Roxanne Reid - Africa Addict
  • Home
  • Book author
    • Travels in the Kalahari >
      • Photo gallery: Travels in the Kalahari
      • Book reviews: Travels in the Kalahari
    • A Walk in the Park >
      • Photo gallery: A Walk in the Park
      • Book reviews: A Walk in the Park
    • The Essential Guide to Self-Editing >
      • Book reviews: Essential Guide to Self-Editing
    • Betrayed
    • Book reviews online
  • Editing & proofreading
  • In the media
    • Travel features
    • Health features
    • Online media
  • Blog
  • Testimonials
  • Links
  • Contact

Lazy lifeĀ along the Luangwa River, Zambia

18/12/2012

4 Comments

 
Croc Valley restaurant, South Luangwa National Park, ZambiaDining room
By Roxanne Reid
Crack! An elephant was breaking trees about 20 metres away from our campsite. The next night it was hippos crunching grass even closer by while hyenas whooped in the distance. That’s how it went at Croc Valley campsite at Mfuwe, just outside Zambia’s premier South Luangwa National Park.

The manager told us that two nights earlier a leopard had killed a baboon and strung it up a tree about 200 metres away from where we were camping. The camp, you see, was within the conservancy area (or Game Management Area) and therefore unfenced. Brilliant.

The setting along the Luangwa River was perfect, allowing us to sit looking out onto water birds, hippos and a few crocs lazing in the sun on a dry bank.

Our campsite at Croc Valley consisted of a patch of green grass under a big Natal mahogany tree, a thatched shelter with a wooden picnic table and a plug point. With clean ablutions and a swimming pool nearby, there was nothing else any self-respecting camper could have wanted. If we felt sociable, there was even an open-air bar at the other end of the campsite where we could chill and mix with other travelers from all over the world.
Croc Valley campsite, South Luangwa National Park, Zambia
Shady campsite with a view
Hammocks hung here and there under the trees, and vervet monkeys got their kicks by jumping on them as if they were trampolines, getting thrown off and coming back for more. It was like watching a breakfast show on TV, only better. You had to guard your food around them though, because a turned back would draw out their kleptomaniac tendencies. 

The mahogany trees provided welcome shade in the afternoon heat. We’d been careful not to pitch camp under a sausage tree dripping two-foot long pods that may have been about to drop to ground. We didn’t want one bashing us on the head or making a huge dent in our car. They are useful, though. They provide food in the dry season for hippo, baboons and buck, and they have antiseptic properties and an extract is used for skin cancer. A local guide also hinted delicately that Zambians use it for ‘male potency’ – a kind of bush Viagra. 
Luangwa River, South Luangwa National Park, Zambia
The view from our campsite
For people who weren’t into camping, there were chalets at Croc Valley too, with an attractive thatched A-frame dining area, open-air lounge and bar area that overlooked the river. There were comfy chairs and benches for spending some time watching the river too.

On our first night a TV set was blaring Mythbusters, which I enjoy at home but seemed so wrong in the middle of natural Africa. Fortunately, there was a power outage and we had 20 minutes of blissful silence and starlight until the staff got the backup generator going. 
The bar at Croc Valley, South Luangwa National Park, Zambia
You can get excellent Mosi beer or even a meal at the bar which overlooks the river
Luckily we’d come prepared with gas cookers and battery lights, because it was our second of five power outages in our fortnight in Zambia. But it seemed so insignificant at the time, besotted as we were with the friendly people, the colourful villages and the wildlife at South Luangwa National Park. 

Have you been to Zambia? And did you fall under its spell too? I’d love to hear about your experiences – good or bad – in the comments below.
The lounge at Croc Valley, South Luangwa National Park, Zambia
An open-air area for lounging in
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. Croc Valley camping costs US$11.20-13.40, depending on whether you travel in green season or peak season (July to October). If self-catering camping isn't your thing, there are also chalets, rooms and bush tents from around $20-$60 per person sharing per night. Meals are also available in the restaurant. [Prices updated in December 2017.]
4. Find out more about Zambia.

Like it? Pin this image!
Camping at Croc Valley, South Luangwa National Park, Zambia #Africa #travel #campsite
Copyright © Roxanne Reid - No words or photographs on this site may be used without permission from roxannereid.co.za
4 Comments
Carol Ingrams
17/12/2012 11:14:09 pm

We also stayed there last year and had an awesome time. Definitely the best camping sites. Looking at your photos makes me want to be back there.
Roxanne I love your articles.I love being a virtual traveller. Keep them flowing and if you go back have a Mosi for me!

Reply
Roxanne
18/12/2012 02:21:27 am

Thanks for your positive comments, Carol. Ah yes, how we miss those Mosi beers!

Reply
Louis Visser link
18/12/2012 03:27:17 am

Thanks Roxanne. Glad you enjoyed it here and hope to see you again,soon!
The Mythbuster tv is now quiet.

Roxanne
19/12/2012 12:26:11 am

Pleasure, Louis. We're sending some friends your way next year...

Reply

Your comment will be posted after it is approved.


Leave a Reply.

    Get email links to the latest posts

    Buy my books
    Travels in the Kalahari, amazon.com e-book
    E-book 2012​

    A Walk in the Park, amazon.com e-book
    2nd ed e-book 2015
    The Essential Guide to Self-Editing, amazon.com e-book
    E-book 2017

    About 

    I'm an independent travel writer and book editor with a passion for Africa - anything from African travel, people, safari and wildlife to adventure, heritage, road-tripping and slow travel.
    My travel buddy and husband Keith is the primary photographer for this blog.
    We're happiest in the middle of nowhere, meeting the locals, trying something new, or simply watching the grass grow.
    Use this website to discover new places to go, revisit places you've loved, or take a virtual tour of destinations you only dream about.

    Categories

    All
    Baviaanskloof
    Books
    Botswana
    Camping
    Cape Town
    Chobe
    Conservation
    Drc
    Eastern Cape
    Etosha Namibia
    Food
    Free State
    Garden Route
    Gauteng
    Issues
    Kalahari
    Karoo
    Kenya
    Kruger National Park
    Kwazulu Natal
    Lesotho
    Limpopo
    Linyanti
    Madagascar
    Malawi
    Mozambique
    Mpumalanga
    Namaqualand
    Namibia
    Nature Parks
    Northern Cape
    Okavango
    Overberg
    People
    Photography
    Richtersveld
    Tanzania
    West Coast
    Western Cape
    Wild Creatures
    Zambia
    Zimbabwe

    Archives

    March 2025
    February 2025
    January 2025
    November 2024
    October 2024
    September 2024
    August 2024
    July 2024
    June 2024
    May 2024
    April 2024
    March 2024
    February 2024
    January 2024
    November 2023
    October 2023
    September 2023
    August 2023
    July 2023
    June 2023
    May 2023
    April 2023
    March 2023
    February 2023
    January 2023
    November 2022
    October 2022
    September 2022
    August 2022
    July 2022
    June 2022
    May 2022
    April 2022
    March 2022
    February 2022
    January 2022
    November 2021
    October 2021
    September 2021
    August 2021
    July 2021
    June 2021
    April 2021
    March 2021
    February 2021
    January 2021
    December 2020
    November 2020
    October 2020
    September 2020
    August 2020
    July 2020
    June 2020
    May 2020
    April 2020
    March 2020
    February 2020
    January 2020
    November 2019
    October 2019
    September 2019
    August 2019
    July 2019
    June 2019
    May 2019
    April 2019
    March 2019
    January 2019
    December 2018
    November 2018
    October 2018
    September 2018
    August 2018
    July 2018
    May 2018
    April 2018
    March 2018
    February 2018
    January 2018
    December 2017
    November 2017
    October 2017
    September 2017
    August 2017
    July 2017
    June 2017
    May 2017
    April 2017
    March 2017
    February 2017
    January 2017
    December 2016
    November 2016
    October 2016
    September 2016
    August 2016
    July 2016
    June 2016
    May 2016
    April 2016
    March 2016
    February 2016
    January 2016
    December 2015
    November 2015
    October 2015
    September 2015
    August 2015
    July 2015
    June 2015
    May 2015
    April 2015
    March 2015
    February 2015
    January 2015
    December 2014
    November 2014
    October 2014
    September 2014
    August 2014
    July 2014
    June 2014
    May 2014
    April 2014
    March 2014
    February 2014
    January 2014
    December 2013
    November 2013
    October 2013
    September 2013
    August 2013
    July 2013
    June 2013
    May 2013
    April 2013
    March 2013
    February 2013
    January 2013
    December 2012
    November 2012
    October 2012
    September 2012
    August 2012
    July 2012
    June 2012
    May 2012
    April 2012
    March 2012
    February 2012
    January 2012
    December 2011
    November 2011
    October 2011
    September 2011
    August 2011
    July 2011
    June 2011
    May 2011
    April 2011
    March 2011
    February 2011
    January 2011
    December 2010
    November 2010
    October 2010
    September 2010
    August 2010
    July 2010
    June 2010
    May 2010
    April 2010
    March 2010
    January 2010
    November 2009


Copyright © Roxanne Reid - No words or photographs on this site may be used without written permission from roxannereid.co.za

Privacy Policy, GDPR and POPIA compliance
​* We promise that we take data safety seriously and use your private data only to offer a personalised experience
* If you subscribed to our newsletter, you will receive our newsletters. You can always unsubscribe by following the link in email or by emailing us
* If you gave us your name, it will only be used to personalise the newsletters
* We have never sold, we are not selling, and we will not sell any of your personal data provided to us
* The blog uses cookies to track activity. It is anonymous except for telling us your location and what you did on our blog
​
Photos from berniedup, Lucy_Hill