Camping safaris in Malawi and Zambia
| country: | Zambia, Malawi |
| departures: | 2010: 25 Aug, 8 Sep 2011: 29 Jun, 24 Aug |
| price: | From £1546 - £1620 (14 days) including flights from the UK. From £895 - £945 excluding flights. Optional single supplement £110. Price includes tent & lodge accommodation, 11 breakfasts, 8 lunches, 7 dinners, transport, tour leader, driver and guides. |
| vouchers: | Gift vouchers can be used with this holiday |
the amazing things you'll be doing
A value big game camping safari in one of Africa's most evocative destinations combining the scenic beauty and wildlife of Malawi with world-class game-viewing in Zambia. Participatory camping and gentle, optional game walks.
Liwonde & the Shire River:
After our first night in a nature sanctuary on the outskirts of Malawi's capital Lilongwe, we head south to Liwonde National Park. The lush vegetation, grunting hippos and lazy flow of the Shire River that feeds Lake Malawi, evokes every romantic notion of the old Africa. We spend our time here on game drives looking out for elephant, hippo, crocodiles, sable antelope and warthog among many species with excellent birdlife also to be seen. There's also the opportunity for boat safaris, night drives and game walks.
Magic of Lake Malawi:
Following the course of the Shire River north, we reach the country's eponymous lake. Enclosed by sheer mountains and edged by endless palm-fringed beaches, Lake Malawi is a huge inland sea carved out by the Great Rift Valley. We begin with a three night stay at Cape Maclear, a forest-ringed peninsula with beautiful nearby islands and stunning sunsets. Here there's the chance to relax, walk to nearby villages, or take to the water snorkelling among the teeming tropical fish or even enjoy a boat trip to secluded islands.
Gamelands of South Luangwa:
After a night at Senga Bay further north on the lake we turn west into Zambia and its premier National Park, South Luangwa. Lying on the valley floor between the meandering Luangwa River and the steep Muchinga Escarpment, Luangwa is one of the finest parks in all of Africa noted for its high concentration of big game and variety of habitats - from shaded mopane woodland to lagoons and the banks of the Luangwa River. We take game drives in open safari vehicles and there's the opportunity to for night drives on the look out for nocturnal species.
Liwonde & the Shire River:
After our first night in a nature sanctuary on the outskirts of Malawi's capital Lilongwe, we head south to Liwonde National Park. The lush vegetation, grunting hippos and lazy flow of the Shire River that feeds Lake Malawi, evokes every romantic notion of the old Africa. We spend our time here on game drives looking out for elephant, hippo, crocodiles, sable antelope and warthog among many species with excellent birdlife also to be seen. There's also the opportunity for boat safaris, night drives and game walks.
Magic of Lake Malawi:
Following the course of the Shire River north, we reach the country's eponymous lake. Enclosed by sheer mountains and edged by endless palm-fringed beaches, Lake Malawi is a huge inland sea carved out by the Great Rift Valley. We begin with a three night stay at Cape Maclear, a forest-ringed peninsula with beautiful nearby islands and stunning sunsets. Here there's the chance to relax, walk to nearby villages, or take to the water snorkelling among the teeming tropical fish or even enjoy a boat trip to secluded islands.
Gamelands of South Luangwa:
After a night at Senga Bay further north on the lake we turn west into Zambia and its premier National Park, South Luangwa. Lying on the valley floor between the meandering Luangwa River and the steep Muchinga Escarpment, Luangwa is one of the finest parks in all of Africa noted for its high concentration of big game and variety of habitats - from shaded mopane woodland to lagoons and the banks of the Luangwa River. We take game drives in open safari vehicles and there's the opportunity to for night drives on the look out for nocturnal species.
day-by-day itinerary
| Day 1: | Fly London/Lilongwe. |
| Day 2: | Arrive Lilongwe (Malawi). |
| Day 3: | Drive to Liwonde NP via Dedza. |
| Day 4: | At Liwonde; game drive and optional boat safari/game walk/night drive. |
| Day 5: | Drive Cape Maclear on Lake Malawi. |
| Day 6-7: | At Cape Maclear; optional activities. |
| Day 8: | Drive Senga Bay via Mua Mission. |
| Day 9: | Drive to South Luangwa NP (Zambia). |
| Day 10-11: | At South Luangwa; game drives and optional night drives. |
| Day 12: | Drive Lilongwe (Malawi). |
| Day 13: | Fly London. |
| Day 14: | Arrive London. |
small group adventure holiday
Typically you will be sharing your experiences with between 4-20 like minded travellers (depending on the trip, operator and how many others are booked on the trip) and you'll have a group leader with you. Whether you are travelling alone or with friends its good value, and a great way to meet new people! While itineraries are pre-planned there is some flexibility and you'll have plenty of privacy. This trip will appeal to travellers of all ages who enjoy meeting new people as well as seeing new places. highly commended
This tourism business was Highly Commended in our 2008 Virgin Holidays Responsible Tourism Awards - organised by responsibletravel.com in association with The Daily Telegraph, World Travel Market, Geographical Magazine, of the Royal Geographical Society, and BBC World News. Since 2004, the Awards has recognised individuals, companies and organisations in travel making a big commitment to the culture and economies of local communities and helping to conserve biodiversity.
how this holiday makes a difference
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Community:
The itinerary and activities on this tour are planned to be as flexible as possible, so you have the freedom to do your own thing: join in as much or as little as you want – it’s a very un-packaged experience! There are many experiences to be had and whatever you choose to do, you’ll be supporting small local businesses in a very direct way. One such is the Kawaza Village Tourism Project on the South Luangwa part of the tour. We can visit the school and the local healer, and see some traditional music and dancing. The villagers live in the ‘buffer-zone’ around the park, and this eco-tourism project has been going since 1997. The village forms a hub for surrounding villages and performs a valuable educational function, helping preserve the wildlife in the park as well as supporting traditional ways of life outside it, creating income and providing clean water and educational material. In order to give you the best insight into the local culture we employ local tour leaders on this trip who can offer a true insight into local life, as well as explain the wildlife and history of the region. Using local leaders is consistent with our policy to generate local employment and deliver direct economic benefits to the areas we are travelling in. It is important that the people who work for us are treated fairly and confident in their work. This is why we take care to train all our local tour leaders and give them all the support they need to do their job well. Environment: We camp most nights of the trip which is both low environmental impact and great fun. We and our suppliers work to a strict Responsible Tourism policy and our wildlife viewing guidelines were developed with the Born Free Foundation to ensure our tours do not impact in a negative way on the local wildlife. we support a variety of charities and projects worldwide which support vulnerable communities and habitats including Friends of Conservation, Hope Worldwide and Send A Cow. We are also actively engaged with UK travel industry bodies which promote best practice in responsible tourism, such as Tourism Concern, The Travel Foundation and AITO. Our commitment to responsible tourism is not limited to our overseas operation and we have measures to ensure our UK office operates according to our responsible tourism policy. Carbon offsets for all flights booked with us are included in the tour cost. |
Tourism can be good and bad for destinations & local people. We carefully screen every holiday against our criteria for responsible travel. 'Look behind the brochure' to find how each holiday makes a difference (see left). We don't claim to be perfect - there is no global accreditation - but we've led the way since 2001 and screened 1000's of holidays. We invite every traveller to write a review about their experiences and responsible tourism. This valuable feedback is sent to the people who run the holidays. We keep a very close eye on it and take off holidays that don't live up to our standards. |