Nsolo Bushcamp: Our full report
Taking the local name for the greater honeyguide bird, Nsolo Bush Camp overlooks a bend of the usually dry ...
... Luwi River, a tributary of the Luangwa. One of the Expert Africa team first visited the camp in 1995, when its rustic style and firm focus on walking safaris was almost universal amongst the park's many seasonal bushcamps. Since then Nsolo has kept its ethos, unlike most contemporaries, and continues to appeal to safari lovers whose passion is walking.Nsolo Bush Camp has five thatched chalets built on raised timber decks. Each chalet has its own style, incorporating trees and other natural features, and has been cleverly designed using local materials. Bamboo-lattice windows sit in reed walls, a bamboo hanging rail has reed-covered clothes hangers and woven reed 'wallpaper' conceals the plumbing in the spacious en-suite bathroom, which is completely open-air.
Simple furnishings feel fully in keeping with their natural surroundings. Double wooden doors open onto a private shady wooden deck where comfortable chairs face the riverbed. A couple of these decks are wrapped around trees, offering welcome shade in the heat of the day.
Nsolo Bush Camp's main area, or 'chitenje', is an open-sided, thatched building set on a slightly raised wooden deck overlooking the Luwi riverbed – so is a great place to watch out for birds and game. The trunks of sausage and Natal mahogany trees have been incorporated into the structure, giving welcome shade, too. There is a comfortable lounge with a small library, a bar and a large communal dining table where most meals are taken – and a 'guest toilet' within close proximity, although don't expect too many outside guests to drop in!
Beyond the chitenje, the ground slopes away onto a wide sandbank before dropping into the main riverbed. The sandbank is a magical spot for sundowner drinks and snacks or for a beautiful lantern-lit dinner under the stars.
Depending on the time of year there are one or two pools of water in the riverbed, where animals come to drink. On the bank above, canvas chairs have been laid out in various viewing positions, and nearby, a campfire is the focus for breakfast and pre-dinner drinks.
Day and night drives are possible at Nsolo, and on our last visit we were lucky enough to spot a pride of lions and their cubs on a kill during an evening drive. However, activities at this bushcamp really focus on walking safaris, with good, knowledgeable guides. These walks might take place on the open plains, devoid of roads, across the riverbed from the camp, or through riverine woodland.
Visitors to Nsolo often combine a stay at Nsolo with its sister camps, Luwi Bushcamp, Kakuli Bushcamp and Mchenja Bushcamp, usually starting or finishing at Kapani Lodge. Many guests choose to walk between some of the camps, though distances vary. It is some 7km between Luwi and Nsolo, which takes about three hours to walk, but between Nsolo and Kakuli is between 14km and 19km, depending on any detours to track wildlife, and usually takes about four hours. Thus it is recommended only for fitter travellers during the cooler months (May to early September). When we stayed at Nsolo in September 2017 we enjoyed a walking transfer to Luwi Bushcamp, and were rewarded with the sight of hyenas scavenging in the dry riverbed, as well as a large herd of elephants, along the way.
Our view
Nsolo is still a rustic, open-air bushcamp with lots of charm which is well run by an excellent, friendly team. It is best visited as a base for walking safaris, especially when used as the start of a camp-to-camp walking safari following the Luwi River. Come for a classic Luangwa walking safari and to get a real feeling for the bush – just don't expect designer chic.
Country manager: Zambia
Geographics
- Location
- South Luangwa National Park, Zambia
- Ideal length of stay
- A two- or three-night stay at Nsolo Bushcamp is ideal. This works best when combined with a walking safari encompassing its sister bushcamps, Luwi Bushcamp, Kakuli Bushcamp and Mchenja Bushcamp, perhaps ending at the luxurious Chinzombo.
- Directions
- Mfuwe Airport is reached by a 70-minute scheduled flight from Lusaka. From here, a road transfer/game drive lasting approximately three hours takes visitors to Nsolo Bushcamp.
- Accessible by
- Fly-and-Transfer
Food & drink
- Usual board basis
- Full Board & Activities
- Food quality
- The Expert Africa team have visited Nsolo very regularly over the last 20 years, and we’ve always found the food at Nsolo to be delicious, well prepared and well presented.
Breakfast is usually served around the campfire before the early-morning activity. A choice of cereals, fresh fruit, juices and fresh pastries are set out in a buffet. Porridge is heated over the fire and, on our last visit, toast and eggs were cooked to order.
A buffet brunch is served at about 11.00am, when the morning excursion returns to camp. We could choose from a delicious vegetable quiche; a lentil, squash and feta salad; tilapia fishcakes, with fish caught in Lake Kariba; and a variety of fresh, green salads. We also couldn’t resist the freshly baked bread, and the fruit salad that followed.
Dinner is usually a three-course meal, often served under the stars after you’ve returned from your evening activity. We had a very garlicky, but quite tasty aubergine bruschetta to start, followed by beef fillet with an unusual but pleasant whisky sauce, served with roast squash, potatoes and vegetables. Dessert was a chocolate fondant, which went down very well. - Dining style
- Group Meals
- Dining locations
- Indoor and Outdoor Dining
- Further dining info, including room service
- No
- Drinks included
- Soft drinks, house wine and local spirits are included in the rates, but note that fine wines, champagne and imported spirits and liqueurs are charged as extras.
The filtered water provided is suitable to drink, but bottled water is also available from the bar if you prefer.
Special interests
- Solo Travel
- Single travellers who love walking might want to include Nsolo into their solo safari holidays in Zambia. It's small and personal, and combines well as part of a camp-to-camp walking safari with its sister camps. Ask if we can waive the single supplement for solo travellers.
- See ideas for Solo Travel in Zambia
- Walking safaris
- Nsolo Bushcamp offers walking safaris through various environments, from grassy plains to mopane woodlands, visiting the remaining lagoon and the riverine woods along the Luwi riverbed. Transfers on foot between Nsolo and its sister camps are a highlight of walking in Zambia.
- See ideas for Walking safaris in Zambia
Children
- Attitude towards children
- Nsolo is happy to accommodate children of 12 years and over.
- Property’s age restrictions
- 12 years and over are welcome at Nsolo
- Special activities & services
- None
- Equipment
- None
- Generally recommended for children
- Nsolo is a remote bushcamp with quite an adult atmosphere so is suited only to older children with a high degree of maturity.
- Notes
- Nsolo Bushcamp is unfenced with dangerous animals often passing through the camp. Parents need to keep children under close supervision at all times.
Our travellers’ wildlife sightings from Nsolo Bushcamp
Since mid-2018, many of our travellers who stayed at Nsolo Bushcamp 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
75% success
50% success
50% success
50% success
25% success
0% success
0% success
0% success
0% success
0% success
0% success
Communications
- Power supply notes
- There are solar lights in all the chalets. Batteries may be charged throughout the day in the main area.
- Communications
- Nsolo Bushcamp has 24-hour radio communications with its sister camps in South Luangwa National Park and with its administrative base at Kapani Lodge.
- TV & radio
- None
- Water supply
- Borehole
- Water supply notes
- Each chalet has a flush toilet, and plumbed-in washbasins and showers with hot water always available.
Health & safety
- Malarial protection recommended
- Yes
- Medical care
- The guides and manager at Nsolo are trained in first aid. The various safari operations in South Luangwa National Park sponsor a doctor who is based in the Mfuwe area and who is available to tend to anything more serious. Nsolo has links to a flying-doctors service for serious emergencies.
- Dangerous animals
- High Risk
- Security measures
- As Nsolo Bushcamp is unfenced, a guide will escort guests to their chalets after dark.
- Fire safety
- The camp has a fire extinguisher in the kitchen and there is a fire break around the camp.
Activities
4WD Safari
Birdwatching
Cultural excursion
Fly-camping
Guided walking safari
Night drive
Extras
- Disabled access
- Not Possible
- Laundry facilities
- A complimentary laundry service is included, but this does not include ladies’ underwear; soap for this is provided in the rooms. Note that clothes are hand washed and coal ironed.
- Money
- No exchange facilities are provided.
- Accepted payment on location
- A stay at Nsolo is fully inclusive. We recommend that you use US dollars or kwacha (the local currency) for tips if possible.
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.
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.
Mfuwe Lodge
In a game-rich area close to the South Luangwa’s main Mfuwe Gate, Mfuwe Lodge is relatively large by park standards, but it’s stylish, modern and family friendly.
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.
Nkonzi Camp
A simple and rustic bush camp, Nkonzi has a strong focus on walking safaris in this remote section of Zambia’s South Luangwa National Park.
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.
