Nkwali Camp

• Superb game viewing country
• Nkwali is an intimate camp with only 6 chalets
• Ideal starting point before heading to the bush camps
• Open all year round
• Family friendly option with special activities for children

Nkwali Camp is built on the banks of the meandering Luangwa River overlooking the South Luangwa National Park on the opposite bank, where leopards can often be spotted from camp. This is superb game-viewing country with a beautiful area of ebony woodland and open grass plains.

Nkwali Camp offers understated elegance, superb service and makes a great first stop in the South Luangwa before you continue on to the wilder parts of the park, as the transfer time from the airport is only an easy 40 minutes.

This small and intimate camp has an unusual bar encircling an enormous ebony tree and a sitting area under thatch cantilevered over the river. Here you can drink in the serene views whilst watching the sun set over the river. Set back from the river on a lagoon is the dining room where you can often see elephants and other game coming down to drink during the day unperturbed by our presence.

Accommodation

The six thatched and woven bamboo chalets at Nkwali are very simply furnished, cool and spacious. During the day they are open to enjoy the magnificent river views but in the evening can be fully closed. Each has an en suite semi-open bathroom with a large open air shower to enjoy the enormous African skies, but an enclosed toilet. There’s a honeymoon suite which has a separate sitting room (which can double up as a family suite). A short distance away is a secluded swimming pool with changing room,

As with other camps in the central area of the South Luangwa National Park, Nkwali is open all year round. The fact that Nkwali is not IN the park itself is no problem as it has exclusive access into the park either by boat in summer, or by their quirky pontoon right next to the camp. As the dry season progresses, the 4x4 game vehicles are even able to ford the Luangwa River using a series of sandbags which is always an adrenalin rush for guests!

Activities

Game activities at Nkwali Camp include game walks, day and night drives and visits to the local Zambian village and school of Kawaza. At Nkwali, you can choose between these activities as you wish, as they have sufficient game vehicles & guides with a guest to guide ratio of 4 to 1.

The transfer time from Mfuwe Airport is an easy 40 minutes. Most of our guests spend a couple of nights at Nkwali as it has a few more creature comforts than the bush camps before heading north into the wilder areas of the South Luangwa National Park to stay at Nkwali’s sister camps, Tena Tena and Nsefu Camp. Robin Pope Safaris offers a great ‘Week in the Peak’ option which is perfect if you don’t mind which camp you want to stay at as they guarantee at least two different camps for 2 nights each in exchange for a more competitive price.

Families at Nkwali Camp

Families, with children over 7, are very welcome at Nkwali Camp. The family suite has an en suite bedroom and a separate sitting room which can sleep two children. There are large lawned areas where the children can play under the shade of huge ebony trees. The staff are fun, friendly and competent and the safari activities are individually tailored to your family taking your children's ages and temperament into account. You will usually have a safari vehicle and guide to yourself.

Particular activities for children include nature walks around the camp to identify and learn about animal spoor, droppings etc.; visits to the local Kawaza school to meet Zambian children; participate at a local workshop making elephant dung paper and greeting cards; visits to Chipembele Wildlife Educational Centre which has been set up to teach local children about the environment. Safari packs are given to each child with quizzes, animal books etc as part of their Zambia Safari. Nkwali also has a large fenced swimming pool for cooling off during the heat of the day. Child minding is on offer and children can eat special kid's meals at a time convenient for them. They can also help the camp staff if they wish, making biscuits for afternoon tea or collecting food for lunch from the vegetable garden or eggs from the chickens.