The Lower ZambeziTrapped between a vast escarpment and the mighty Zambezi river, the Lower Zambezi is without doubt one of Africa's most beautiful parks. The diversity of activities here is also wider than anywhere else on the continent - boating safaris, canoe trips, game drives at day and night and some fantastic walking areas... combine with some of the world’s best Tiger fish fishing, and in a nutshell, this is an outrageously good safari park, on all counts. We simply love this park!
From the moment the Zambezi thunders over Victoria Falls it continues on through Lake Kariba and on to the Lower Zambezi Valley, a massive rift in the earths crust. Over hundreds of years the river has deposited mineral rich soils that have created fertile plains on either side of the river. Mana Pools National Park in Zimbabwe lies on one side and The Lower Zambezi National Park lies on the other.
The descent gradient of the river is so shallow that the water meanders gently providing the perfect speed for relaxed boat and canoe trips – they are regarded as the optimum river safaris anywhere in Africa. Lodges in the Lower Zambezi can be split into two groups - those inside and those outside boundaries of the Chiawa Game Reserve (CGR). If on a tighter budget then do not be put off by staying outside the park as game drives and boating trips still venture into the park itself. However, the famous Lower Zambezi camps are inside the park - we try and book these when possible as there is simply more game inside the CGR. And with the exception of Chongwe River Camp, whose setting is stunning, the lodges inside the reserve also have better locations. Lower Zambezi: Accommodation choices
The most famous are inside the National Park itself. Chiawa and Sausage Tree would lay claim to being in the top ten of most lists, whereas safari enthusiasts would camp down and relish the authenticity and simple style of Old Mondoro. Kulefu is a lodge run by Abercrombie and Kent, under their other guise Sanctuary lodges, and albeit an undeniably luxurious lodge, we tend to get better feedback from the first three mentioned. Located just outside the park boundary sit a number of camps that offer game drives inside the park. The newcomer to the scene is Chongwe River Camp, a fantastic tented camp that takes the honours for best camp outside the park. Chongwe's sister camp, the outwardly absurd but brilliant Chongwe River House, is a destination in itself and can only be booked on a private basis. The Royal Zambezi Lodge offers a pretty good location and a fairly good price for its standard, whereas Kasanka offers the most affordable accommodation.
Recommended lodges in this area:
Lower Zambezi
What a setting and what a great little camp. Our last consultant here had thirty elephant in camp the day he was leaving and literally had to be picked up by vehicle from his room! Recently a vote in the office put Old Mondoro as one of our favourite adventurous camps in the whole of Africa.
Lower Zambezi
There are a few camps in Africa that have everything just right....Chiawa is without doubt one of these, regarded by us as one of the top lodges anywhere. The guiding is phenomenal, the location is perfect and this place is run by the family who are the main reason for the Lower Zambezi's success as a National Park.
Lower Zambezi
Sausage Tree is without any question the most opulently luxurious lodge in the Lower Zambezi. Whether this is actually a good thing, we will let you decide! The activities and guiding are set as high as any of the camps in the park and the location is good.
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