WELCOME TO
South Luangwa, Zambia
Quick Links:
At a Glance
- USD 11,900 per person sharing
- 1 - 8 September 2020 (8 days)
- Group size: 4 - 8 Photographers
- Genre: Wildlife, birds and landscape
- Skill level: Beginners to Advanced
- ICONIC DESTINATION – The winding Luangwa river, oxbow lagoons, open savanna and ebony forests filled with animals
- BEST PREDATOR ACTION – The end of the dry season makes the predators spoiled for choice as all animals have to congregate around the river
- STUNNING NIGHT DRIVES – Long night drives with strong spotlights offers the best chance to see genets, civets, owls and leopards in Africa
- IMPROVE YOUR PHOTOGRAPHY – The main aim of the workshop is to show you great sightings and teach you both technical and artistic skills to elevate your own photography
- ALL LEVELS OF PHOTOGRAPHERS WELCOME – We cater for all levels of photographers, from beginners to the experts – everyone will feel welcome
- EXCLUSIVE SAFARI – Three photographers with one photography guide means you have your own row of seats to photograph in all directions
- EIGHT DAYS OF SAFARI – Longer than a typical photo safari means that you have a better chance of seeing amazing sightings as well as a chance to explore all the genres of nature photography
- THE REAL AFRICAN WILDERNESS – Unfenced with free roaming animals, this is an authentic African wilderness experience
Schedule Overview
DAY 1
- Meet at Lusaka International Airport
- Domestic flight to Mfuwe Airport
- Road transfer to Mfuwe Lodge
- Afternoon game drive
- Accommodation at Mfuwe Lodge
DAY 2 – 3
- Morning game drive
- Afternoon game drive
- Accommodation at Mfuwe Lodge
DAY 4
- Morning game drive
- Road transfer to Bilimungwe BC
- Afternoon game drive
- Accommodation at Bilimungwe BC
DAY 5 – 6
- Morning game drive
- Afternoon game drive
- Accommodation at Bilimungwe BC
DAY 7
- Morning game drive
- Road transfer to Mfuwe Lodge
- Afternoon game drive
- Accommodation at Mfuwe Lodge
DAY 8
- Morning game drive
- Road transfer to Mfuwe Airport
- Domestic flight back to Lusaka
- International flight home
Nestled deep within the rift valley of Zambia lies a reserve that combines some of the best wildlife viewing in Africa in a setting as unique as its wildlife is diverse. South Luangwa, with the Murchison escarpment on its western border and the Luangwa River to the east is a reserve that conjures up scenes of classic Africa. Winter offers you the best dry season wildlife viewing in the South Luangwa Valley. The open forest floors allows for clear photography, whilst the huge stands of African ebony trees provide the perfect backdrop to the stunning scenes that you will witness and the Luangwa River meanders along, filled with and attracting all manner of wildlife.
South Luangwa National Park, Zambia
Experts have dubbed South Luangwa to be one of the greatest wildlife sanctuaries in the world, and not without reason. The concentration of animals around the Luangwa River, and its oxbow lagoons, is among the most intense in Africa. The Luangwa River is the most intact major river system in Africa and is the life-blood of this 9059 km2 Park. The Park hosts a wide variety of wildlife, birds and vegetation.
The now famous ‘walking safari’ originated in this Park and is still one of the finest ways to experience Africa’s pristine wilderness first-hand. The changing seasons add to the Park’s richness, ranging from; dry, bare bushveld in the winter, to a lush, green wonderland in the summer months. There are 60 different animal species and over 400 different bird species in South Luangwa National Park. The only notable exception is the rhino, sadly poached to extinction.
With about 400 of Zambia’s 732 species of birds appearing in the Park, including 39 birds of prey and 47 migrant species, there is plenty for the birdwatcher to spot, whatever the season. An interest in the vegetation of Zambia will enhance your experience of the bush. Some magnificent trees and plants grow in the Luangwa Valley and it certainly adds to the richness of one’s experience to be able to recognize the different tree species and to discover exotic wildflowers. Among the more common trees in the valley are the mopane, leadwood, winterthorn, the tall vegetable ivory palm, the marula and the magnificent tamarind tree. The are some magnificent baobab specimens and a few large ebony forests to admire.
Seasonal changes are very pronounced in Luangwa. The dry season begins in April and intensifies through to October, the hottest month, when game concentrations are at their height. Warm sunny days and chilly nights typify the dry winter months of May to August. The wet season begins in November as the leaves turn green, and the dry bleak terrain becomes a lush jungle. The rainy season lasts up until the end of March and the migrant birds arrive in droves. Each lodge stays open for as long as access is possible, depending on its location in the area. There are several lodges that remain open all year in the central area of the park.
A few highlights:
- Classic scenes of the Luangwa river meandering through the wide river banks
- Hundreds of Hippopotamus in the pools and main river
- Access to a number of very good hides built specifically for photographers
- Large elephant herds in the woodlands, drinking at the rivers edge and in front camp
- One of the only places to see Thornycrofts Giraffe, Giraffa camelopardalis thornicrofti
- Excellent lion population
- Very high density of leopard, with very relaxed individuals
- Flocks of storks, herons and egrets feeding in the drying pools for fish
- Excellent sightings of large water birds in the Luangwa River
- Buffalo herds drinking at the rivers edge numbering into the hundreds
Complete this enquiry form to book
Click to expand
Arrival at Lusaka International Airport. This photo workshop starts and ends at this airport, so it is your responsibility to arrange your own international flights. If you need flights to be arranged for you please email me at isak@theafricanphotographer.com for a quote and options.
Your professional photographer and host will meet you at the Lusaka International Airport. We will depart Lusaka at 11:00 via a scheduled domestic flight, landing at Mfuwe Airpoty at roughly 12:00. From Mfuwe Airport, there will be a 3 hour road transport to the camp. Once you’ve arrived at camp there will be a short orientation and a chance for you to settle into your chalet to unpack and get your photographic equipment ready. We will meet for lunch and have a chance to discuss the workshop before embarking on our first afternoon game drive.
The first drive is about enjoying, relaxing and to get familiar with the photography from the vehicle and to get familiar with the South Luangwa landscape and photographic opportunities. On this drive the aim is to take photos ‘as you are used to’, so that it sets the benchmark to measure the images taken at the end of the photo workshop against.
Before Dinner, the guide will give a short presentation showing a variety of images and how, by using specific aspects, you can alter and change an image dramatically.
During the next five full days the daily schedule will remain more or less the same. The times are flexible and might vary slightly depending on the sunrise times, the sightings and our activities (e.g. we might decide to have an extended morning drive). Generally we follow this schedule:
05:00 Wake-up and meet for coffee and a small meal
05:30 Morning game drive or photo hide
10:00 Brunch
11:00 Rest and own time
14:00 Photo presentation, workshop and guest photo feedback (not compulsory)
15:30 Meet for high tea
16:00 Afternoon game drive or photo hide
20:00 Dinner in the outdoor boma and then retire to bed for another day of more great photography
Our last day begins with a short early morning game drive after which we have breakfast. We will depart for Mfuwe at roughly 9:00 from where we will catch a domestic flight back to Lusaka International Airport. This is unfortunately the end of your photo workshop.
The topics of the photo presentations and workshops
The topics of the photo presentation and workshops are not fixed and will be altered to meet the specific requirements of all the guests. These could include the following:
- Understanding light
- Understanding composition
- Tutorials on advanced photo techniques
- Use of Lenses for various effects
- Post processing your images in Lightroom or Photoshop
- Cataloguing images
- Startrail and starscape photography
- Flash use and advanced flash use
During the photo workshop sessions there will be a chance for guests to bring their own photos for feedback and critique by the guides. Typically three photos from each guests per session are enough to not only see what different photos we all got from the same sightings but the feedback the critique on your photos is one of the best ways to improve your own photography.
Mfuwe Lodge
Ease yourself into Luangwa life with a stay at the award-winning Mfuwe Lodge. Set inside the park, just five minutes drive from the main gate, the lodge’s allure is instantly obvious. Beneath a canopy of ebony and mahogany, its thatched buildings are arranged around the banks of two lagoons where an endless stream of wildlife will keep you enthralled as you lounge on the open deck or take a dip in the swimming pool. The airy interior of the lodge is an exquisite complement to its natural surroundings.
This region of the park is renowned for its prolific game – giraffe, hippos, buffalo, antelope, and crocodile are constant visitors to Mfuwe Lodge’s lagoon, whilst in November the local elephants regularly wander right through the lobby, lured by a nearby wild mango tree. Whether you stay overnight, or just have lunch en route to a Bushcamp, Mfuwe Lodge’s relaxed charm and enviable surroundings make it the perfect stopover. Voted Best Lodge in Zambia in 2009 Mfuwe Lodge also offers you the chance to relax at its Bush-Spa or buy a few mementos of your time in Zambia at our curio shop.
Bilimungwe Bushcamp
Warm and welcoming, this beautiful camp blends seamlessly with its surroundings and offers unrivalled wildlife viewings. It’s hard not to be seduced by the charm of Bilimungwe. Here, the traditions of the African bushcamp meet elegance and style to create a stunning camp that feels like it has grown organically out of the surrounding landscape.
Set beneath a huge mahogany tree, the heart of Bilimungwe is the cool, shady lounge area that looks out over one of the camps three waterholes. Settle down in a cosy armchair with a sundowner and relax as you watch an enviable display of spectacular birds and animals that clearly feel as comfortable here as you do. With the open waters of the Luangwa River also on your doorstep and a nearby plain where leopard prowl, its clear that this is a nature-lovers paradise, and with Manda Chisanga – Bilimungwes award-winning resident guide – to lead you, you could not be in better hands. (In the event that Manda is not available, another guide from The Bushcamp Companys excellent and experienced team will be on hand).
Bliimungwe’s four raised thatched rooms have been carefully designed to ensure the height of comfort whilst still retaining that authentic bushcamp feel. The tangle of mature mahogany trees that surround camp are echoed in the rich, wood interiors and the beautiful wooden furniture, handmade by local artisans. Bright African textiles bring splashes of colour to the elegant rooms. After an early morning game drive, head back to your room for a refreshing, open-air waterfall shower, or continue the wildlife spectacle from your private deck. Two of the chalets have twin beds (queen-sized beds), while the other two each have a king bed. Bilimungwe sleeps up to eight guests and is open from May to December.
WHAT OUR GUESTS SAY
About this wonderful trip
US$ 11,900 per person sharing
- US$ 8,500 per single supplement
- 30% deposit confirms your place
The above costs include:
- Pickup and transport for the entire tour
- Entrance to concession and accommodation in camp
- All meals, based on three meals a day
- Activities
- The services of our guides
Costs do not include:
- International flight to Lusaka
- Gratuities to staff and guides
- Extra activities not included
- Personal expenses
- Travel insurance
- Travel visas
* Terms and conditions are clearly described in the PDF brochure under “Booking Information”
