FROM US$9,250-US$11,500

Perekani Walking Trail

Five smart but rustic bushcamps are the comfortable staging posts for this walking safari in South Luangwa. The route offers outstanding seclusion and rich wildlife with top-quality guiding throughout.

Perekani Walking Trail: Summary

Perekani Trail in a nutshell

This walking safari is designed for keen walkers who want to explore South Luangwa’s rich flora and fauna largely on foot. It’s camp-to-camp walking and there’s something very liberating about moving through the park for days without a vehicle.

For this we’ve chosen five camps, from two small, top-notch owner-run operations. Most of these camps are constructed simply, from woven grass and poles. But this belies their high quality and you’ll find many comfortable touches – from hot showers and flushing toilets to enveloping beds – which enables them to provide comfort after a day in the bush. Even the ‘kitchens’, comprising fire pits dug into the ground, consistently create a remarkable cuisine.

The top-class guides add expertise to your immersion in the wilderness. As well as being good company, their enthusiasm and insight into the local wildlife and vegetation add real depth to your experience.

Finally, the trail itself is sure to impress: part of this route was once taken by David Livingstone, who was also on foot, as he passed through this area of outstanding wildlife. The absence of roads and safari vehicles heightens the sense of being alone in nature, making this trip an exclusive and truly unforgettable safari.

At a glance

Starts:	Lusaka International Airport
2 nights	Tafika - South Luangwa National Park, Zambia	Full Board & Activities
2 nights	Chikoko Tree Camp - South Luangwa National Park, Zambia	Full Board & Activities
2 nights	Big Lagoon Camp - South Luangwa National Park, Zambia	Full Board & Activities
2 nights	Mwamba Bushcamp - South Luangwa National Park, Zambia	Full Board & Activities
2 nights	Kaingo Camp - South Luangwa National Park, Zambia	Full Board & Activities
Ends:	Lusaka International Airport

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Tafika

Days 1-3

Home to the Coppinger family, Tafika is a small and outwardly rustic camp on the banks of the Luangwa River. Its location, on the northern side of the beautiful Nsefu Sector within in Zambia's South Luangwa National Park, makes Tafika – along with its two satellite bushcamps on the other side of the river – the most northerly of South Luangwa's safari camps. This allows most activities to be carried out in quiet areas of the park, where you’ll invariably have wildlife sightings to yourself

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Chikoko Tree Camp

Days 3-5

Chikoko Tree Camp is an exceptionally small, intimate and rustic bushcamp that overlooks the seasonal Chikoko River – a scenic, winding channel lined by shady ebony trees. It is set in a remote area of Zambia’s South Luangwa National Park that is exclusive to walking safaris; there are no vehicles here to break the silence, and other visitors are rare.

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Big Lagoon Camp

Days 5-7

Big Lagoon Camp, which replaces Crocodile Bushcamp a kilometer away, is one half of a pair of bushcamps, known as Chikoko Trails. Together they form the base camps for one of Zambia's best walking safari experiences. With just three rooms, expertly made of reed and thatch, and overlooking a permanent lagoon that attracts wildlife year-round, Big Lagoon offers a tranquil base from which to explore this walking-only area of South Luangwa park.

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Mwamba Bushcamp

Days 7-9

Small, intimate and very remote, Mwamba Bushcamp is set beneath the shade of magnificent ebony trees. It's a calm, comfortable camp, steeped in nature, and overlooking a waterhole in the usually dry bed of the seasonal Mwamba River.

Owned by Derek and Jules Shenton - a seasoned conservationist and a keen photographer respectively – Mwamba is Kaingo Camp's lovely satellite bushcamp. The Shenton's dedication to wildlife, wilderness, sustainability and Zambian tradition is evident throughout their camps.

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Kaingo Camp

Days 9-11

The well-established Kaingo Camp overlooks the Luangwa River from beneath an old grove of ebony trees. Owned by Derek Shenton and his family, it's one of the few independent camps remaining in South Luangwa National Park. Derek, and his engaging wife Jules, live in Lusaka and are very involved in running the camp, visiting frequently and sometimes helping out with the guiding.

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