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FROM US$6,040-US$7,210

Scrub Hare Safari

Camps run by welcoming owners with a passion for their environment are rare, and Tafika is one of the best. Combine this with walking safaris at equally excellent bushcamps for the best of the South Luangwa.

Scrub Hare Safari: Day-by-day

More detailed information of what each day entails, and the various places you’ll stay on the Scrub Hare Safari. Everything we do is completely tailor-made so while this is an idea which works well, we’ll always design an itinerary just for you.


Day 1

Starts: Lusaka International Airport

Day 1

Flight & 4WD from Lusaka to the Luangwa

From Lusaka Airport, take a scheduled, 70-minute flight to Mfuwe Airport, the gateway to the Luangwa, to meet your guide. Your next leg is by 4WD, past rural smallholdings and the Nsefu Sector of the park to Tafika: a gentle two-hour drive, depending on the wildlife seen en route.

Tafika
Days 1-4

Tafika

3 nights
Full BoardSouth Luangwa National Park, Zambia

Unique, owner-run and with genuinely warm hospitality, Tafika combines some of Zambia's best guiding with great food and strong community connections. Tafika is rustic luxury at its best: rooms constructed with golden reeds, an elevated riverside setting, excellent cuisine and top-notch guiding.

Tafika

Unique, owner-run and with genuinely warm hospitality, Tafika combines some of Zambia's best guiding with great food and strong community connections. Tafika is rustic luxury at its best: rooms constructed with golden reeds, an elevated riverside setting, excellent cuisine and top-notch guiding.

Spread out on the banks of the Luangwa River, it's a captivating camp. Most guests are return visitors and it's easy to see why they come back time and time again. Owners John and Carol Coppinger have lived here for over 20 years, bringing up their children here, and welcoming guests to their corner of the Luangwa. Their daughter Jennifer, herself a qualified guide, and her husband Nick now skillfully manage the lodge alongside them, bringing new ideas to this experienced team, yet retaining same calm efficiency and authenticity that have long given Tafika its down-to-earth, family feel.

The camp itself is lovely. Only 6 chalets, spread across lush lawns, are ingenious. Crafted from reeds and thatch, they're rebuilt every year after the rains, and filled with home comforts amid the rustic ambience – huge beds with colourful linen from local business Tribal Textiles, USB charging ports, flushing toilets and hot showers under the stars.

From delicious meals, shared with the super team, to a productive wildlife hide at the centre of camp; fresh coffee round the campfire at dawn to the excellent safari activities – it’s a treat to stay here.

"Everything is done to a very high standard and was faultless."

Mr A.fromUnited Kingdom

Arrived 24 Sep 2023, 4 nights

Guiding is second to none: by bicycle, 4x4 or on foot. And consider walking to Tafika’s sister camps along the Chikoko Trails to get a real sense of Luangwa’s wilderness, with people who know the wildlife and landscape here like the back of their hands. See our full report on Tafika

98%
318 reviews of Tafika by travellers since August 2007

Activities

4WD Safari

Birdwatching

Cultural excursion

Guided walking safari

Mountain biking

Night drive

Day 4

4WD, boat & walk from Tafika to Chikoko

After an early morning breakfast, it’s a half-hour game drive to the Luangwa River for the short boat crossing. From here, your guide will lead you on a walking safari to Chikoko Tree Camp, stopping midway for refreshments and arriving in camp mid-morning – well in time for lunch.

Chikoko Tree Camp
Days 4-6

Chikoko Tree Camp

2 nights
Full BoardSouth Luangwa National Park, Zambia

On a remote, wildlife-rich walking trail, Chikoko is a brilliant little bush camp, simply but beautifully designed with great staff. Chikoko is just about as rustic as a bush camp could be with an imaginative, design and bags of character.

Chikoko Tree Camp

On a remote, wildlife-rich walking trail, Chikoko is a brilliant little bush camp, simply but beautifully designed with great staff. Chikoko is just about as rustic as a bush camp could be with an imaginative, design and bags of character.

"Nice location"

A&SfromNorthampton

Arrived 11 Sep 2023, 1 night

Most guests come here as part of a walking trail from sister camp Tafika, about a four hour walk away. On the banks of the Chikoko River (which is usually dry through the walking season) it’s far smaller and simpler than Tafika but still has the same relaxed atmosphere. Like its big sister, the rooms are made of reeds but are on two floors, with the bed upstairs and the shower, sink and toilet below. The main ‘building’ is simply a thatch shelter spread among the branches of a huge tree, with the ‘lounge’ a small sofa, chairs and brightly coloured cushions scattered around its roots. It has a fabulous ‘back-to-nature’ vibe, totally unspoilt and incredibly relaxing. But the best thing about this camp is chef Patson and the food he creates. He’s been here for some 20 years and he’ll shine with pride if you visit his kitchen – just an earth oven and an open fire, yet meals here are wholesome and delicious. The guiding and local knowledge is exceptional too, all contributing to one very cool safari experience. See our full report on Chikoko Tree Camp

98%
119 reviews of Chikoko Tree Camp by travellers since August 2007

Activities

Birdwatching

Cultural excursion

Guided walking safari

Day 6

Walking safari from Chikoko to Big Lagoon

After lunch and a siesta, you'll set off, binoculars in hand, with your guide and an armed game scout for Big Lagoon Camp: a 3–4-hour walk. There are no roads here, so you’ll follow game trails, pausing to observe the wildlife, learn about the bush and, of course, to have refreshments.

Big Lagoon Camp
Days 6-8

Big Lagoon Camp

2 nights
Full BoardSouth Luangwa National Park, Zambia

Sitting on the edge of permanent water, Big Lagoon is a rustic bushcamp, accessed by foot in a remote area of Zambia's South Luangwa National Park. Part of Remote Africa Safaris’ superb ‘Chikoko Trails’ walking safari circuit, the tiny bushcamp of Big Lagoon opened in 2022. On a idyllic, historic site, overlooking the water, this was once the favoured campsite of intrepid safari explorers in the 1950s and 60s. An crumbling ruin beside the open-air camp kitchen is all that remains of their adventures here now, and instead three large, expertly-constructed, reed and thatch chalets have been installed for the safari season (they are rebuilt each year after the rains).

Big Lagoon Camp

Sitting on the edge of permanent water, Big Lagoon is a rustic bushcamp, accessed by foot in a remote area of Zambia's South Luangwa National Park. Part of Remote Africa Safaris’ superb ‘Chikoko Trails’ walking safari circuit, the tiny bushcamp of Big Lagoon opened in 2022. On a idyllic, historic site, overlooking the water, this was once the favoured campsite of intrepid safari explorers in the 1950s and 60s. An crumbling ruin beside the open-air camp kitchen is all that remains of their adventures here now, and instead three large, expertly-constructed, reed and thatch chalets have been installed for the safari season (they are rebuilt each year after the rains).

The small open-fronted rondaval is the hub of the camp life. Here you’ll gather for communal meals and drinks, discuss the days adventures and marvel at the tasty meals produced in the ground oven of the bush kitchen (do ask the chef for a tour). Historic photographs and a detailed map on the walls give a sense of your location and its history, and a couple of sofas make super siesta spots.

"an amazing camp...We did see a leopard kill!"

Mr&Mrs MfromWisconsin

Arrived 18 Aug 2023, 1 night

The mostly dry course of the Crocodile River, in which the lagoon is situated, is a scenic corridor to explore on walking forays led by an enthusiastic and fascinating guide and accompanied by a game scout. From herds of buffalo and towering giraffe to barking baboons and stealthy leopards, there's much to see here. And the camp's wooden deck, cantilevered over the lagoon, is an especially tranquil spot from which to listen to birdsong and watch wildlife drink and graze. It’s an idyllic hideaway! See our full report on Big Lagoon Camp

98%
93 reviews of Big Lagoon Camp by travellers since August 2007

Activities

Birdwatching

Guided walking safari

Day 8

Walk, boat, 4WD & flight back to Lusaka

Leaving Big Lagoon Camp you’ll walk and boat back across the river, sometimes stopping at Tafika for a drink or lunch. Then it’s about two hours by road to Mfuwe Airport for your scheduled flight back to Lusaka Airport, which takes a little over an hour.

Day 8

Ends: Lusaka International Airport

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Experiences you can add to this trip.

Optional extra day-trips and excursions possible whilst staying at lodges on this trip. These are usually best arranged in advance so talk to us.


Tribal Textiles Tour

Tribal Textiles Tour

One - two hours

Visit the Tribal Textiles workshop, where hand-painted textiles are produced by more than a hundred local people. The workshop is close to Mfuwe Airport, so is ideally placed for a stop en route to/from the South Luangwa. With products ranging from cushion covers to bags and T-shirts, it's a great place for souvenir shopping while at the same time supporting the local community.

More about Tribal Textiles Tour
Kawaza Village Visit

Kawaza Village Visit

Two to three hours

Just outside Zambia's South Luangwa National Park lies a normal, working rural African village which is open and welcoming to visitors to the Luangwa valley. There is nothing artificial or contrived about Kawaza Village, and it offers a rare opportunity to experience and appreciate Kunda culture, and meet local Zambians.

More about Kawaza Village Visit
100% (1 reviews)

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