Zambia

Sanctuary Sussi & Chuma sits on the banks of the Zambezi inside Mosi-oa-Tunya National Park, upstream of Victoria Falls, with twelve stilted treehouse suites linked by raised timber walkways through ebony forest.

The lodge takes its name from David Livingstone’s two companions, who carried his body to the coast after his death. Two private houses sit alongside the main camp, and the river frontage draws elephant, hippo and prolific birdlife within view of the decks.

The Royal Livingstone occupies a stretch of Zambezi riverfront so close to Victoria Falls that guests can walk to the entrance through the hotel’s own grounds, with the spray column visible from the lawns.

The building is deliberately colonial in style, with wide verandas, teak floors and staff in period uniform, and zebra and giraffe graze freely between the buildings. Sundowners are taken on the terrace at the point where the river begins to accelerate towards the drop.

Ila Safari Lodge sits on the banks of the Kafue River in the central section of Kafue National Park, combining comfortable tented accommodation with a genuine sustainability programme.

The lodge runs largely on solar power and operates an electric game-viewing vehicle and boat, allowing near-silent approaches to wildlife. Its central location gives year-round access, unlike the seasonal camps of the Busanga Plains.

Shumba Camp sits on a tree island in the heart of the Busanga Plains in northern Kafue National Park, its six raised tents looking out across open floodplain in every direction.

The name means ‘lion’ in the local language, a reference to the prides that hunt across these plains. Hot-air ballooning operates over the floodplain in season, offering a rare aerial perspective on the landscape.

Sausage Tree Camp lies within Lower Zambezi National Park, its distinctive white canvas suites set beneath riverine trees along the Zambezi and each opening onto a private deck above the water.

The camp has a long-standing reputation for guiding and personal service, with activities spanning canoeing, boating, walking safaris and game drives across the floodplain.

Time + Tide Chongwe occupies the confluence of the Chongwe and Zambezi rivers on the edge of Lower Zambezi National Park, with the escarpment rising behind and open water on two sides.

Tented suites face the water beneath mature winterthorn trees. The confluence location supports a particularly wide activity range, from canoeing and boating to walking safaris and tiger fishing.

Tena Tena is a small seasonal camp in the remote Nsefu Sector of South Luangwa National Park, its five tents set beneath a grove of mature ebony trees on the Luangwa riverbank.

The camp exists primarily for walking: quiet, guide-led exploration on foot through one of the valley’s least-visited areas, with game drives filling in around the walks.

Chinzombo sits on the banks of the Luangwa River directly opposite South Luangwa National Park, on a site with a long history in Zambian conservation.

Six generously scaled villas each include a private pool and open frontage onto the river. The camp pairs contemporary design with the valley’s traditional strength: guide-led walking safaris in the tradition pioneered here in the 1950s.

Busanga Bush Camp is a small seasonal camp on a tree island at the edge of the Busanga Plains in northern Kafue National Park, one of Zambia’s most remote and least-visited wildlife areas.

Simple tented rooms look out over the open floodplain. The camp operates only in the dry season, when receding floodwaters draw large antelope herds and the resident lion prides that follow them.

Chiawa Camp sits within Lower Zambezi National Park on the banks of the Zambezi, and is among the most established and consistently awarded camps in Zambia.

Tented suites look across the river towards the escarpment on the Zimbabwean side. Activities span canoeing, boating, walking and game drives, with the camp particularly known for close, respectful elephant encounters along the riverbank.

Mfuwe Lodge sits within South Luangwa National Park beside two lagoons, and is best known for the resident elephant herd that walks directly through its open-plan lobby each November, drawn by the fruiting wild mango tree in the courtyard.

Beyond that annual spectacle, the lodge is a well-established base for exploring the Luangwa Valley, with chalets overlooking the lagoon and its resident hippo, and guided drives and walks departing daily.