Depart at 1750 from London Heathrow on British Airways flight BA055 to Johannesburg, South Africa.
Arrive at 0645 and connect with flight CE4206 departing at 0915 to Livingstone. On arrival at 1050 you will be met and taken by road to The River Club for a three night stay (fully inclusive of meals and activities).
A safari holiday in Kenya will provide you with some fantastic African memories. Kenya has some of the most luxurious lodges, camps and expert Guides for the perfect African safari.
The River Club is situated on a hill on the Zambian side of the Zambezi River, eighteen kilometres upstream from Victoria Falls. There are ten very large, open fronted and split level lodges, each with magnificent private views of the river. Each lodge is made of timber and thatch, and has an en suite shower, bath and basin with hot water, and w.c., as well as a mosquito net and overhead fan.
The main lodge is a large converted colonial home that has been beautifully refurbished and decorated with old prints and artefacts. The long dining table is the setting for enjoyable dinners where lively conversation about river adventures and wildlife encounters runs into the night.
The River Club is an ideal out of town base for visiting Victoria Falls and enjoying the adventures and activities such as rafting, canoeing and flights over the waterfall. You can also visit Livingstone, while from the lodge you can enjoy banana boat rides, nature walks and birding. There is not a lot of wildlife, although elephants are normally seen on the river islands in front of the lodge.
There are hippopotamus in the river and over 350 species of birds including fish eagles, malachite kingfishers and many raptors, rollers and sunbirds.
In the morning you will return by road transfer to Livingstone airport for flight Q3501 departing at 1035 to Lusaka, Zambia. On arrival at 1140 you will be met and taken by light aircraft into the Lower Zambezi National Park to stay at Chiawa Camp for three nights (fully inclusive of meals and activities).
Situated in the Lower Zambezi National Park, this remote safari camp is family owned and run by the Cumings family.
Chiawa consists of eight spacious tents, each set on its own elevated timber platform with panoramic views of the wide, slow moving Zambezi River. The tents are insect proof and have twin or double beds with mattresses, and there is solar lighting and spacious semi open en suite bathrooms with hot and cold running water. The honeymoon suite is intimate and romantic, with a bathtub overlooking the river. The camp also serves excellent food, which includes champagne bush breakfasts, outdoor barbecues under the stars and lunch on a specially adapted riverboat. There is a pool, spacious lounge and upstairs viewing deck.
The Lower Zambezi National Park, is set on a vast area of the floodplains of the half mile wide Zambezi River, an area with a wide range of beautiful trees including baobab, sausage and acacia. While parts of the floodplain are flat there are also hills and river valleys leading down to the Zambezi and on the edge of the plain is a shimmering escarpment.
The wildlife is prolific with excellent herds of elephant, large herds of buffalo sometimes numbering 300, around ten types of antelope and a range of other plains game including zebra and wildebeest. Chiawa Camp is also a very good base for predator spotting and there are lion, leopard and wild dog. The birdlife too, is rich and rewarding with over 300 species including fish eagles, storks, herons and kingfishers.
One of the principal attractions of Chiawa is the wide range of game viewing activities that can be enjoyed. The highly expert guides will take you walking with an armed scout and tracking animals on foot through the bush learning a huge amount about the flora and fauna as you go. You might like to spend the latter part of the afternoon paddling a stable canoe on the Zambezi watching animals coming down to drink and interact by the water's edge. Chiawa's open-topped safari vehicles would also take you further afield and at night a spotlight is used to see nocturnal creatures such as civet, porcupine and leopard on the prowl. Anyone who wants to try their hands at tiger fishing might catch a fish up to 20lbs and be assured of a good fight! A strict catch-and-release policy is observed.
After your morning activity you will be taken by speedboat down river to continue with your luxury safari where you stay at the Old Mondoro for two nights (fully inclusive of meals and activities).
The owner's of Chiawa Camp and Sausage Tree Camp have combined their resources to establish Old Mondoro. The concept of the camp is simple - to step back from the ultra-luxurious lodges seemingly springing up everywhere, and rather provide guests with an authentic remote safari that concentrates on the wildlife and bush experience. Where the call of the hyena replaces the hum of a generator, where harsh electric light is replaced by the soft glow of a lantern, where some of the best guides in Africa will help guests experience a closer look at one of Africa's finest wildlife sanctuaries.
The safari camp is set in a grove of acacia winter thorn trees on the banks of the Zambezi River in the Lower Zambezi National Park, near the Chakwenga River confluence. It is a beautiful site overlooking a maze of hippo-inhabited islands and channels where elephant and buffalo swim out to feed. Here, the park is characterised by vast flood plains and open woodland creating ideal walking and game viewing opportunities. This is very different from the rest of the park, which is on higher ground with thicker bush and large inland lagoons. The park offers excellent game viewing throughout.
Whilst Chiawa Camp and Sausage Tree Camp are more luxurious and sophisticated, guests will also enjoy the very different 'back to the bush' atmosphere of Old Mondoro. Appropriately constructed of canvas and natural materials, the camp has an open and more adventurous feel, yet offers personalised service and provides a comfortable retreat after a day filled with excitement in the bush. There are some excellent walking areas right out of camp and in the afternoon you would usually combine a short walk with a night drive with a spotlight.
The 'bush chalets', resting on temporary slabs, have en-suite facilities with flush toilets and canvas bucket showers and washbasins. Paraffin lanterns provide natural light. The bush chalets are left with open views during the day and at night canvas drop-down blinds with windows are lowered to provide more privacy and security. Three have two twin-beds and one has a double, all with thick foam mattresses, comfortable bedding and large mosquito nets. All bush chalets have outstanding views of the Zambezi or the Old Mondoro lagoon.
The lounge and dining area rests under a winter thorn tree and next to a sausage tree overlooking the Zambezi. A traditional bush kitchen supplies outstanding meals and fresh bread baked daily from a homemade oven. The entire experience is unpretentious and uncomplicated, but promises a unique safari that gives guests the best bush experience possible.
In the morning you will be taken by light aircraft to Lusaka to connect with flight Q3460 departing at 1230 to Lilongwe, Malawi. On arrival at 1430 you will be met and taken by vehicle to Mvuu Wilderness Lodge for a three night stay (fully inclusive of meals and activities).
Mvuu Wilderness Lodge is situated along the Shire River in Liwonde National Park, in the heart of Malawi Malawi's most exciting wildlife reserve. It covers 580,000 hectares and incorporates the huge Shire River as well as quiet backwaters, lagoons, open savannah country, woodland and hills.
The Mvuu Wilderness Lodge accommodates a maximum of ten guests in spacious, comfortable tents, all with en suite facilities and a private verandah. Each tent is set on a raised wooden deck and has stunning views of a large lagoon surrounded by trees. There is a separate dining room, bar and lounge area.
Activities include boating, game drives during the day and in the evening, nature walks and birding. As a result of the wide variety of habitats there is a great diversity of plant, animal and birdlife. This area is one of the best for birding in southern Africa and in three days here you would easily see over 200 species. The game viewing is also exciting and includes many elephant, large numbers of sable antelope, leopard, zebra and buffalo. Black rhino are also sometimes seen.
Zambia combines fantastically with Malawi for a perfect safari holiday, where you can experience a once in a lifetime opportunity at some of Africa's most beautiful Safari camps.
Today you will return to Lilongwe airport for British Airways flight BA064 departing at 1805 to London Heathrow, arriving the following morning at 0505