Wild & Luxurious Southern Africa

Set in Zambia and South Africa, this incredible 12-day Southern Africa tour offers the perfect blend of safari and coastal adventures. Activities include thrilling Big Five game drives, walking safaris, birdwatching, seasonal boat cruises and canoeing at three superb safari retreats; followed by a stay at a luxurious seaside hotel that offers the ultimate opportunity to unwind. Experience the marvels of the South Luangwa, the birthplace of the walking safari and home to an abundance of game.

Travel to the spectacular Lower Zambezi National Park, which offers a wonderful collection of habitats. Revel in the “Seven Worlds of Wonder” of the award-winning &Beyond Phinda Private Game Reserve, and then end your journey in the cosmopolitan surrounds of Umhlanga, a mecca for sun and beach lovers.

Wild & Luxurious Southern Africa Itinerary

Days 1, 2 and 3 - Chinzombo

Today you will be flown from Kenneth Kaunda International Airport to Mfuwe Airstrip where you will be met by a representative from Chinzombo for your game drive transfer to camp.

Spend 3 nights at Chinzombo The 6 ‘villas’ one of which is a suite with extra space for families and small groups is equipped to the very highest standards, with each villa having its own private plunge pools, cooled sleeping areas, massive bathrooms with luxurious spa amenities, one of the best guiding teams in Africa, set within 60 acres of private prime Luangwa frontage, private access in to the Park.

Your stay includes all meals, transfers to and from local airport, local inter-camp road transfers (Zambian properties only), game-viewing activities (game drives day and night), walking safaris, cultural visits (all Zambian camps), boat cruises, fishing, standard bar drinks, house wines, laundry and service charge.

While at Chinzombo you can set your own safari routine at your own pace. Activities include game drives, a little bit of walking and seasonal boat trips (normally Jan to April when the river is high).

Days 4, 5 and 6 - Sausage Tree Camp

After a mouth-watering breakfast, transfer to Mfuwe for your light aircraft flight back to Kenneth Kaunda International Airport for your light aircraft flight to Jeki Airstrip. There after a game drive transfer to Sausage Tree Camp.

The spectacular Lower Zambezi National Park spans 4 092 km² (1 580 square miles) of pristine wilderness. It is situated adjacent to Zimbabwe’s Mana Pools Reserve, creating a giant expanse of protected wilderness, and boasts breath-taking vistas of the Zambezi River, as well as lush riverine surrounds. It is not uncommon to see enormous herds of elephant quenching their thirst and enjoying a good mud bath along the riverbanks, as well as leopard, buffalo and lion.

The park offers a wonderful collection of habitats, which are home to a superb diversity of animals. Visitors can explore the marshy Zambezi channels, floodplains bordered by mopane forests, hilly woodlands and the park’s open valley floor.

Spend 3 nights at Sausage Tree Camp, voted as “Best Location in Africa” at the 2016 Good Safari Guide Awards is hidden amongst mature sausage and mahogany trees on the banks of the Zambezi River. With guaranteed private guiding for all guests, you are spoilt for choice. Accommodation includes 5 luxurious Bedouin-style Signature tents with open air ensuite bathroom and private veranda, 2 spacious Honeymoon tents with indoor and outdoor bathrooms, dining area, personal bar, private pool and veranda. The sole-use Kigelia House is perfect for small groups or families, as it features two spacious bedrooms, ensuite bathrooms, a sitting room, private pool and veranda.

Superb African-fusion meals are served in the newly rebuilt open-air dining tent, on the main viewing deck or in the privacy of guests’ tents. Refreshing sundowners can be enjoyed in the welcoming bar area, which is fronted by an enormous teak deck that overlooks the Zambezi River, while a sparkling 25m swimming pool completes the setting.

Your stay included all Meals, Beverages, Laundry, Internal Park Transfers, Personal Butler/Muchinda, all Safari Activities and Fishing. Adventures include twice-daily game drives, walking safaris, canoeing, boat cruises and fishing.

Days 7, 8 and 9 - Phinda Vlei Lodge

After a mouth-watering breakfast, transfer to Royal Airstrip for your light aircraft transfer back to Lusaka. Fly with Proflight to King Shaka International Airport. Upon arrival at King Shaka International Airport you will be warmly welcomed by our representatives and driven to Phinda Private Game Reserve.

Set within easy reach of the Indian Ocean coastline and the famous iSimangaliso / Greater St Lucia Wetland Park in northern KwaZulu-Natal, Phinda Private Game Reserve is known for its abundant wildlife, diversity of habitats and wide range of safari activities. Thanks to its coastal rainfall pattern, the Reserve enjoys a lush green environment that contains seven distinct ecosystems. Phinda is often referred to as ‘Seven Worlds of Wonder.’ This fascinating variety of landscape and vegetation shelters an abundance of wildlife, including not only the Big Five but many rarer and less easily spotted species, such as the elusive cheetah or the scarce black rhino. With only a handful of lodges sharing an area of 23 000 hectares, and expert rangers and trackers in search of prime wildlife sightings, guests are assured an exclusive game viewing experience. Adding to Phinda’s wildlife charms, the marine diversity of nearby Sodwana Bay on the coast is easily accessible, with scuba diving, fishing and even turtle watching only some of the adventures available from Phinda.

Spend three nights at &Beyond Phinda Vlei Lodge. Accommodation is in an air conditioned suite with ensuite bathroom dressing room, private plunge pool and game viewing deck, overlooks the grassy vlei where guests can observe herds of grazing antelope and a dazzling variety of birdlife Your stay includes three meals daily, soft drinks, house wines, local brand spirits and beers, teas and coffees, emergency medical evacuation insurance, laundry and daily lodge adventures.

Alternatively
Spend three nights at &Beyond Phinda Rock Lodge inventively designed in a rocky and Moroccan style, with a touch of purple. Your stay includes three meals, soft drinks, house wines, local brand spirits and beers, teas and coffees, scheduled safari activities, refreshments on game drives, Nature Walks (1 hour) accompanied by experienced armed trackers, subject to availability. Emergency medical evacuation insurance, Laundry, VAT.

Days 10 and 11 - The Oyster Box

After your morning game drive and breakfast you will be collected and transferred to the coastal town of Umhlanga in the KwaZulu Natal Province.

Umhlanga is a mecca for sun lovers and watersports enthusiasts. Meaning the “place of reeds”, this scenic area is located along KwaZulu Natal’s spectacular Golden Mile, just 20 kilometres from the bustling port city of Durban. The area falls in what was once an immense sugar cane plantation owned by Sir Marshall Campbell, who arrived in South Africa from Glasgow in 1850.

The first hotel, The Umhlanga Rocks Hotel, was built in the 1920s and was promptly followed by a throng of exceptional seaside retreats, which still dot the shoreline. Today, Umhlanga boasts world-class boutique stores and superlative centres, such as the Gateway Mall – a shopper’s paradise! It also offers a wonderful selection of eateries and attractions such as the Natal Sharks Board, professional golf courses and an array of watersports, such as scuba diving, deep-sea fishing, surfing and dolphin viewing.

Spend 2 nights at The Oyster Box Hotel in a classic sea - facing room with en-suite bathroom. Your stay includes breakfast.

Day 12 - Departure

After breakfast you will be transferred to King Shaka International Airport in time for your SA Airlink flight to O R Tambo International Airport.

Wild & Luxurious Southern Africa Highlights

• Seven Worlds of Wonder at Phinda Private Game Reserve
• Remote Wilderness of Zambia
• Spectacular sunsets over the Luangwa River
• Explore the South Luangwa National Park on a walking safari
• Search for the Big Five at Phinda Private Game Reserve
• Canoeing in the pristine Lower Zambezi National Park
• Book a Maputaland Beach Adventure during your stay at Phinda

Contact

Contact the Luxury Safari Club for more information or to book the Wild & Luxurious Southern Africa safari