How to choose a campsite at South Luangwa, Zambia

When you’re looking for accommodation via the Internet, happily ensconced at home a million miles away, it’s so hard to know how to choose between the available options. And so it was when we were choosing a place to stay at Zambia’s South Luangwa National Park.

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First we had to understand that the only  accommodation available inside the southern park gates near Mfuwe village were lodges with a price tag of around US$500 per person per night – no camping at all.

Then we started to look at campsites just outside the park, but within the Game Management Area. The fact that Flatdogs no longer offers camping narrowed our choice to just three places: Croc Valley, Track & Trail Camp and Wildlife Camp (which all also offer chalet accommodation if camping isn't your thing).

Croc Valley offers shady campsites

1. We chose Croc Valley and by luck we thought it turned out to be the best choice (see why here). We paid just ZAR67 or US$8 per person per night. We also went on a sunset drive into the park with their resident guides.

Croc Valley's campsites overlook the Luangwa River

2. Although Track & Trail River Camp’s  attractive main lodge and chalets are perched on green grass with a great view of the river, the small campsite itself isn’t on the river so campers don’t have much of a view. For me that's a spoiler, but if it doesn't bother you and you're keen on photography, this might be an option as Track & Trail offers specialised photography safaris.

3. The campsite at Wildlife Camp is set out along the river, and there are thatched shelters for shade, a bar and pool. When we visited in the dry season it had less green grass than Croc Valley. It's also further away from the gate into the park, but only by about 10km. A point in its favour is that 60% of all accommodation and camping fees are donated to the Wildlife and Environmental Conservation Society of Zambia, which supports the wildlife and people of the Luangwa Valley.

All the camps mentioned here are within 5-20km of the entrance gate to the South Luangwa National Park

4. Our final investigative foray took us to Flatdogs, which no longer offers camping, but is a slightly more affordable option for people who can afford around US$50-250 but not US$450+ at places like Mfuwe Lodge and a herd of other upmarket lodges inside the park. Flatdogs has the ‘international Africa’ feel of a well-oiled machine and seems to be popular with British tourists on package holidays.

Whether you want to camp or go the posh route doesn’t matter; what’s important if you’re keen on wildlife is just to go. South Luangwa is a beautiful park with fabulous opportunities for photography. It also makes a divinely peaceful change from the eternal crowds at the Kruger National Park.

Need to know
1. South Africans don’t need a visa to enter Zambia.
2. Anyone going to Zambia via South Africa needs a yellow fever inoculation.
3. In June 2012 a law was passed in Zambia forbidding any payments in US dollars, with a heavy fine to make sure local businesses toe the line. So make sure you exchange enough kwacha as soon as you arrive in Zambia (you can’t buy kwacha outside its borders). If your guide book says you can fall back on dollars, the info is outdated.

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