Cheap South Luangwa Safari

Cheap South Luangwa safari is a 5 day budget safari in Zambia that starts and ends in Chipata. At a supplement, you can be picked from Lilongwe in Malawi.

About Cheap South Luangwa Safari

5 day cheap South Luangwa safari in Zambia starts and ends in Chipata. At a supplement, you can be picked from Lilongwe in Malawi. This cheap African safari in Zambia goes to South Luangwa National Park.

You will stay in budget lodges in the 5 day cheap South Luangwa safari in Zambia. The focus of the 5 day cheap South Luangwa safari is wildlife. You’ll also enjoy great scenery of the South Luangwa Valley. This Zambia safari tour is recommended for those backpacking in Zambia.

Cheap South Luangwa Safari Itinerary

Day 1: Chipata – South Luangwa National Park

You will be met on arrival in Chipata or from your budget hotel in Chipata. This is by our Zambia safari representative. You will be briefed on this 5 day cheap South Luangwa safari.

This is to be followed by a drive to South Luangwa National Park. The drive will take you to a Zambia safari lodge arriving in time for lunch. This lodge is located right on the South Luangwa National Park boundary. You’ll have a stop as you drive to South Luangwa National Park.

The stop en route will be at 'Rock View'. From here one is able to have a great view of the Luangwa valley. You’ll also learn about the medicinal plants that the residents of the valley. You’ll be welcomed with a glass of complimentary welcome drink on arrival at the lodge.

The afternoon will be spent at leisure in your lodge. It will be to enable you recover from the trip. You have an option of having a nature walk around. This is to admire the beauty of your surrounding environment.

In the evening you’ll be served delicious dinner from the comfort of your lodge. Overnight will be at your Zambia budget safari lodge booked on full board.

Day 2 - 4: South Luangwa National Park

Your 5 day cheap South Luangwa safari starts with early wake up. This is to be followed by a delicious breakfast. You will then venture into a drive through the park. You will be driving to Bush Camp, your next destination.

Here you’ll settle into your comfortable thatched chalet. You may take a walk down to the camp’s waterhole. Here you’ll find congregation of wildlife like antelope, insects and birds.

After lunch, your cheap South Luangwa safari heads out into the South Luangwa National Park. Today you’ll explore the depths of the wilderness on a game drive. You may also tread along the contours during a guided walking safari. Seasonal boating is available from the end of December to April.

Explore the water channels and bird life that adorn the lagoons. This is as your cheap South Luangwa safari paddles a way around. Your guide will provide an in-depth description of the fauna and flora. Educational and interactive activities include village tours.

You may also visit the Wildlife Education Centre. Here you’ll learn more about the South Luangwa Valley and its wildlife. A tour to the nearby Kawaza Village will return you with new cultural insights. You can also get souvenirs of tribal textiles. Night drives venture out after tea time and return before dinner.

You’ll be equipped with spotlight operated by your guide. The safari vehicle’s headlights will also provide light on this excursion. It is sure to be an exhilarating experience. You’ll spot the sparkling eyes of a bush baby. You may also watch as a lioness breaks away from the pride.

This is to pursue her prey in the dark of the night. Your years should be open to the hooting of the owl. You’ll head back to a dinner table adorned with a freshly prepared meal. Dinning is indoors or alfresco. You may enjoy post-dinner drinks around a campfire.

Day 5: South Luangwa - Chipata

This is the last day of your 5 day cheap South Luangwa safari in Zambia. You will wake up to an early breakfast at the lodge. Your 5 day cheap South Luangwa safari in Zambia then takes a drive to Chipata. You’ll make a stopover along the way to visit the Tribal Textiles.

Tribal Textiles was set up for the local people in 1991. This is where they sell their handmade African textiles. Your 5 day cheap South Luangwa safari in Zambia proceeds to Chipata. You’ll be dropped off at a designated point or at your budget Chipata hotel.

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Cheap South Luangwa Safari Destination

South Luangwa National Park

South Luangwa National Park is one of the great remaining unspoiled regions of Africa. Even as Zambia’s reputation as a spectacular safari destination grows, it retains its essence of true wilderness.

South Luangwa National Park is a place that still feels relatively untouched by modern humans, and is therefore uniquely able to provide cheap South Luangwa safari guests an unpredictable and exhilarating safari experience.

Because of that protected quality, it is important that you enter this country with a deep respect for the sanctity of the wildlife habitats and an appreciation for the ecology that supports this special environment.

The Luangwa River is the most intact river in Africa, and its tributaries and lagoons are the lifeblood of this region.

The changing seasons, from the ‘dry’ season in the winter to the ‘emerald’ season of the summer months, make this a vibrant and charismatic part of the world that you don’t want to miss on your cheap South Luangwa safari.

It is important to note that alongside the beautiful scenery is also a beautiful culture. The people of Zambia are kind and friendly, and will welcome travelers on cheap South Luangwa safari with warmth and genuine hospitality.

The local people are also some of the best guides in the entire country, and their passion for sharing their knowledge while working in these camps, which can be incredibly remote, makes the cheap South Luangwa safari experience that much richer and more memorable.

History of South Luangwa National Park

The country of Zambia lies landlocked in the tropics, located at the northern edge of the region known as ‘southern Africa.’ Shaped like a butterfly and covering about 752,610 square kilometers, Zambia is roughly three times the size of the United Kingdom.

South Luangwa National Park - located in eastern Zambia - was declared a national park in 1972. As a protected game reserve for over 65 years before that, the park was never subjected to the degradation of unregulated mass tourism, thus sustaining its pristine wilderness.

It was here, in this park, that the now famous ‘walking safari’ originated, when Norman Carr, who was originally a ranger in the game reserves in the 1940s, began to operate wilderness safaris in the area.

Carr recognized the limitations of the early format of hunting safaris, and developed the walking safari to increase tourism to the area, as well as species conservation.

It could be argued that this shift in the travel tourism focus positively impacted the animal populations in the park and surrounding area.

Due to both the CITES ban on the world ivory trade, the presence of South Luangwa Conservation Society supported ZAWA teams, which carry out law-enforcement patrols on a regular basis, the park and its wildlife population (especially elephants) have remained remarkably stable ever since.

Not just the park, but the entire region is a true wildlife sanctuary. It is clustered with the neighboring North Luangwa, Luambe, and Lukusuzi National Parks. These are all separated by a cushion of game management areas.

The region is teeming with wildlife and is fiercely protected and conserved, so it remains largely unmolested. The best part of South Luangwa National Park and its adjacent GMAs is the remoteness.

More and more precious these days is that chance to relax into a rare night sky that is untainted by light pollution.

Here cheap South Luangwa safari guests will fall asleep under the most impressive blanket of stars, including awe inspiring views of the shimmering Milky Way.

The small and intimate lodges contribute to this feeling of being in a place where the modern world has yet to intrude upon nature.

Wildlife to See on cheap South Luangwa Safari

At this point cheap South Luangwa safari guests may be wondering what it is that draws so many wildlife enthusiasts and safari connoisseurs to this particular area, often returning to the same camps many times over.

Accompanying the reputation for a very high quality of guiding in this area, South Luangwa’s concentration of animals is some of the densest in all of Africa.

The park offers guests on cheap South Luangwa safari a multitude of game that will satisfy any safari bucket list: from predators like the famed African wild dogs, majestic lions, and lean leopards to big game favorites like elephants, buffalo, and hippo, this park has them all.

South Luangwa also offers cheap South Luangwa safari guests unique animal sightings, such as Zambia’s beloved Crawshay’s zebra herds (whose stripes are more distinct than those found further south and west).

There are 14 different species of antelope, including the elusive bushbuck; and the attractive kudu, with its spiral horns and delicate face.

Did we mention there are also 400 species of birds in the park, including 39 birds of prey? You’ll want to pack your binoculars and a camera so you can capture your sightings of these amazing creatures.

Because this park offers day and evening game drives, which is unique in the world of cheap South Luangwa safari, a whole other nocturnal realm is opened up for your viewing excitement.