About Mwamba Bushcamp

Mwamba Bushcamp: Our full report

Small, intimate and very remote, Mwamba Bushcamp is set beneath the shade of magnificent ebony trees.

It's a calm, comfortable camp, steeped in nature, and overlooking a waterhole in the usually dry bed of the seasonal Mwamba River.

Owned by Derek and Jules Shenton - a seasoned conservationist and a keen photographer respectively – Mwamba is Kaingo Camp's lovely satellite bushcamp. The Shenton's dedication to wildlife, wilderness, sustainability and Zambian tradition is evident throughout their camps.

About 6km north of Kaingo, many guests choose to start their Mwamba adventure with a morning's walk from Kaingo, arriving in time for a delicious alfresco lunch.

Renovated beautifully in early 2024, the four thatched chalets at Mwamba Bushcamp have with reed walls and solid, polished floors, their natural tones offset by crisp white linen and delicately beaded cushions and throws and fabric mats on the floor. All of the chalets have twin or king-size beds and the chalet furthest from the main area, designated the honeymoon suite, has a larger veranda and a bit more privacy than the other chalets, though the small nature of this camp ensures space for everyone.

Each bed has a large walk-in mosquito net, tied back with pretty beads, that encompasses bedside tables and solar-powered lights and reading lamps. Outside each chalet is a shaded stone veranda with a table and chairs overlooking the riverbed.

A comfortable chair sits next to a standing fan, and the charging table has multinational and USB sockets. A small wooden lockbox is provided, along with mosquito repellent, whistle and radio.

Simple wooden furniture suffices, providing plenty of space for storing your belongings, with shelving, a stand for suitcases, a small wardrobe and a charging table. A large ebony tree recently fell into the main area, and you'll find the wood has been used to create many of the camp's newer pieces of furniture, including these tables!

Attached to each chalet is a large, open-air bathroom, which is enclosed by a tall reed wall and has a real bush feel. Built around enormous ebony trees for shade, they have stylish polished stone floors curving through from the bedroom to the toilet and shower. Although simple, they still have flushing toilets, natural stone basins and gas-heated showers for a more plentiful and consistent water supply.

The open chitenge (main area) at Mwamba is very simple and natural, with sandy floors and a low reed wall, and is lit at night by a combination of solar-powered lights, candles and paraffin lanterns. The central bar here is a real feature: built around a huge ebony tree entwined with python vines that support the drinks shelf. It's a great spot for a social drink before meals! There are also some cushioned chairs and a sofa, plenty of reference reading material and a great view of the surrounding bush, with huge sausage trees and their flowers an open invitation to nearby animals to wander past to feed, to keep you entertained. A new thatched lounge and dining area, down by the riverbed, was added in 2024.

Our meals at Mwamba were delicious - complemented by the fact that the majority of the fresh produce used in the camp's kitchen is grown or produced in the Shentons' large garden plot, just outside Mfuwe. Dinner is usually served communally in the main area, at a large wooden dining table (which Derek made), whilst lunch and breakfast are generally taken under a large thatched gazebo overlooking the Mwamba River.

Like Kaingo, Mwamba Bushcamp has a couple of stunning photographic hides overlooking perennial waterholes; these are frequently remodelled to give guests the best views of the surrounding location. One of these, The Last Waterhole Hide, is situated within the camp itself, exclusively for Mwamba guests' use; on our last visit in October 2023 we spent several enjoyable hours here, watching a wide variety of birds and animals, from Cookson's wildebeest and lion to mongoose and queleas, coming down to drink. The hide now has a webcam set up to capture the action - it's not as good as the real thing, but it may help with withdrawal symptoms once you're back home!

On request, guests at Mwamba can also make use of the carmine bee-eater hide, which is shared with Kaingo and is best in September and October. For those really interested in hides it would be ideal to combine a stay at Mwamba with Kaingo, which has a hide dug into the riverbank parallel to a hippo filled section of river. Kaingo also has a platform in a high riverside tree next to a regularly used crossing point, allowing for some fantastic photo opportunities.

These hides have been used by the BBC, National Geographic, Discovery Channel and many independent film-makers and photographers, including François d'Elbée.

Activities from Mwamba include walking safaris, game drives (day and night) and visits to the hides, all led by excellent guides. Unusually for most safari camps, Mwamba – like Kaingo – can operate three activities per day, with the one of these in the middle of the day being a visit to one of the hides, or perhaps time spent sitting by a nearby lagoon, for photography.

On a typical day you'll be woken to the sound of drums (usually 5.00–5.30am), followed by a quick breakfast around the campfire, before setting off on an early morning game drive or walking safari. You will usually return to camp around 10.00am, then brunch will be served, after which there's an opportunity to siesta or, as the majority of guests prefer, to head out to one of the hides. The hide close to camp is particularly good in the late morning, usually allowing close-up views of impala, buffalo, elephant and bushbuck as they come down to drink, as well as a myriad of different bird species. The waterhole can sometimes be much quieter – because the local "Mwamba" pride of lions likes to head down to nap next to the water!

Afternoon tea is served down by the dry riverbed before your afternoon activity.

Some guests choose to venture further afield on a full-day excursion. A half-day drive from Mwamba Bushcamp is a stunning “baobab forest” where you will find hundreds of 200–300-year-old baobab trees. Here, there is also a good chance of seeing some of the more elusive antelope such as eland, roan and hartebeest.

If you'd like to end off your day in camp – rather than out on an afternoon or full-day activity – then Mwamba has a great spot for sundowners! Just behind the camp Derek and his team have created a comfortable thatched seating area on top of a termite mound, with wide views over the bush.

With advance notice, guests can even enjoy a magical night's sleep at Mwamba's Numbu Starbed – a small platform on stilts overlooking the Numbu Plains and best enjoyed at new moon to experience the clarity of the night sky. Accessed by steps winding up to the platform, it has a small en-suite bathroom at the bottom of the stairs (all enclosed so to detract any would-be visitors!), and a large double bed at the top, swathed in a walk-in mosquito net. Here, with a two-way radio, whistle and torch are provided, you are self-sufficient for the night, and will be left to enjoy the spectacular skies. It's a spectacular experience and we loved it, but the camp will keep a chalet room ready and waiting for anyone who feels overwhelmed. The star bed is usually at additional cost, but for stays of seven nights or more across Mwamba and Kaingo, a complimentary night on one of the star beds is included, and we would highly recommend it.

For the truly adventurous, guests at Mwamba can also embark on the exhilarating Mwamba Camp-out, which is one of the truest wilderness experiences in the South Luangwa. After heading deep into the bush to Kapanda Lagoon on an afternoon walk with a senior guide and armed scout, you'll camp out for the night under the stars, with your bedroll set under a mosquito net beside the fire.

Like Kaingo, the Mwamba area has a very good diversity of game and birdlife. With varied habitats including wide open plains, mopane woodlands, waterholes, lagoons, thick riverine bush and the Mwamba River itself, expect to see plenty of zebras, Cookson's wildebeest (it's probably the best place in South Luangwa for these endemic animals), puku, impala, elephant, giraffe, waterbuck and bushbuck. We even saw the more timid eland on our last visit, and the ebony grove between Mwamba and its sister camp, Kaingo, is an incredibly good spot for the resident leopards. On a night drive you'll also have a good chance of seeing leopards, porcupines, civets and the white-tailed mongoose.

Whilst only novice birdwatchers, we have during various short stays spotted many species of kingfisher (including pied and brown-hooded), as well as fish eagles, lilac-breasted rollers, white-browed coucals, giant eagle owls, lovebirds, weavers and even a greater painted snipe.