Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
( 0211-845204;
www.sausagetreecamp.com
; d per person incl full board US$895;
May-mid-Nov; )
Overlooking the Zambezi, deep inside the national park, Sausage Tree
is wonderfully unconventional. Traditional safari decor is rejected in favour of cool and
elegant Bedouin-style tents, each in a private clearing, with minimalist furniture, cream
fabrics and vast open-air bathrooms, which continue the North African theme. Each tent
has a discreet
muchinda
(butler; which means service is incredibly personalised), while
other features are the library tent with couches and cushions, and the airy dining tent with
a Paris-trained chef - despite the exclusivity, socialising, especially at meals, is encour-
aged.
Chiawa Camp $$$
( 0211-261588;
www.chiawa.com
;
per person all-inclusive US$895; Apr-Oct)
In a
spectacular position at the confluence of the Chiawa and Zambezi Rivers, inside the park,
this luxurious lodge was one of the first in the Lower Zambezi. As a pioneer in this area,
the owner Grant Cummings knows the park intimately and his expertise is highly re-
garded. The large walk-in tents feature pine-clad private bathrooms. The bar-lounge has
an upstairs deck with majestic views over the river and there's a viewing platform high up
in the trees.
The food is top notch and for the romantics among you (and honeymooners), candlelit
private tables can be set up in the bush, on a boat, or, when the full moon is out, on a sand
bar in the middle of the river.
Chiawa's sister camp,
Old Mindoro
, is a classic old-school safari bush camp unlike
anything else in the park and receives raves from visitors we spoke with.
CHALET
EAST OF THE PARK
Redcliff Zambezi Lodge $$$
( 0979 844377;
www.redcliff-lodge.com
; per person all-inclusive US$275; )
This
lodge is east of the park, about 20km upstream from Luangwa town on the Mozambican
border. Accommodation is in tented chalets, which are simply furnished with indigenous
teak and are spaced along the bank of the Zambezi. Fishing (especially for tiger fish) is a
major feature here or you can take boat trips to Mpata Gorge or to the towering red iron-
stone cliffs that give the lodge its name - they are absolutely stunning at sunset. Access is
by boat or plane from Luangwa, which in turn can be reached via a turn-off (and very bad
road) from the Great East Road. Charter flights from Lusaka or Livingstone are also pos-
sible.
TENTED CAMP
