Anyone stay at Kafunta?
Jun 18th, 2006, 04:38 AM
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Hari,
My first Zambian safari was at Kafunta River Lodge and Kafunta Island Bush Camp (on the recommendation of Thit Cho from this forum who has also visited).
Kafunta is a very good camp and an excellent value. It is not as luxurious as some of the others but it is a solid owner run camp.
Kafunta Island Bush Camp is possibly the southernmost camp in South Luangwa National Park and is solely for walking safaris.
Kafunta River Lodge shares a game viewing area with Nkwali (Robin Pope Safaris) and Puku Ridge (Star Of Africa) for the most part. This is an excellent area for both lions and leopards.
Not that you were necessarily considering the group expedition, but chances are you would be better off, cost-wise, at booking the same itinerary independently.
My first Zambian safari was at Kafunta River Lodge and Kafunta Island Bush Camp (on the recommendation of Thit Cho from this forum who has also visited).
Kafunta is a very good camp and an excellent value. It is not as luxurious as some of the others but it is a solid owner run camp.
Kafunta Island Bush Camp is possibly the southernmost camp in South Luangwa National Park and is solely for walking safaris.
Kafunta River Lodge shares a game viewing area with Nkwali (Robin Pope Safaris) and Puku Ridge (Star Of Africa) for the most part. This is an excellent area for both lions and leopards.
Not that you were necessarily considering the group expedition, but chances are you would be better off, cost-wise, at booking the same itinerary independently.
Jun 18th, 2006, 06:10 AM
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Rocco,
I was just curious as to why Africa-Geographic would pick Kafunta......particularly, since i agree with their usage of Kwando for their Predators expeditions to Bots.
From your posts, i would still believe LRL and Puku ridge would be my best bet for SL?
Thks
Hari
I was just curious as to why Africa-Geographic would pick Kafunta......particularly, since i agree with their usage of Kwando for their Predators expeditions to Bots.
From your posts, i would still believe LRL and Puku ridge would be my best bet for SL?
Thks
Hari
Jun 18th, 2006, 11:10 AM
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Hari,
I would say it all depends on the time of year that you visit and what you are looking for out of your host camp/lodge.
Best all around lodge in my opinion is Luangwa River Lodge.
Best for gameviewing August - October may be Kaingo. Tafika would also be excellent but Kaingo does have the wonderful animal hides.
Best for gameviewing November - July may be Puku Ridge. Really, the area is excellent year-round but I think it is nice to be in the more remote areas around Kaingo and Tafika once they are at their peak gameviewing season.
Anyway, it is my understanding that those planned departures, such as Africa Geographic's rarely materialize. I was discussing with one of the South Luangwa lodge owners of blocking off about 10 nights to do a best of South Luangwa package that I would offer to my clients at a discounted rate.
Then again, I think that the reason that these packages don't sell is that they are often priced pretty high. I think the best experience safarigoers could get is not with an outside guide to lead them but with the camp's very own guide, whether it is Josephatt at Kafunta, Patrick at Kaingo, Victor at Luangwa River Lodge or Abel at Puku Ridge. These guys KNOW the area better than anyone!
Back out the outsider guide leading the package and then some great pricing is possible and then these packages would have a better chance of selling out!
I would say it all depends on the time of year that you visit and what you are looking for out of your host camp/lodge.
Best all around lodge in my opinion is Luangwa River Lodge.
Best for gameviewing August - October may be Kaingo. Tafika would also be excellent but Kaingo does have the wonderful animal hides.
Best for gameviewing November - July may be Puku Ridge. Really, the area is excellent year-round but I think it is nice to be in the more remote areas around Kaingo and Tafika once they are at their peak gameviewing season.
Anyway, it is my understanding that those planned departures, such as Africa Geographic's rarely materialize. I was discussing with one of the South Luangwa lodge owners of blocking off about 10 nights to do a best of South Luangwa package that I would offer to my clients at a discounted rate.
Then again, I think that the reason that these packages don't sell is that they are often priced pretty high. I think the best experience safarigoers could get is not with an outside guide to lead them but with the camp's very own guide, whether it is Josephatt at Kafunta, Patrick at Kaingo, Victor at Luangwa River Lodge or Abel at Puku Ridge. These guys KNOW the area better than anyone!
Back out the outsider guide leading the package and then some great pricing is possible and then these packages would have a better chance of selling out!
Jun 18th, 2006, 11:15 AM
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ROCCO'S ZAMBIAN DREAM SAFARI - 16 Nights
Luangwa River Lodge, 3 nights
Kaingo, 3 nights
Mwamba, 2 nights (this is Kaingo's bushcamp)
Puku Ridge, 3 nights
Chiawa Camp, Lower Zambezi, 3 nights
Old Mondoro, Lower Zambezi, 2 nights (early departure to allow for a connection to the 8:30AM British Airways flight back to London).
No need to even fly all the way down to Joburg...all this does is add extra travel time and cost.
Luangwa River Lodge, 3 nights
Kaingo, 3 nights
Mwamba, 2 nights (this is Kaingo's bushcamp)
Puku Ridge, 3 nights
Chiawa Camp, Lower Zambezi, 3 nights
Old Mondoro, Lower Zambezi, 2 nights (early departure to allow for a connection to the 8:30AM British Airways flight back to London).
No need to even fly all the way down to Joburg...all this does is add extra travel time and cost.
Jun 19th, 2006, 01:15 AM
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I think the 11 night itinerary in South Luangwa would be perfect and then extensions to either Lower Zambezi or Kafue or North Luangwa or elsewhere could be customized for individual preference.
11 nights does allow one to finish with a 12th night in Lusaka to connect with the British Airways flight. Although I have never, personally, taken advantage of the BA flight, it is easily the best way for travelers who are only interested in Zambia, as it greatly reduces the travel time and it cuts expenses on both the long international flight as well as the Joburg - Lusaka flight.
Just a reminder...if ending in Lower Zambezi, there is a very early flight (about 6:15AM) returning to Lusaka on the days of the BA flight, and this works great for anyone not wanting to spend a night in Lusaka.
The best time for this trip would probably be late September/early October 2007.
11 nights does allow one to finish with a 12th night in Lusaka to connect with the British Airways flight. Although I have never, personally, taken advantage of the BA flight, it is easily the best way for travelers who are only interested in Zambia, as it greatly reduces the travel time and it cuts expenses on both the long international flight as well as the Joburg - Lusaka flight.
Just a reminder...if ending in Lower Zambezi, there is a very early flight (about 6:15AM) returning to Lusaka on the days of the BA flight, and this works great for anyone not wanting to spend a night in Lusaka.
The best time for this trip would probably be late September/early October 2007.
Jun 19th, 2006, 01:35 AM
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Hari,
I think this would be a wonderful itinerary:
Luangwa River Lodge, 3 nights
Kaingo, 3 nights
Mwamba, 2 nights (this is Kaingo's bushcamp)
Puku Ridge, 3 nights
Dennis has been to both Luangwa River Lodge and Puku Ridge (as well as experienced the northern part of the park, although at Tafika for a wet season river safari and this would be Kaingo/Mwabma instead largely for its animal hides but also because it is an excellent property).
I think this would be a wonderful itinerary:
Luangwa River Lodge, 3 nights
Kaingo, 3 nights
Mwamba, 2 nights (this is Kaingo's bushcamp)
Puku Ridge, 3 nights
Dennis has been to both Luangwa River Lodge and Puku Ridge (as well as experienced the northern part of the park, although at Tafika for a wet season river safari and this would be Kaingo/Mwabma instead largely for its animal hides but also because it is an excellent property).
Jun 20th, 2006, 06:57 AM
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Hari, I'll comment on the game viewing at Kafunta, which I thought was excellent. I arrived at Mfuwe airport a bit late (I had flown that day from Victoria Falls to Harare to Lilonwe and then picked up private charter, just me and pilot to Mfuwe), so I joined the afternoon game drive about an hour late (Kafunta arranged for me to transfer directly from airport to game drive). This was August 2001, so I don't recall all the sightings, but we did see lions on a buffalo kill that first night (about a dozen lions eating a buffalo -- incredible action), and over next three days, we saw lots of elephant, giraffe, puku, buffalo, zebra (in my view, the most beautiful zebras are those in the Luangwa valley), and great action along the river (hippos, crocs and thousands of carmine bee-eaters that had burrowed into the river wall). Plus one strange view -- a dead lion. During my first night game drive, one of the lions must have been mortally kicked or gored by a buffalo, and we found a dead lion the next day (its body had been picked clean by scavengers but the head was intact, and I took some strange photos). Also, I remember huge flocks of crowned cranes. The lodge has a good location. I have only been to S.Luangwa once, and I think many of the camps traverse similar areas, so it probably doesn't matter much where you stay in that sector of the park.
Rocco, have you thought about a "Zambia Off-the-Beaten Path" safari, taking in Kafue, Kasanka and Liuw (or something like that -- its the westermost park and it shares a mini-migration with Angola). I'd would like to get back to Zambia, but I would like to visit parks other than S.Luangwa and Lower Zambezi (I'm saving that for when I visit Mana Pools as I'd like to visit both on the same trip).
Michael
Rocco, have you thought about a "Zambia Off-the-Beaten Path" safari, taking in Kafue, Kasanka and Liuw (or something like that -- its the westermost park and it shares a mini-migration with Angola). I'd would like to get back to Zambia, but I would like to visit parks other than S.Luangwa and Lower Zambezi (I'm saving that for when I visit Mana Pools as I'd like to visit both on the same trip).
Michael
Jun 21st, 2006, 04:50 AM
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Thit Cho,
There is an excellent chance that I may be attending this cultural festival in Zambia, which I have confirmed will be held the first Saturday of April (April 07th).
http://www.mutemwa.com/package_Kuomboka.htm
The other off the beaten path Zambian place that stands out at this time of year is Shoebill Island & the Bangweulu Floodplains:
www.kasanka.com/shoebill_island_camp.htm
Unfortunately, however, they are pretty much at opposite sides of Zambia, but I suppose a five night trip to South Luangwa built in between the two could help solve this. Five nights in mid April South Luangwa would offer a great opportunity to see wild dogs.
The other places you have mentioned are definitely on my radar. Here are a couple things that may be of interest to you:
http://www.mutemwa.com/package_Luiwe7.htm
http://www.kasanka.com/activities_an...of_special.htm
http://www.kasanka.com/bat-gallery.htm
Liuwa Plains works best in November/early December and this would combine well with Kasanka for the fruit bat migration.
Kafue works well in September/October and works well with South Luangwa, Lower Zambezi and/or North Luangwa.
There is an excellent chance that I may be attending this cultural festival in Zambia, which I have confirmed will be held the first Saturday of April (April 07th).
http://www.mutemwa.com/package_Kuomboka.htm
The other off the beaten path Zambian place that stands out at this time of year is Shoebill Island & the Bangweulu Floodplains:
www.kasanka.com/shoebill_island_camp.htm
Unfortunately, however, they are pretty much at opposite sides of Zambia, but I suppose a five night trip to South Luangwa built in between the two could help solve this. Five nights in mid April South Luangwa would offer a great opportunity to see wild dogs.
The other places you have mentioned are definitely on my radar. Here are a couple things that may be of interest to you:
http://www.mutemwa.com/package_Luiwe7.htm
http://www.kasanka.com/activities_an...of_special.htm
http://www.kasanka.com/bat-gallery.htm
Liuwa Plains works best in November/early December and this would combine well with Kasanka for the fruit bat migration.
Kafue works well in September/October and works well with South Luangwa, Lower Zambezi and/or North Luangwa.
Jun 21st, 2006, 07:03 AM
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Rocco, thanks for that great info (too bad the shoebill storks and the fruit bats don't overlap).
I would definitely be interested in a trip to Luiwa (especially if there was a way to cross into Angola -- perhaps to see the Giant Sable), combined with Kasanka (the shortest possible trip to see the bats -- one or two nights would be fine and hopefully would permit some walks to see crocodiles feasting on bats as they fall from the trees!).
With Wilderness Safaris moving into Kafue, it looks like it soon may be possible to do a great trip to Zambia that doesn't include South Luangwa (where I have been -- and its great, but I'd prefer to get to new parks).
Thanks, Michael
I would definitely be interested in a trip to Luiwa (especially if there was a way to cross into Angola -- perhaps to see the Giant Sable), combined with Kasanka (the shortest possible trip to see the bats -- one or two nights would be fine and hopefully would permit some walks to see crocodiles feasting on bats as they fall from the trees!).
With Wilderness Safaris moving into Kafue, it looks like it soon may be possible to do a great trip to Zambia that doesn't include South Luangwa (where I have been -- and its great, but I'd prefer to get to new parks).
Thanks, Michael
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