Zambia Safari & Malawi Beach

The journey begins as you land at Mfuwe Airport on the edge of Zambia’s South Luangwa National Park. You are met by a guide and vehicle and can sit back on a pleasant drive to Flatdogs Camp, overlooking the Luangwa River and the park beyond. Named for the river’s crocodiles, Flatdogs is the perfect place to combine adventure and comfort: you head out in open 4X4 vehicles and on foot with armed rangers in search of predators and thick concentrations of animals at water while your tented suite has its own bathroom and supper is served on white linen in a sleek and contemporary setting. Spot-lit night drives add a new dimension to the Luangwa experience – your chance to see rare and unusual animals on the move such as nocturnal porcupines, African wild cats and wide-eyed bush babies.

Sit back on a half-day road transfer to the Luambe National Park and the only accommodation in it: Luambe Camp. Sandwiched between North and South Luangwa Parks, Luambe Park is a little-visited gem. A landscape of river, floodplains and Savannah, it teems with wildlife right down to the enormous pod of hippos that snort and chortle in the Luangwa River in front of camp. A signature sighting is that of migratory carmine bee-eaters that grace the grasslands with their dazzling presence in September and October. Other sightings could include lion and leopard, and other nocturnal creatures like honey badgers that come to drink at the camp’s spot-lit waterhole at night. Luambe Camp runs on solar power enabling you to recharge batteries and your suite – indeed your 4-poster bed - looks out over an unspoilt river.

After breakfast at Luambe Camp you are driven back to Flatdogs, arriving in time for an afternoon game drive and a final toast to the South Luangwa as the sun sinks and the stars rush out. The convivial campfire makes a good place to swap Luambe stories after dinner and take in the last sounds of the Luangwa at night before you retire to your suite.

A transfer to Mfuwe Airport and a flight to Lilongwe start the day as you trade the sun-baked Luangwa savannah for what is regarded as one of Africa’s friendliest and most laid-back destination: Lake Malawi. Landing at Malawi’s Lilongwe International Airport, a tour representative helps you with entry formalities as you transfer for a flight to Likoma. From here it is a 20-minute road transfer to Kaya Mawa Lodge where you settle into your comfortable suite and contemplate the next three days ahead. 

Kaya Mawa has prime position on idyllic Likoma Island with a backdrop of baobab and mango trees and enjoys a famous Lake Malawi sunset every night. Some of the lake’s best scuba diving is on offer here and there is great snorkelling straight off the lodge’s golden beach. You can go sailing, windsurfing, water skiing and kayaking or keep your feet dry and take up quad biking, cycling or hiking. You may just want to simply laze on a hammock in the shade – after all, the lodge name translates as ‘maybe tomorrow’. The lodge also has spa treatments and yoga classes to fit into your day as well as delicious fresh breakfasts, picnic lunches and private dinners served at the lake’s edge.

A transfer after breakfast at Kaya Mawa takes you back to Likoma and a scheduled flight back to Lilongwe International Airport for your onward travel arrangements and an end to this tour.