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Nkwali Lodge

South Luangwa National Park, Zambia

Silver price level

Mango Opinion

Located just outside South Luangwa National Park, Nkwali Lodge makes for a a great first camp in this walking safari Mecca. Nkwali is likely our favorite property in the central Mfuwe area of South Luangwa. It can be a great starting point after lots of travel to reach the area. The casual way the camp operates is also fun with your guide serving as you bartender and host. 

South Luangwa National Park is bordered to the East by the Luangwa River, which floods annually into a series of oxbow lagoons. Hidden away among the huge ebony and fig trees on the banks of one of these beautiful lagoons sits Nkwali Lodge.

With room for only a total of 12 guests, the six chalets are cool and spacious, overlooking the river and include ensuite bathrooms. Elephants regularly cross the Luangwa, seen from the bar, or come to the waterhole near the thatched dining room.

Access to the park is by boat or by nearby pontoon. The area is famous for leopard and giraffe sightings. Walking safaris, game drives, and night game drives are all available. Experts have dubbed South Luangwa as one of the greatest wildlife sanctuaries in the world, and not without reason. The concentration of game around the Luangwa River and its ox bow lagoons is among the most intense in Africa. The now famous 'walking safari' originated in this park and is still one of the finest ways to experience this 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. 

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