Brett arranged a Zambia safari for a repeat guest. On their Zambian Safari They visited the South Luangwa, Lower Zambezi and Kafue National Park. Below is their feedback:
“Hi Brett. Great trip. Hot, hot, hot in South Luangwa and Lower Zambezi but manageable. Great staff at all camps, and good food everywhere.
Our JFK-Joburg flight was further delayed on 9/21 so we missed the rescheduled Saturday night flight to Lusaka. I called the Southern Star hotel and canceled the driver and hotel room. We over-nighted in Joburg and flew to Lusaka and made the connection to Mfuwe Sunday.
Kuyenda– superb. Phil Berry (guide, ex-owner, ex-Ranger under Norman Carr) is a wonderful walking guide. For me Kuyenda was the best camp. I was really sorry we missed the first day! It is beautiful, very well run, and had plenty of good game. On foot we saw a leopard chased by wild dogs on our first walk!
Kalamu– as you may now it is reported to have been sold in the last two weeks. Walking and game there was very good, with excellent guiding, hippos right out the front door of our tent, and elephants and birds everywhere. Physically the camp seemed a little awkward- partly because it was nearly empty (we were the only guests one night) and partly because the main building, a very permanent lodge-type of building, seemed too big for the eight ‘tents’ with few guests. Kalamu Starbeds was very nice too, without the odd lodge building.
Kasaka– while Kasaka has good guides and easy access to the Lower Zambesi park, it is probably used most as a fishing lodge. Guys come from all over to fish for tiger fish there. This gives it (at least while we were there) a very male atmosphere. There were one or two other couples there each day so it was not exclusively the preserve of the fishermen, who also were very nice. For me the highlight was actually the flight leaving Kasaka Royal Airstrip- flying down the Zambesi to Jeki airstrip at 300 feet. Wow. National Geographic has never had better views of the wild.
Musanza– Transportation to Musanza was confusing. We flew Lusaka-Busanga Airstrip, then after dropping a couple we flew Busanga Airstrip-Kafuwe Airstrip and then drove 2+ hours to Musanza Camp. It’s a 10 minute helo ride from Busanga Airstrip to Musanza Camp, and it would have made more sense for us to get off at Busanga Airstrip and fly in. Next time you might explore this- I have no idea the economics. Musanza Camp was nice but day 1 TseTse flies were incredible. I counted close to 85 bites through my pants on my legs (I wore long pants that day knowing they were around) day one there. Ouch. Once at the camp they essentially went away unless you went in trees away from the river. Game was ok but not as exceptional as at Kuyenda or Kalamu, although birds were very plentiful. Julie went on a river tour which she enjoyed immensely. I had a bad stomach day after the TseTses which probably affected my thoughts a bit, but you should know that when I asked about walking they said guests can walk the third day there- we were there two nights, so it was not an option for us. Also it was made awkward by a group of 6 Americans who were not terribly experienced travelers traveling as a group with a private guide. The dynamics of that sort of split the camp guests in two. Staff handled it very well, but it brought home to me why the 4 tent camps are so nice. Also transfers from Musanza Camp to Busanga Bush Camp were scheduled to be a 2+ hour drive back to Kafuwe Airstrip, then fly Kafuwe Airstrip to Busanga Airstrip, then helo to Busanga Bush Camp. It is only a 1 hour drive- through great game country- to drive from Musanza Camp to Busanga Bush Camp, so we did that instead. If this is confusing let me know.
Busanga– like Kuyenda a real bush camp. Julie’s favorite, and I liked it a lot. Weather quite different- was probably 10 degrees cooler in the afternoon, and cooled further quickly when the sun went down. Animals everywhere, including lots of lion. The camp was not organized to walk- shared a Scout with two other camps, so scheduling would have been delicate. However guides and game were so good we really did not mind.
Thanks for all your help. Our concerns about kwacha were unfounded except in Lusaka; in camps they took dollars without question. It was over all too quickly!
Steve Smith”
