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Luangwa Safari House
Luangwa Safari House
Luangwa Safari House
Luangwa Safari House
Luangwa Safari House

Luangwa Safari House


13°7’12.7"S 31°44’18.4"E

Reviews of Luangwa Safari House

Wildlife sightings and reviews

14 independent comments and wildlife information from our travellers who have visited Luangwa Safari House and kindly agreed to share their thoughts. They do not necessarily represent the views of Expert Africa

Wildlife sightings by our travellers
Starting in Nov-2019, 2 of our travellers have recorded their wildlife sightings at Luangwa Safari House.
Lion

100% success

Leopard

100% success

Wild dog

100% success

Elephant

100% success

Giraffe

100% success

Hippo

100% success

Spotted Hyena

100% success

Wildebeest

100% success

Zebra

100% success

Buffalo

50% success

Eland

50% success

Aardvark

0% success

Pangolin

0% success

Roan antelope

0% success

Sable antelope

0% success

Showing 1-10 of 14
Duration
Arrival date
Chris
Oslo

"Wet, but wonderful at Luangwa Safari House"

7 nights Arrived 28 Dec 2019
"I spent a week with my extended family at this fabulous safari house. I know for sure that Brian, my dad, and my elder brother, Mike, have given detailed and very positive feedback.

All I would like to do here is to complete the online wildlife research form on behalf of my parents and the group as a whole, and, otherwise, to add my huge thanks to the whole team, not least our two eminent guides, John and Nyambe, for amazing service from start to finish." See all these reviews: 8n in Zambia
Experience Report
Overall Rating:
Excellent

Location:
Excellent
Service:
Excellent
Activities:
Excellent
Rooms:
Excellent
Food:
Excellent
Facilities:
Excellent
Sightings Report

Buffalo

1 sighting

Elephant

10 sightings

Giraffe

10 sightings

Hippo

10 sightings

Leopard

3 sightings

Lion

7 sightings

Spotted Hyena

8 sightings

Wild dog

3 sightings

Wildebeest

3 sightings

Zebra

10 sightings

Mrs M
Appledore

"Carnivore Week at Luangwa Safari House"

7 nights Arrived 21 Nov 2019
"As I and one other couple were the only guests we had a choice of bedrooms and I opted for one upstairs with a view over the pool and the lagoon. The first few nights were hot and the breeze system over the bed was a welcome coolant.

There were bats roosting in the bathroom and I enjoyed their comings and goings and the knowledge that they were keeping the mosquitoes down in number. There was a good feeling of being relaxed and at home in the house and the staff were always on hand to deal with my needs before I knew I had them.

The rains began in earnest towards the end of the week so less time was spent outside round the pool but the house is so open and airy that there was never a sense of being shut in by the weather.

===

RPS - Carnivore Week with the Zambian Carnivore Project

Amongst the alpha predators

It was a privilege to be able to see the work of ZCP for the second time. The use of satellite tracking collars was new since my last visit and it was interesting what a difference it made to being able to pinpoint the animals.

The presentation on Day 1 was professional and informative and the ZCP team, especially Thandi, were very generous with their time. I worried, though, that there was too much of their valuable time spent coming with us to make sure we got to see the lions and dogs. I had expected that they would go about their usual work and would let us come along and observe. But so saying it was a very special experience being able to listen to them talk about their work and their intimate knowledge of the packs and prides in South Luangwa and Zambia's other parks.

Jonah our guide treated us to some very accomplished off-road driving to locate the lions and dogs and was managed the inevitable punctures and getting stuck in the mud competence and good humour. Altogether an exciting and educational week." See all these reviews: 10n in Zambia
Experience Report
Overall Rating:
Excellent

Location:
Good
Service:
Excellent
Activities:
Excellent
Rooms:
Excellent
Food:
Good
Facilities:
Good
Sightings Report

Eland

Multiple sightings

Elephant

Multiple sightings

Giraffe

Multiple sightings

Hippo

Multiple sightings

Leopard

Multiple sightings

Lion

Multiple sightings

Spotted Hyena

Multiple sightings

Wild dog

Multiple sightings

Wildebeest

1 sighting

Zebra

Multiple sightings

Mr & Mrs E
Glos.

"Beautiful Luangwa House"

10 nights Arrived 6 Aug 2016
"This was our second visit to the House with the family and again everything was as expected. After the fist visit we could not have had a more enjoyable stay and this was again the same. First class rooms excellent hospitality and guiding.

Nothing was too much trouble.

We cannot praise everything about our stay too highly." See all these reviews: 15n in Zambia
Experience Report
Overall Rating:
Excellent

Location:
Excellent
Service:
Excellent
Activities:
Excellent
Rooms:
Excellent
Food:
Excellent
Facilities:
Excellent
Mr & Mrs C
Bucks

"Luangwa Safari House review"

4 nights Arrived 10 Sep 2015
"The House and its facilities were superb and the staff outstanding - professional, welcoming & relaxed. There would be very little to highlight for improvement opportunities to be honest and this would definitely be a place we would recommend to all our friends.

The game drives were outstanding with so much wildlife to see and our guide was extremely knowledgeable but with such a great character it made each drive a real pleasure.

The walking safari should be a must for all visitors - especially being able to hear the sounds without the vehicle and spotting a Leopard in a tree!!" See all these reviews: 8n in Zambia; 2n in Zimbabwe
Experience Report
Overall Rating:
Excellent

Location:
Excellent
Service:
Excellent
Activities:
Excellent
Rooms:
Excellent
Food:
Excellent
Facilities:
Excellent
LJ
Ealing

"Fabulous house amid teeming wildlife"

4 nights Arrived 10 Sep 2015
"Wonderfully warm and friendly welcome, not just at the outset but at the return from every trip. Service was a brilliant mix of attentive and understated - akin to eating in a top class restaurant where the sommelier and waiters pitch in at exactly the right moment, without any unnecessary hovering or intrusiveness. The meeting of our every need - down to insect repellent, torches and cups of tea - a testament to the experience of the House owners and the skills of the daily team. I suspect our group was particularly demanding at breakfast as we were not perhaps as punctual as might have been, yet we were all fed and watered and magically ushered onto the safari vehicles with our water bottles almost to schedule. No mean feat.

As to the wildlife - who could have asked for more? To get so close, and to feel so much a part of goings on, was sometimes to the point of surreal, and incredibly special. This includes the location of Luangwa Safari House itself. How fabulous to have a watering hole within yards of the seating area and viewing platform/lunch area, and a hide from which to watch the elephants/warthogs/stork about their business. And, on early arising, to be able to ask the team 'what is that noise?' and get the answer (ground hornbills). The 'knock knock' was delightfully subtle, and the breakfast perfectly handled for those like me who are not morning people. Top porridge. I thought Claire did a super job shepherding us all. She was consistently thoughtful and attentive and it was lovely to have some open conversations with a young person just starting out to hear what she had learned and to share experiences.

A great pleasure also in the contrasting styles of our guides, Jacob and Obi, each of whose knowledge have a particular depth, but from a different vantage. Being somewhat English and reticent myself, Obi gave me the confidence to ask quiet questions whilst Jacob's energy, enthusiasm and intimate understanding of the Luangwa ecosystem enabled sights that we never would otherwise have seen, with a particular sensitivity to capturing the best vantage for the photographers among us. Completely fabulous - I do hope he imparts at least some of his knowledge to the next generation.

I should add that the option of a walking safari was very welcome over the four days. It could have been quite frustrating being confined to the house area and vehicles over a number of days, watching the wildlife roam free in a way that we, for obvious reasons, could not. The flexibility over driving/walking and regarding night safaris was most welcome.

Delighted that both Jacob and Obi were able to join us for the special, slightly breezy, bush curry to talk a little further. Although the birthday guest was indisposed we all greatly appreciated the event and the trouble that had been taken. And what amazing food! Hats off, of course, to chef Simon who really really knows what to do with beef and who presented some of the best food I have tasted in a long time (the lunchtime salads, and bush curries, were spectacular)

Room for improvement? Like heck! But if the lily needed gilding, it would be nice to have a one-pager (apologies if I missed it) about the main house and how it was built as this was a great conversation piece among our party. We were particularly fascinated by the front door and how on earth it was made to fit. The over all design of the house is of itself a talking-point, with every possible comfort and the most enormous beds I have ever seen.

From sublime to ridiculous, the clothes laundry service was excellent but, allowing for local considerations regarding ladies' underwear, it was a bit tricky to find somewhere to hang my smalls to dry after handwashing - my travel clothes line wasn't quite long enough to tether between the available points, so in the end I just got creative …

The only other observation comes from a subsequent visit where the night safari used yellow filters for the spotlights. This was (apparently) to protect the vision of the big cats and avoid disturbing the prey mammals. I have no idea whether there is any science behind this, and none of the other night drivers we saw in Luangwa Park seemed to use them, so it may or may not be something to consider for the future.

A fabulous stay at a cleverly thought-out, brilliantly located and immensely comfortable and welcoming venue. A truly magical and memorable holiday. My thanks and appreciation to all." See all these reviews: 8n in Zambia; 2n in Zimbabwe
Experience Report
Overall Rating:
Excellent

Location:
Excellent
Service:
Excellent
Activities:
Excellent
Rooms:
Excellent
Food:
Excellent
Facilities:
Excellent
Mr & Mrs M
Victoria

"Exceptional Luangwa Safari House"

5 nights Arrived 2 Jun 2015
"Luangwa Safari House is luxurious, spacious four bedroom house with excellent game and bird viewing and great meals.

From our bedrooms we were treated to visiting elephants, buffalo, impala, puku, hippopotamus, giraffe, mongoose, warthogs, baboons and monkeys. On our drives and walks with our excellent guide Jacob, we came across all of these plus multiple leopards, a lion pride and many other animals. And we lost count of the birds.

And as Jacob kept telling us, the landscapes were highights in themselves.

We also spent half a day visiting a village supported by the local tourist industry - an eye opener to the life of the locals." See all these reviews: 13n in Zambia; 3n in Namibia
Experience Report
Overall Rating:
Excellent

Location:
Excellent
Service:
Excellent
Activities:
Excellent
Rooms:
Excellent
Food:
Excellent
Facilities:
Excellent
Family L
Lagos

"Luangwa Safari House--Fantastic"

4 nights Arrived 1 Apr 2015
"This was our second stay at Luangwa Safari House and it lived up to our high expectations.

Jacob, the guide and manager really knows his job. He made us welcome and planned our stay well. We had a great visit to the local village and school which really made an impression on us all. The animals were great and they staff went out of their way to make our Easter special -- they even staged an egg hunt for the kids.

Thanks!" See all these reviews: 7n in Zambia; 3n in Botswana
Experience Report
Overall Rating:
Excellent

Location:
Excellent
Service:
Excellent
Activities:
Excellent
Rooms:
Excellent
Food:
Excellent
Facilities:
Excellent
E Family
UK

"Luangwa Safari House review"

8 nights Arrived 26 Jul 2014
"A fantastic experience with brilliant staff and a great location" See all these reviews: 8n in Zambia
Experience Report
Overall Rating:
Excellent

Location:
Excellent
Service:
Excellent
Activities:
Excellent
Rooms:
Excellent
Food:
Excellent
Mr & Mrs E
Glos.

"Great family safari"

8 nights Arrived 26 Jul 2014
"Being a regular safari fan it was decided to take my family to Luangwa Safari House for their first taste of Africa. The family included my 7 year old grandson and 11 year old grand-daughter who had her birthday during our stay.To say the trip was a success would be an understatement with my grandchildren being entertained and spoilt by all the staff even to the extent of doing some cooking in the kitchen. They even saw Wild Dogs on two occasions!!

Not only must praise be given to Jacob and Tina for their kindness and attention to us all but also to all the backroom staff whose efforts to make our stay so enjoyable were second to none. Many thanks goes to all at the House.

On a general note the meet and greet service arranged by Robin Pope Safaris at Lusaka Airport was very welcome and efficient." See all these reviews: 23n in Zambia
Experience Report
Overall Rating:
Excellent

Location:
Excellent
Service:
Excellent
Activities:
Excellent
Rooms:
Excellent
Food:
Excellent
Facilities:
Excellent
Mrs L
Tunbridge Wells

"Luangwa Safari House review"

2 nights Arrived 25 Apr 2014
"Robin Pope kindly up-graded us to this spectacular house for two nights and it really does have the 'wow' factor.

The décor, bedrooms, service, food, location - everything is amazing. Tina, our hostess, ensured everything ran absolutely smoothly without a hint of rush. Simon cooked us some wonderful meals, and Kanga the guide was so knowledgeable and managed to track a mother leopard with a cub for us to see and enjoy on one of the evening safaris. He really was in tune with the sights and sounds of the safari park. Peter and Emanuel were also so friendly and efficient.

We went to visit Peter's village which is part of the South Luangwa Community Project and it was a pleasure to meet all the local people and visit the school. Robin & Joe Pope have put so much back into the local community with the aid of the other lodges in the area.

A long deck runs out past the small swimming pool to a swamp area where for several hours one afternoon we watched 20+ elephants mud bathing - great viewing. Giraffe also come close by and there is a great telescope set up for private viewing.

What more could you ask. We would love to return one day for a longer visit. It was far too short a stay/." See all these reviews: 7n in Zambia
Experience Report
Overall Rating:
Excellent

Location:
Excellent
Service:
Excellent
Activities:
Excellent
Rooms:
Excellent
Food:
Excellent
Facilities:
Excellent
Showing 1-10 of 14
100%
14 reviews of Luangwa Safari House by travellers since August 2007
Overall rating by our travellers
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