Mfuwe Lodge: Our full report
Occupying a lovely spot overlooking Mfuwe Lagoon – a huge oxbow lake – Mfuwe Lodge is the flagship safari ...
... property of the Bushcamp Company. It is one of the larger properties in the South Luangwa National Park, and after extensive refurbishment in 2010 is now one of the smartest and most modern. It lies quite close to the park’s main gate in an area that is rich in wildlife.Much of the furniture and fittings at Mfuwe Lodge come from South Africa and they lend the lodge a funky and contemporary edge. However, generous use of wood, neutral tones and the clever incorporation of natural materials means that this style nicely complements the surrounding environment rather than clashing with it. The main areas, including the large bar and dining area under thatch, are adorned with artistic woven lampshades, brightly coloured cushions and classy black-and-white photographs. An extended deck has several low sofas that look out over Mfuwe Lagoon, alongside a simple but large rectangular infinity pool. On our various visits, the pool has proved to be a popular spot to relax, with plenty of sunloungers shaded by cream umbrellas.
Indoors, an impressive library offers a cooler and quieter place to chill out. This isn't a huge room, but with a beautiful leather sofa, modern campaign furniture and some interesting coffee-table books, it's both comfortable and restful.
Entirely separate is Mfuwe Lodge’s spa, offering a range of treatments from manicures to full body massages and facials, all using the wonderful smelling Africology products. Such treatments are an extra cost and can be paid for locally in US Dollars or Zambian Kwacha. The treatment rooms both look over a large lagoon ringed by green vegetation. Hippos, crocodiles, and prolific birdlife all call this lagoon home, meaning you can enjoy some very relaxing wildlife viewing while receiving treatments.
There is also a small shop which is stocked and run by Tribal Textiles, a local craft company based in Mfuwe with its roots very much in rural development and philanthropy. Stop here to pick up curios and souvenirs such as wooden carvings, hand-painted tablecloths, T-shirts and jewellery.
The 18 chalets at Mfuwe Lodge come in two different styles, but all are all kitted out with modern furniture standing on polished stone floors. In each chalet, three double doors open onto a veranda where sunloungers offer views of the lagoon and game viewing from the privacy of your room. The chalets are equipped with tea and coffee stations, hairdryers and air conditioning, while the beds, enveloped by walk-in mosquito nets, are cooled by an additional fan. Each bathroom is largely tiled and includes twin basins and a walk-in rain shower with a view.
The chalets are built in three different styles:
- 13 'standard' rooms are of single-storey construction, each with a small sitting area and a beechwood writing desk in the corner.
- Three family suites are built over two levels, and have a lot more space. They are entered on the lower floor, where there is a lounge and children's bedroom, with the master bedroom upstairs.
- Two honeymoon suites are almost the same as the family suites, but their entrance is on the top floor, where the bedroom is situated. They have a snug lounge downstairs and a large bath in addition to a shower.
The game viewing around Mfuwe Lodge is excellent, but unfortunately the area is close to the main gate and several other lodges, so it can also get quite busy with other vehicles, particularly around good sightings. Fortunately Mfuwe Lodge combines really well with its sister bushcamps in the remote southern end of the park: Kuyenda, Chindeni, Chamilandu, Bilimungwe, Kapamba and Zungulila.
Our view
Mfuwe Lodge is quite grand and impressive, an attractive place to relax with good facilities. The game viewing in the Mfuwe area is impressive, and it’s a great place to first see some of Africa’s most iconic species, but being so close to the main gate also means it can be a bit crowded. Mfuwe Lodge is a good place to spend one or two nights at the start of your safari, using it as a springboard for accessing the more remote and rustic bushcamps. Alternatively, you could spend a night here at the end of your trip, taking advantage of the spa after a long safari.
Country manager: Zambia
Geographics
- Location
- South Luangwa National Park, Zambia
- Ideal length of stay
- Spend two nights here at the start or end of your safari, as a jumping off point for one of the remoter bushcamps. A usual safari may combine Mfuwe Lodge with one of its own sister bushcamps, Kuyenda, Chindeni, Chamilandu
and Bilimungwe, Kapamba Bushcamp and Zungulila.
However, for more variety we'd suggest that you consider combining Mfuwe Lodge, and perhaps one of its sister camps, with some of the camps on the northern side of South Luangwa – perhaps Tafika or Kaingo. - Directions
- Most guests at Mfuwe Lodge fly in to Mfuwe Airport, from where it’s about a 45-minute transfer to the lodge.
- Accessible by
- Fly-and-Transfer
Food & drink
- Usual board basis
- Full Board & Activities
- Food quality
- Unfortunately we were unable to sample the food at Mfuwe Lodge on our last visit in June 2015, but we’ve always really enjoyed the meals we’ve had here on previous visits.
Breakfast is usually a continental spread, offered before an early game drive. This includes cereals, hot porridge, yoghurt, fruit and toast, along with fruit juice, coffee and a variety of teas.
A more substantial brunch is served buffet style at around 11.00am. While this often includes breakfast items such as eggs, bacon and toast, there are also a variety of fresh green salads, and other cold dishes such as pasta salad, couscous and cured meats. Mfuwe Lodge also has a couple of pizza ovens and on certain days you can create your own pizza, which they will bake for you on the spot!
At about 4.00pm, afternoon tea is served before your afternoon activity. Light bites such as sandwiches are on offer, as well as cake, along with a variety of teas and coffee.
Dinner, served after you return from the night drive at around 8.30pm, is usually three courses served to the table. Occasionally, however, Mfuwe Lodge offers a carvery or holds a barbecue boma evening. - Dining style
- Individual Tables
- Dining locations
- Indoor and Outdoor Dining
- Further dining info, including room service
- No
- Drinks included
- Filtered water, tea and coffee are included. All other drinks are at additional cost.
Special interests
- Wellbeing
- Unusually for South Luangwa, Mfuwe Lodge has a spa offering a range of treatments such as massages, manicures, facials and hydrotherapy treatments, allowing you to pamper yourself while on safari.
- See ideas for Wellbeing in Zambia
Children
- Attitude towards children
- Children of all ages are welcome at Mfuwe Lodge.
- Property’s age restrictions
- The lodge has no minimum age limit. However, the minimum age for walking in the South Luangwa National Park is 12 years.
- Special activities & services
- Mfuwe Lodge offers childminding by members of their housekeeping team, though parents should note that none of the team have had any formal training in childcare.
- Equipment
- Mfuwe Lodge has three spacious family chalets which are ideal for families of four. Cots are available by prior arrangement.
- Generally recommended for children
- We think that families with children will feel welcome at Mfuwe Lodge. However, as it’s an unfenced camp in a game-rich area, and wildlife is known to move regularly through camp, we’d recommend it for older children over the age of ten years.
- Notes
- The lodge and pool are unfenced. Wildlife, including elephants, regularly wander through the camp – and have occasionally been known to wander straight through the reception building! Children must be under the supervision of their parents at all times.
Our travellers’ wildlife sightings from Mfuwe Lodge
Since mid-2018, many of our travellers who stayed at Mfuwe Lodge have kindly recorded their wildlife sightings and shared them with us. The results are below. Click an animal to see more, and here to see more on our methodology.
100% success
100% success
100% success
100% success
100% success
91% success
82% success
80% success
50% success
20% success
0% success
0% success
0% success
0% success
0% success
Communications
- Communications
- There is cellphone reception at Mfuwe Lodge but guests are asked to use their phones only in their own rooms. There is also WiFi in the main area of the lodge, which can be accessed if guests have their own laptops.
- TV & radio
- No
- Water supply
- Borehole
- Water supply notes
- The chalets all have flushing toilets and plumbed-in showers with hot and cold running water on tap. The suites also have bathtubs.
Sustainability
Developing Sustainable Community Engagement
Voted ‘Best Lodge in Zambia’ in 2009, Mfuwe Lodge stands as one of the leading examples of community engagement within South Luangwa National Park. Out of the many initiatives to empower those who live around the park, the lodge’s support for the local Mfuwe School is perhaps the most important educational initiative.
Guests are strongly encouraged to participate in school sponsorship programs by bringing gifts for student prizes or by donating money for the education fund. Some of the money goes towards the ‘meal-a-day’ programme, now providing over 2,000 meals per day to students who have to get up at 5 am to walk 15 km to school, do a full day of lessons, and often walk home with nothing to eat. Additionally, Mfuwe School holds painting competitions and enters winning paintings into the Annual Calendar. These are further available for purchase at the lodge’s Curio Shop, and all proceeds are used to support additional school projects.
So far, the program has raised the number of students attending Mfuwe Day Secondary School from 100 to 350. Additionally, donations have funded the construction of six classrooms and offices, and the refurbishment of an existing girls’ dormitory. Additionally, the success of the ‘meal-a-day’ programme can be seen in the improvements in attendance, concentration, energy, and health of the pupils, as the teachers have proudly observed.
See more great sustainability projects in Zambia
Health & safety
- Malarial protection recommended
- Yes
- Medical care
- The nearest doctor is based at a lodge in the Mfuwe area. In the event of a medical emergency, guests would be evacuated by air to Lusaka.
- Dangerous animals
- High Risk
- Security measures
- Guests are not permitted to walk around the lodge at night, due to dangerous game in the area. Watchmen are on hand to escort people to and from their chalets at night.
- Fire safety
- Mfuwe Lodge has fire extinguishers in all the chalets and around the main areas.
Activities
4WD Safari
Birdwatching
Cultural excursion
Guided walking safari
Night drive
Extras
- Disabled access
- On Request
- Laundry facilities
- Laundry is included at Mfuwe Lodge. It is machine washed and tumble dried, so it is usually returned the same day.
- Money
- Mfuwe Lodge can exchange small amounts of cash, though they don't have huge amounts on site so would prefer guests to make use of the cash machine at the airport. There is a safe in each chalet.
- Accepted payment on location
- Guests can settle any extras in US dollars, British pounds, Zambian kwacha and South Africa rand cash. Mfuwe Lodge will also accept Visa and MasterCard with a 5,5% surcharge, but not Amex. It is not possible to use travellers’ cheques here.
Other lodges in South Luangwa National Park
Alternative places to stay in this same area.
Tafika
One of the best camps in Zambia, Tafika is naturally built, combining excellent service and food with top guiding skills for a superb wildlife experience.
Nkwali
On the banks of the Luangwa River, with its own access to the national park, the intimate Nkwali is open year round.
Kaingo Camp
Small and owner-run, the riverside Kaingo occupies a a quiet but excellent game area, with a series of wildlife hides and a focus on photography.
Nsefu
One of the Luangwa's oldest camps, Nsefu is a great safari camp in a remote, beautiful and game-rich location with top-rate guiding.
Mwamba Bushcamp
Small, remote and owner-run, Mwamba offers first-class walking, 4WD safari drives and superb hides, with excellent guides and a real bush feel.
Tena Tena
One of the Luangwa's best camps, in a beautiful, remote bush location, Tena Tena is very small, exceedingly well-run and has top-rate guiding.
Chikoko Tree Camp
Chikoko Tree Camp is an excellent small, rustic bushcamp that concentrates on walking safaris, and is run by a top-quality operation.
Big Lagoon Camp
Big Lagoon Camp is a great little rustic bushcamp built to high standards that focuses on excellent walking safaris, with the emphasis on top wildlife guides.
Luangwa River Camp
Luangwa River Lodge is a small and consciously stylish lodge in the Mfuwe area, overlooking the Luangwa River and the South Luangwa National Park beyond – an area renowned for great game.
Flatdogs Camp
A relatively big safari camp, Flatdogs offers value for money with great guiding and good food in a comfortable, relaxed setting.
Kapani Lodge
Kapani Lodge is now the main office base for Norman Carr Safaris, one of the Luangwa's oldest safari operations.
Mchenja Bushcamp
Set in a shady ebony grove on the banks of the Luangwa, Mchenja is a smart tented bushcamp. It combines well with Kakuli and Nsolo – its sister camps with a focus on walking safaris.
Kakuli Bushcamp
Beside the Luangwa River, Kakuli is a comfortable tented bushcamp offering 4WD safaris and walking safaris – the best of which are camp-to-camp walks linking Kakuli with its nearby sister camps.
Nsolo Bushcamp
Nsolo is a small, comfortable bushcamp overlooking one or two pools in the usually dry Luwi riverbed. It concentrates on walking safaris in an interesting and diverse area, led by a knowledgeable guide.
Kafunta River Lodge
Kafunta is a laid-back, friendly and good-value lodge on the outskirts of South Luangwa National Park.
Luwi Bushcamp
In a remote part of the South Luangwa National Park, Luwi is a rustic bushcamp whose emphasis is on walking safaris with great guiding and a chance of seeing some rarely seen and elusive antelope.
Lion Camp
Lion Camp is an established and comfortable camp with a swimming pool, located near to the game-rich Lion Plain in the northern part of South Luangwa National Park.
Robin Pope mobile
RPS mobile safari camps are at the heart of their set-itinerary walking safaris in South Luangwa National Park, which start and finish at a permanent camp.
Puku Ridge
Puku Ridge is a luxurious designer camp set in a stunning location, high on a hill overlooking a floodplain within South Luangwa. Explore from here on 4WD safaris and walks.
Kapamba Bushcamp
In the remote far south of South Luangwa National Park, Kapamba is a small and very comfortable bushcamp offering good walks and game drives.
Kuyenda Bushcamp
Kuyenda Bushcamp is a classic bushcamp with particularly delightful hosts and offers top-class walking safaris in South Luangwa National Park.
Luangwa Safari House
Luangwa Safari House is a vast and very smart four-bedroom house specifically designed for families and small groups, and offering an exclusive and flexible safari experience.
Three Rivers Camp
In the remote far south of South Luangwa National Park, Three Rivers Lodge sits at the confluence of three of the valleys rivers.
Island Bush Camp
Island Bushcamp is a good-value, rustic, walking-only camp, in arguably one of the most remote parts of the South Luangwa, well away from all other camps.
Bilimungwe Bushcamp
A smart bushcamp with four very spacious chalets, Bilimungwe offers interesting walking safaris in pretty riverine woodland, as well as day and night safari drives.
Chinzombo
Opened in early June 2013, Chinzombo offers luxurious and stylish accommodation with very high levels of service and excellent guiding.
Chindeni
Chindeni Bushcamp is a very modern and minimalist camp, which is a far cry from your traditional bushcamp and unlike most of the other camps in South Luangwa.
Robin's House
With your own expert guide, private vehicle, chef and valet, the two-bedroom Robin's House offers an exclusive, flexible safari experience – and is open year round.
Kawaza Village
Kawaza Village – beside the South Luangwa National Park, offers guests the rare opportunity to appreciate local village life. Visit for a few hours or stay overnight.
Chamilandu Bushcamp
A comfortable little bushcamp, Chamilandu has a picturesque setting by the Luangwa River, in an area with a range of habitats to explore on foot and by 4WD.
Mwamba Camp-out
The Mwamba-Camp Out allows you to have an incredibly adventurous night in the bush, sleeping under mosquito nets with activities led by some of the best guides in Zambia.
Zungulila
Zungulila is a small, comfortable tented bushcamp with an emphasis on walking safaris, in the remote southern section of the South Luangwa.
Shawa Luangwa
Opened in June 2021, Shawa Luangwa Camp is a small, intimate and rustic camp, with a good location in a remote section of the South Luangwa National Park.
Luwi Riverbed Sleepout
For an adventurous night in South Luangwa National Park, come and sleep out in the bush, around a campfire, with an experienced guide and game scout.
Chichele Lodge
Currently in the final stages of an extensive rebuild, Chichele Presidential Lodge stands high within the park, with superb views, and is due to reopen in early 2025.
Chikunto
Chikunto Safari Lodge is a more traditional property in the South Luangwa National Park, sitting on a peninsula of land created by the meandering Luangwa River.
