised (threatened? ) to visit them for the past several years. He spends a total of about 6 weeks in Zambia, and probably two thirds of it at Wildlife Camp.

It was about a 30-40 minute ride from the airport in Mfuwe to the camp. Just before the entrance to South Luangwa National Park- the main attraction of the area, this sign indicates you need to turn left here, getting off the pavement to get to Wildlife Camp.

Wildlife Camp is run by Herman and Patsy, though most of my communication was with Patsy. She was great and instrumental in helping us with our internal flights, as Zambia Airways website doesn't let you purchase online. You might notice the danglies on the logo above- those are from the Sausage Tree, which you can see in the 3D galleries on this site.

We got there in mid-afternoon and checked into a comfortable chalet, pictured on the left. The camp has a number of chalets, plus an area for camping. The rates are modest compared to other lodges in the area, and the personality of the staff really made for a pleasant experience.

Something to note- it is named Wildlife Camp for a reason. After 4pm, it is unsafe to walk around the camp- you need to get around in a vehicle. This is due largely to elephants, but also hippos, and to a lesser degree, lions. Take a look at the enhanced picture to the right and you'll see what I mean- this was outside the dining hut a short time after dark- perhaps 8pm. There were more animals than this, but you can see here four elephants and a hippo. We did hear a lion at one point, but never saw one. The animals on the right were 20-30 feet (6-10m) away from us.

The picture on the left shows the inside of the dining hut- where we had our meals and some drinks. There is a second bar by the camping area, but more on that later.

Our meals were decently prepared and tasty. One evening we had local fare, served and eaten in local customs- with our fingers and a starchy "fork" used to cup the food in your fingers (not that different from Ethiopian style I've had in the US). It was delicious. Afterwards, we discovered this absolutely delicious Zambian liqueur called Amarula, made from the marula fruit. It tastes somewhat like Bailey's Irish Cream. Served on ice, it made for a nice desert (or nightcap, as desert was always included with the meal).

I must also add, if you are planning on visiting Wildlife Camp, that the water is drinkable from the tap- we did with no side effects. They get their water from a deep borehole, or well, so there aren't any of the problems that they have in the city or from other water supplies fed by surface water. Very pure, good tasting, and refreshing after Tanzania to not have to drink and brush your teeth from a bottle.

Wildlife Camp is located on the Luangwa River, on the border of South Luangwa National Park. During the day, it is safe to wander close to the river (but not too close- there are crocodiles in the water). Nearing sunset (and not at the safest time), the huts on the edge of the river banks are bathed in golden sunlight.

Now to the subject of the second bar- by the camping area. That is where you want to go at sunset. Have a drink and sit there watching the sunset. Sometimes they are as vivid as the one on the left- my very best picture from our entire African vacation! And, you can see elephants and, in this photo, hippos crossing the river to terrorize the camp. OK, so they feed, you just have to be wary of them and stay out of their way. We spent every sunset there, watching the amazing spectacle each night. About an hour after sunset (at least in July), we then had dinner at the primary dining hut, or restaurant.

Finally, below, I took this picture as we were getting ready to leave. This is the dining hut in the morning. Patsy can be seen standing near the center wearing white pants. My wife is wearing the blue coat, and her brother, Larry, is wearing a beige shirt and standing on the left side, his wife Mary, sitting with her back to us next to Patsy. The remaining people are Larry's archaeology students, who accompany him each year and camp out in the campsite area.

A final note on Wildlife Camp- they operate under the auspices of the Wildlife Environmental and Conservation society of Zambia. They donate 60% of the accommodation proceeds towards the education of Zambian children.

After we left Wildlife Camp, we flew from Mfuwe through Lusaka and on to Livingstone, on the border with Zimbabwe. We stayed two nights in Maramba River Lodge, but had to relocate the third night to a different lodge, as they were booked (we knew this before we ever left for Africa).

Maramba was also recommended by my sister-in-law. Though they visit Zambia primarily for the archaeological work, they do take a mini-vacation, and had been to the Victoria Falls area- the primary attraction of Livingstone.

Maramba River Lodge was fairly cheap, and scenically located on the banks of the Maramba River (right), a tributary to the Zambezi River, which is the river where Victoria Falls is located.

The picture to the right was our chalet. It was a decent room, though in July it gets very cold at night- low 40's (5C). With windows on both sides of the room, we froze at night and had to wear clothes to be. We really liked staying at Maramba, but I would recommend to them to have an extra blanket in each room- we could have used one more!

The view on the deck, where you could eat dinner, looked out on the river (the picture above). The food was pretty good, and the ambience was good. In all, we really liked this place and would stay there again, as it was only a few miles (by taxi- don't walk!) from Victoria Falls.

The third night in Livingstone, we had to transfer to The Waterfront, a few miles away form Maramba River Lodge. This one was on the Zambezi River, just next door to the boat launch from where, on the previous evening, we had taken a sunset cruise on the river.

The Waterfront cost twice as much as Maramba River Lodge, unfortunately. It was nice, and the location was superb, we just weren't sure that for us, it was worth the money. We did enjoy Maramba more, though I will reiterate, Waterfront is nice also.

The main difference, besides cost, was the type of tourist. Typically, in most of the places we stayed, we met other people that seemed a little less like tourists, more do-it-yourself tourists, which we are (and I am, especially). At The Waterfront, the tourists seemed a bit more the package-tour types.

On vacation, personally, I am loth to see a tour bus full of "group think" tourists. I prefer an individualized experience of the world, and I guess I got a little less of that here.

That said, it was not unpleasant. The food was good, the grounds were nice, and we were still close to the falls. The picture on the right was a walkway to our room, which was the top floor of an A-frame building that had three rooms in it- two on the bottom, and ours on top.

The picture on the left was our porch, which had a tree-blocked view of the Zambezi River, and was less than 100m down from the boat launch where we had taken our sunset cruise the evening before.

The room itself was spacious, the bed was big (king sized) with mosquito netting, which was important, because there were holes in the screens, which after dark let in mosquitoes from the river, attracted by the lights in the room.

I would stay here again in a pinch, but prefer Maramba River Lodge- especially if they just had one more blanket in the room!

We stayed at Pioneer Camp, just outside Lusaka, on our very last night in Africa. We were sad to be going home, so it was nice to have a peaceful place to spend our last night.

Pioneer Camp is run by the Family Robinson- Sandie and her husband and family. Again, this was recommended by Larry, my brother-in-law. They stay here when the arrive in Zambia, and on the way out as well, so they are popular guests here, as the come through every year.

Sandie was a great host. The cabins were great- an example on the left (the one next to ours). We stayed in the honeymoon suite, which is a bit nicer, though they all are nice, and fairly inexpensive as well.

Similar to all the other chalets we stayed at in Zambia, there were no glass windows- only screens. So, in July- winter there- it gets very cold at night. Unlike Maramba River Lodge, Pioneer Camp had plenty of blankets on the bed, so we were warm. Taking a shower in the morning was cold, but otherwise we were fine. Also, of note- the doors to the cabins were wooden and very nicely carved, as shown below (this door was on the cabin pictured above, before Sandie switched us to the honeymoon suite, since it was in fact our honeymoon).

Pioneer Camp is about a half-hour drive from the airport in Lusaka, and the Camp will arrange (for an additional fee) transportation from and to the airport. Being out in the country, you get away from the city and the dirtier air there. There isn't too much to do here- no wildlife of note, so you can just relax, have a drink, and relax more, which was fine on our last day.

We asked about any hiking or walking, so Sandie's son drover us about a mile away to a high point, which gave a good view of the area. We tramped around there a little while, then hiked back to the camp. Since the area is mostly devoted to subsistence farming, there was little danger of any wild animals, and we did pass some locals coming home from work and school, as it was late afternoon.

The food- I should mention that- was excellent. They employ very good cooks, and we had a great meal- again, since it was our honeymoon, we got a special meal with a table for two by candlelight. We had a dessert following, and the now-mandatory mini-snifter of Amarula- the delicious fruit after-dinner drink. We didn't get to try out the breakfast, as we left shortly after 6am in the morning, so we only had some bread and tea before catching a taxi to the airport.

The picture on the right is of one of the buildings on the camp- it is a small, fairly self-sufficient compound. The workers live on-site. I like the way they trimmed the thatch on the buildings with the zigzag patterns.

On the left is the main building, where you check in and eat your meals. Note again the decorative thatch ringing the top. That's Gail & I on our last evening in Zambia.

Whether you are flying in, or returning home, I would highly recommend staying at Pioneer Camp. It's a great place to burn off jetlag on the way in, and the convenience to the international airport combined with the pastoral countryside make it a no-brainer when you're leaving.

We departed early in the morning via taxi, arranged by Sandie, to the airport. It was a 30-minute ride, and once we checked in and had a bit more to eat, we were off for London for the long, multi-day journey back to Dallas.