Read 11 traveller reviews of Tafika

Home to John and Carol Coppinger, the founders of Remote Africa Safaris, Tafika is a small, first-class camp standing on the banks of the Luangwa, on the north side of the beautiful Nsefu Sector of South Luangwa National Park.

Tafika has just six chalets, making it one of the smallest fully-equipped camps in Africa. All of these are made to a high standard out of locally-sourced reed and thatch. Five are almost identical in layout, each with two comfortable double beds with quality cotton bedding, swathed under separate large mosquito nets. As with everything else here, these are high-quality, but not flashy or showy – and very much in keeping with the feel of the bush. Their bedrooms are large, and each has a simple hanging rail and shelves for clothes – all made from wood and reeds. The room is lit by efficient, battery-powered lights and traditional storm lanterns.

This leads out onto a private and enclosed bathroom area that's completely open to the sky. There's a large shower, with piping hot water at the turn of a tap, a wash basin and, inside a small, roofed hut – a slightly incongruous flush toilet!

Tafika's sixth chalet is very different, although its reed-and-thatch construction is the same. It has two adjacent bedrooms, one with a king-size bed and the other with a double and a single bed. All have mosquito nets and the two rooms share a large bathroom area built cleverly around the trunk of an old Kigelia tree, giving a little more privacy to the toilet and shower. It is ideal as two adjoining rooms for a small family, or perhaps for singles travelling together – or even as a honeymoon suite.

Meals are relaxed affairs for the dinners – though quite frantic affairs for the kitchen team who produce impressive cuisine. Lunches and dinners are served, and the well-stocked bar is always open on a help-yourself basis. Everyone usually eats together, often outside.

Tafika is an unpretentious camp, whose guides are amongst the most experienced in the valley. As with many camps in the South Luangwa, they offer 4x4 safaris (day and night drives) and walking safaris. What distinguishes the team here is that it's virtually the same team of guides every year: Bryan Jackson, Stephen Banda, Isaac Zulu and Ernst Jacobs. The least experienced amongst them has about eight years of guiding experience – guaranteeing the exceedingly high level of knowledge and experience that draws many of our travellers back to Tafika on a regular basis.

A stay at Tafika combines very naturally into a longer trip including its sister-camps, Crocodile Bushcamp and Chikoko Tree Camp, both of which are situated across the Luangwa River, in a section of the national park that has been set aside for the exclusive use of their walking safaris. See the satellite map of the area around Chikoko for a view: Tafika is slightly to the south of Chikoko, and Crocodile to the north. Walkers will note that you can easily walk between Tafika and Chikoko, or Chicoko and Crocodile, in a 3-4 hours walk – and that during the dry season the river is either shallow enough to walk across, or you'll be ferried in a small boat!

Alternatively, if you want to venture further, then Tafika and its bushcamps combine well with their more distant sister-camp, Mwaleshi Bushcamp, in North Luangwa National Park.

South Luangwa by microlight

John Coppinger keeps a microlight at Tafika and short flights over the park can often be arranged (about US$100 each) during your stay. A dawn flight, whilst the sun is rising, is breathtaking; you can pinpoint game to investigate on the morning's walk or drive.

Lodge overview

Lodge type: Safari

No. of bedrooms: 6 rooms

Season: Seasonal

Ideal length of stay: In the dry season, it's perhaps most popular to start a safari in the South Luangwa at Tafika for 2-4 nights, and then head to the bushcamps – Crocodile Bushcamp and Chikoko Tree Camp for a few nights each. Often trips will then return to Tafika for a night or two at the end – although some will finish with a visit to Mwaleshi in North Luangwa. However, during the green season, Tafika opens from about mid-Feb to mid-April for special river-safari trips, and then you'll need at least 3-4 nights here. To check if Tafika has space for the dates that you are looking for, click on the 'camp availability' link on the right-side of this page.

Geographics

Location: South Luangwa National Park, Zambia

Accessible by: Fly-and-Transfer

Key personnel

Owner: Independent / Owner Run

Food & drink

Usual board basis: Full Board

Dining style: Group Meals

Dining locations: Indoor and Outdoor Dining

Room service: No

Drinks included: Yes - soft drinks, house wine and local spirits are included in the rates. Note that fine wines, champagne and imported spirits and liqueurs, are charged as extras.

Special interests

Family holidays: Having brought their own children up at Tafika, John and Carole Coppinger do welcome families at Tafika – although for families with younger children (under 10), we need to check in advance. The camp's suite is particularly well-suited to small families, as it has two adjoining bedrooms which share a large bathroom. - See more of our suggestions of the best places for Family holidays

Birdwatching: The Luangwa Valley's birding is excellent and Tafika has a great spot overlooking the Luangwa River – and some first-rate guides who know their birdlife. Highlights include flocks of crowned cranes on the Nsefu Salt Pan during the dry season, and Pel's fishing owl during the 'emerald season'. - See more of our suggestions of the best places for Birdwatching

Walking: Tafika is owned and run by John Coppinger, one of the Luangwa's most experienced walking safari guides; he trained under Norman Carr, and is one of the Valley's 'guide-examiners' who examine the standards of the valley's other guides! Camp-to-camp walking trails are possible between Tafika, Crocodile and Chikoko camps – with your luggage carried separately for you. - See more of our suggestions of the best places for Walking

Wildlife: Tafika's excellent guides lead walking safaris as well as 4WD safaris, and night drives around the Nsefu Sector of South Luangwa National Park. The big game here can be prolific; it's an excellent area for big-game safaris: relaxed antelope, good elephant and buffalo, and notably good sightings of leopard on night drives. - See more of our suggestions of the best places for Wildlife

Central communications

Power supply: Generator

Communications: No TVs or radios – this is the bush, although in emergency the camp has access to very good communications facilities.

Health & safety

Malarial area: Yes

Dangerous animals: High Risk

Extras

Disabled access: On Request

Laundry facilities: A efficent full laundry service is included.

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