Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
river is where walking safaris are conducted. This is a wild part of the park and you've a
good chance of spotting lots of wildlife, but owners Chris and Charlotte's passion is lions.
Chris has written three books on them (with the
White Lions of Timbavati
the only one
still easily available) and is a fountain of knowledge.
Hippo Lodge $$$
( in Lusaka 0211-295398;
www.hippolodge.com
; chalets all-inclusive per person
around US$420; year-round)
This long-running, owner- operated place has loads of
character and beautiful riverine views. Individual stone chalets, with quirky features like
impala antlers for toilet paper holders and tree branches as key design features of the bath-
rooms, are spaced well apart (from the honeymoon chalet you can watch the river ripple
past as you rejuvenate weary bones).
Alternatively, basic but comfortable safari tents are more of a budget option and the
riverfront bar and restaurant are great places to kick back and revel in the setting. The
standard fare for one-way transport from Lusaka is around ZMW1250 (up to four people).
CHALET
Leopard Lodge $$$
( in South Africa 027-82 553 8767;
www.leopard-lodge.com
;
per person all-inclusive
ZMW1600)
Situated on the Kafue River, in a GMA at the edge of the park, Leopard
Lodge is a small, secluded camp in an enviable location about 4km from one of Zambia's
best hot springs. There are stunning views from the hill behind the camp, and this is where
lions come to mate, usually in May. The six brick, thatch-roofed chalets are very comfort-
able with cotton linen and ceiling fans.
There's a bar and restaurant on-site, although private lunches and dinners in the bush
are the way to go, and a picnic on a river island is a highlight. Boat trips and fishing trips
feature alongside walking safaris and game drives.
CHALET
SOUTHERN SECTOR
Places in the Southern sector are outside the park and south of the main road between Lu-
saka and Mongu.
To get to Puku Pan and KaingU, you have two options. First, passable only from June
to November, is a very rough, though scenic, dirt track that mostly hugs the eastern bank
of the river (the tsetse flies here are horrendous so only venture this way if you have air-
conditioning and can close the windows), or the 'good' (longer in terms of kilometres)
road that turns off the Lusaka-Mongu Highway around the village of Kachereko. From
here, you head south for 46km and then west for another 36km to the river. This road
