Name: Up Close & Personal: Exclusive Zambia Safari on Foot, Horseback and Water
Brand: Zicasso
Price: 624 USD
Availability: InStock
Rating: 4.9 (153 reviews)

Hippopotamus walking out of water with hyacinth weed and egret on her back

What to expect on this itinerary

Gallop with the zebra, walk amongst the elephants, and paddle past the hippos and lions as your itinerary brings delightful and exclusive safari perspectives, bringing you out of the vehicle and into the untouched African atmosphere. Your handcrafted safari will celebrate unique vantage points with days spent enjoying Africa’s original walking safari in South Luangwa, safari on horseback with the herds of Kafue, and several days of water-based safari with the big game of the Lower Zambezi wetlands. Consider browsing some of our other vacations as you handcraft a safari in Zambia that will exceed your expectations.

Countries Visited

Zambia

Places Visited

South Luangwa National Park, Luangwa River, Kafue National Park, Lower Zambezi National Park, Zambezi River, Livingstone, Victoria Falls

Suggested Duration

14 Days

Day 1

South Luangwa National Park – Entering the Wild

There is something wonderfully humbling about walking in wild Africa. Vervet monkeys scamper past you with their mischievous black faces changing expression every few seconds. Buffalo graze on one side, chewing and staring without pause as Crawshay’s zebra is on the other, an endemic species just meters away. You can hear the grazing as you listen to each set of hoofs thudding into the rustic-red dirt. Walking further, you will find a herd of roan antelope, their magnificent horns fully appreciated because you are also on the ground level. It is not simply the animals you see, but the way you see them, out in the open.

Today you will connect in Lusaka onto a domestic flight to South Luangwa, where it will be a 90-minute game drive from the airstrip to your luxury camp. Settle in, and then take your first walking safari after lunch to hear the crunch of your own footsteps over the landscape. This one will be an easy explorative journey to help you get accustomed to the atmosphere and the style of the safari. Nothing is rushed on foot, so you will walk slowly and carefully admire all of the changes and clues. The locals have always done this, coexisting with nature in their own unique way. Their complex understanding of animal behavior and animal tracking makes a walking safari very safe, even if you occasionally encounter giants, like an elephant herd. It will be an easy two-hour walk today, followed by a languid evening at the camp to listen to the sounds that perforate the canvas.

Accommodation

Transfer

Activity

Dinner

Day 2 - 4

South Luangwa National Park – Africa’s Original Walking Safari

South Luangwa has played a pioneering role in developing African safari as this park was the first to make big-game walks available to visitors. Over these three days, you can follow in the footsteps of Africa’s oldest walking safari and cross the floodplain expanses that are inaccessible to vehicles. These plains are close to the water which brings them a very high density of wildlife. The openness allows your trackers to check continually for predatory threats, and the days are flexible dependent on the evolving environment and your own interests. You may opt to drive to a trailhead and then walk to the next camp before an afternoon game drive or a walk around the camp. You may walk the full day with a vehicle bringing you a picnic lunch to be enjoyed beneath a towering acacia, or you could walk all morning and then get picked up by vehicle for a quiet afternoon at the lodge. Either way, the focus will be on exploring parts of South Luangwa that cannot be reached with wheels.

Kudu will stop to graze and will watch you pass while Thornicroft’s giraffe looks down from above the trees, another endemic species just a few meters away. You will quickly learn how to identify waterbuck from reedbuck as massive herds of oribi and duiker scatter across the plains, surrounding you on all sides. At one point, you will be stopped by buffalo, as these belligerent males are to be avoided, but your guide will show that it is safe to stop at the river, where a large herd of elephants is bathing on the opposite bank. Predators also fill your adventures as side-striped jackals scurry past, rare mongoose species emerge from their holes, and caracal peer intently from a grassy hiding place.

You will explore the southern part of South Luangwa over these three days, staying in permanent luxury camps that enhance the experience’s intimacy. Start walking just after dawn and cross relatively flat landscapes in the cool morning hours. Take your time and learn the clues of animal tracking. Inspect the beautiful details and appreciate animal behavior, notably the warning signs when a mammal is unhappy. Feel the connection with Africa in how it wraps you in a special atmosphere of sights, sounds, smells, and surreal happenings. Afternoon walks are usually shorter and can be switched for game drives, and in the evening, you will also have the opportunity to head out on nighttime game drives for more unique moments on the South Luangwa plains, including those with leopards.

Accommodation

Activity

Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

Day 5

Kafue National Park – First Rides on the Busanga Plains

Take A short flight south and the landscape will change as the valley is replaced by swamp and swathes of mopane woodland skirt the edge of lush grassy plains. Hoofs kick up dirt and dust as you start to ride and sable antelope eye you with curiosity, their ringed horns proudly pointing skywards. Herds of blue wildebeest canter enthusiastically and you can join them and ride alongside their wispy beards and conspicuous expressions. Weave into the woodland, and there is a chance to ride past elephants. Baboons look down on you here to wonder about this new mammal that is entering their trees as the landscape opens and you will gallop across the Busanga Plains to pass the herds of puku and impala that have jumped clear of the grass.

Horseback safaris are a specialty of Kafue, particularly in private concessions that share unfenced borders with the national park. Some horseback experience is required for these multi-day adventures and riders must be able to handle a horse confidently. There is a wide choice of horses in the stable and all are forward-moving and responsive. Today will be about getting used to the horse and the style of adventure as your guide leads you into different habitats to walk, canter, and then gallop with the herds on the plains. Your Kafue accommodation is a luxury lodge set in its own concession, with spacious canvas suites opening out onto dreamy vistas over the park’s Busanga Plains.

Transfer

Activity

Accommodation

Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

Day 6 - 7

Kafue National Park – Exclusive Zambian Horseback Safari

Skirt the edges of the Busanga Swamp and admire the strange aquatic animals found in this part of Zambia. Sitatunga hides in the swamp, sometimes just their peculiar ears poking out. Puku stays close to the water, ready to jump into the liquid if predators get close. The horse’s hoofs make squidgy sounds as you take in the bounty, many exotic animals and colors gathering around the swamp. Over these two days, you can ride in the mornings and afternoons with each ride taking you into a distinctive part of the Kafue ecosystem. The swamp area reveals an abundance of life, with small herds gathering and interacting. Many of these may scatter upon hearing a safari vehicle. But on horseback, you can ride to within meters.

Continue through the woodland and watch the behavior of elephants. Flapping ears and stomping feet is a bad sign, one of the three warnings given by an angry elephant. Herds of blue wildebeest and Burchell’s zebra (note the different subspecies from in South Luangwa) join you on the plains, and you can let the horse run. Wildebeest sometimes get caught up in your horse’s enthusiasm, sharing your rapid steps as the wind rushes past your face. In Kafue, you can also switch afternoon horse rides with afternoon game drives that continue after dark. These provide perspectives with the park’s lions and wild dogs, predators you must avoid on a horse.

Accommodation

Activity

Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

Day 8

Lower Zambezi National Park – Paddling Through the Evocative Canals

When you move silently, you can hear everything. Your canoe will glide softly into the canals as the only rustling comes from the reeds and you can paddle to find waterbuck along the banks. Later on, you can hear a different rustling as lionesses hide within the reeds, camouflaged for an afternoon ambush. Suddenly a loud hoot comes over the air, with an elephant charging around the banks. Paddle across, and you will see a young male, angry at being shunned from the rest of the herd. The hooting continues and you hear the thick musty sound of his feet stomping against the sandbank. It is all such a contrast to the last elephant herd you encountered, just minutes ago. Babies were playfully submerging each other, young males waved only their trunks above the waterline, and old bulls blasted jets of water across their backs.

The beauty of a water-based safari is this opportunity to move silently, and safely, with the big mammals. You cannot stand ten meters from a lion. But you can sit in a canoe, ten meters of water away from a lion. Lower Zambezi National Park is one of Africa’s great wetlands and blends the Zambezi River with a series of lakes, plus a mazy collection of canals that rise and fall with the rains. Fly here and start your experience with a morning motorboat safari and a chance to explore the scale and grandeur of the park. After lunch, you can continue by canoe and get much closer to the banks to gaze up at elephants’ tusks.

Accommodation

Activity

Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

Day 9 - 10

Lower Zambezi National Park – Unique Water-Based Safari

Early mornings bring serenity to the water as sunrise colors ripple across the landscape, the silence feels more poignant, and a procession of animals lines up along the horizon. Your guide will paddle you to the islands in the lakes, where sitatunga are setting up their hiding places. You can stop beside open plains and watch the herds slowly come to take a drink. Then you can inspect the thick high grass carefully, alerted by the faintest flicker of a sound. It will take minutes for you to find the leopard as the cat does not move, it just waits patiently, with blue eyes staring intently. Your eyes will adjust, and the spots will come into view, clustered between the green shoots. Suddenly a movement, the leopard’s head moving 90 degrees, the neck dipping even lower. Some puku are approaching the water, and the hunt is on.

A Lower Zambezi water-based safari provides these unique perspectives, the lack of artificial noise helps you to appreciate the intricacies of the wetlands. Motorboat safaris allow you to cover large distances to the most remote parts of the park, where the engine is cut as you encounter Africa’s biggest mammals. Canoe safaris do not have the same range but increase the authenticity of the atmosphere. Of course, there will be hippos, with hundreds of them passed in the lake and on the banks, as well as buffalos and other large mammals, everyone coming to drink at least once a day. Along with the water-based safari, you will have options for walking safari and game drives. Or you can sit back and watch the wildlife from a decadent camp perched over a river bend.

Accommodation

Activity

Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

Day 11 - 13

Livingstone – Relaxation and Victoria Falls

Walking, riding, and canoeing are all behind you, so not it will be about relaxing. After ten days of intimate African safaris, fly to Livingstone to your wonderful lodge on the banks of the Zambezi River. Slide into the swimming pool, sip cocktails as baboons maraud past, soak up the opulence of the surroundings, and rest after your adventures. You are still deep within nature as your suite looks out towards hippos and elephants, but the focus is no longer on exploring. Rather, it is about rest and recuperation, epitomized by the daily sunset river cruises and the fine dining restaurant.

From your lodge, you can see a strange cloud, and hear the distant thunder of Victoria Falls, barely five miles down the river. Transfers to and from the falls are included in your stay. From the park gate, there are self-guided walking trails, both down to the river and over to cataracts across from the falls. You can also add on other Victoria Falls excursions, including a sightseeing flight. Three days also creates further safari options, notably a chance to see the white rhinos in Mosi Au Tunya National Park. But after ten days in the bush, these three days are tailored towards tranquility.

Accommodation

Transfer

Activity

Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

Day 14

Livingstone – Departure

Trip Highlights

Experience Africa’s finest walking safari with days spent in South Luangwa National Park to wander across big-game landscapes inaccessible to vehicles
Gallop with the herds on an exclusive horse riding safari around Kafue National Park, where the sense of escapism will rise to new levels
Get closer to the giants with days of water-based safari in the Lower Zambezi wetlands as canoes and motorboats bring you into an intimate world of safari drama
Relax after your adventures with a leisurely three-day stay along the Zambezi River, just upriver from Victoria Falls
Connect with the predators in all three of your safari destinations, with short day and nighttime game drives ensuring that you do not miss out on any of the wildlife
Celebrate the sensual excess of Africa on a true safari under canvas with suites that are wonderfully comfortable and effortlessly open to the wonders of the wild
Discover another perspective as you fly between the national parks with elephants and buffalo herds among those you can see from the window
Come to appreciate the nuances of wildlife and the wilderness as exclusive safari activities will allow you to get closer and understand more of the detail

Starting Price

$8,800 per person (excluding international flights)

Your Zicasso trip is fully customizable, and this sample itinerary is a starting place for your travel plans. Actual costs are dynamic, and your selection of accommodations and activities, your season of travel, and other such variables will bring this budget guideline up or down. Throughout your planning experience with your Zicasso specialist, your itinerary is designed around your budget. You can book your trip when you are satisfied with every detail. Planning your trip with a Zicasso travel specialist is a free service.

What's Included

Accommodations
In-country transportation
Some or all activities and tours
Expert trip planning
24x7 support during your trip

Your final trip cost will vary based on your selected accommodations, activities, meals, and other trip elements that you opt to include.

4.9

Verified Traveler Reviews

Based on 153 reviews

Travel Review: Luxury South Africa Safari with Zambia - Cape Town, Victoria Falls (Toka Leya Camp),...

Travel Review: Luxury South African Safari with Zambia - Tongabezi, Londolozi Lodge, Blue Train, Wine Tours and Robben Island

Outstanding service, dedicated, easy to work with! Great guides! Londolozi was spectacular. We stayed in the owner's house (at Tongabezi Lodge), near Victoria Falls in Zambia right on the river. Capetown and wine country could not have been better. This African safari company is great!

Africa Travel Review: Cape Town, Wildlife Safari, Pumba Game Reserve, Victoria Falls

In one word - AWESOME! We are a party of 8 from NY - we started at the PUMBA Private Game Reserve, saw every animal under the sun and more, ate wonderful food, loved the accomodations, felt like we were taken care of in every way. Next stop was Capetown and the Mount Nelson Hotel - old world luxury and charm - beautifully appointed rooms, wonderful buffet breakfast. We toured the Peninsula, saw the sunset from Table Mountain, hiked Lions Head - ate at the waterfront and had tons of fun at Star Dust and Moyo. Final stop was Victoria Falls - we toured the falls from both the Zimbabwe and Zambia sides, took a dip in the devils pool and had a fantastic lunch on Livingstone Island. We spent a morning walking with the lions - got to touch and pet them and walk thru the wilderness with them - what an experience! We spent the day at CHOBE in Botswana and saw so many hippos and giraffes and cape buffalo. A trip of a lifetime and all arranged by the caring staff at our tour company. They asked what we wanted to do, listened to all our requests and made it happen for us. Such a smooth trip from start to finish.

Travel Review: Luxury Africa Safari, South Africa & Zambia, Cape Town, Serengeti, Masai Mara, Victoria Falls

My wife and I recently travelled to South Africa - Capetown & Kruger Park Safari, and then to Victoria Falls (Zambia). It is a trip that I have dreamed about all my life: from the time I was a young child and keen wildlife enthusiast, I longed to go on a safari; as an adult, I very much wanted to see Victoria Falls.

I just returned from an 8 day trip of a lifetime, where my wife and I were privileged to enjoy all these amazing places. No exaggeration, this was the best trip my wife and I have ever taken and we are seasoned travelers. The natural beauty, character, and charm of Cape Town, Kruger Park, and Victoria Falls are enough to take one's breath away - just on their own merits. However, when one layers in the customer experience I received from this company, and my travel specialist extraordinaire it was truly unforgettable.

I worked with this travel specialist for a year developing and fine-tuning what ended up being the perfect itinerary. We had a lot to pack in to 8 days, as we were leaving our three young kids at home; so time was definitely finite. Our travel specialist was responsive to every need or request I made; she was informative, considerate, and helped me in thoughtfully choosing options beyond merely providing them to me.

However, the trip as organized on paper can differ greatly than the trip in execution. My expectations were already high - this is where the trip and our travel specialist actually exceeded my expectations. There were a number of delightful little surprises along the way that I know our travel specialist and her company helped co-ordinate or arrange.

Every hotel we stayed at was unquestionably luxurious - among the best hotels we've stayed at. The recommended activities were all memorable and well planned logistically (enough time for a quick rest before the next excursion, even on the jam-packed activity days).

I cannot fully express my appreciation to our travel specialist and this company for the best travel-related customer experience I ever had.

Travel Review: Luxury Africa Birthday Safari, South Africa & Zimbabwe, Cape Town, Victoria Falls, WInelands

I can’t begin to decide what made my 50th birthday trip, organized by this travel company, our best trip ever. Could it be the personal service? From the very beginning, our travel agent made sure he knew what we wanted and our expectations. He narrowed down each area we wanted to visit with three suggestions of lodging and let me research and pick. All spot on suggestions and we could not have been happier with our choices.

Could it be our amazing stay in the Winelands? Four nights at a picturesque farm with one of the best restaurants in the area, Bablyonstoren was everything we hoped for. A great guide, who chose all the right stops for our wine tour and the most amazing day in Cape Town (including the highlight of my birthday, holding a penguin!).

Could it be the safari lodge that took our very high expectations and blew the top off of them? Sabi Sabi Little Bush was amazing. From the manager, to our ranger and tracker, to the service staff, every single person was immediately like family. The animal viewing was unbelievable even spotting 2 of the Big 5 on the way to the lodge from the airport! Four nights, all of the Big 5 plus cheetahs, hippos, giraffes and more , numerous amazing meals in a different location each night later, we were sad to leave but excited about our next stop.

Could it be relaxing at the most beautiful spot on the Zambezi River? Two nights in the tree house followed by two nights in the honeymoon house made for the cherry on the top of the most glorious trip ever. Hippos, champage bubble baths, sitting on the edge of Victoria Falls and meals with the most exceptional views in the world brought our journey to a happy end.

Could it be all of it rolled into one amazing company? Yes – I believe that had we not had the experience, diligence and oversight of these wonderful people, our trip would not have been what it was and it was perfect.

Luxury Botswana, Zimbabwe & Zambia Anniversary Trip Review: Victoria Falls, Game Drives, Rhino Walk, 12-Day Tour

I wish I could give this trip and our travel agency a hundred stars. Both the trip and the service that our travel company provided were over the top! We visited a Camp and Victoria Falls in Zimbabwe, did a Rhino walk in Zambia and also stayed at a Lodge by the Chobe River in Botswana. I cannot say enough good things about Natalie, from our travel agency. We started planning this trip in Feb 2020 with what was supposed to be our big 10th anniversary trip. Then Covid struck the very next month and we were forced to postpone the trip not once, but twice. Over the course of the next two years Natalie was on top of EVERYTHING. She worked with the places that we had booked and the airlines within Africa and was able to change our travel arrangements to accommodate the ever changing situation. To start this whole process, we provided Natalie with some general guidelines on what we thought we wanted to do and our budget and she took charge of putting together our dream vacation. She put together several possible itineraries and we fine tuned our trip from there. Natalie is based in South Africa, while we are located in the USA. This distance was never a problem in any of our planning and I never felt uncomfortable with the fact that she was in a completely different country (and continent). In fact, Natalie scheduled a phone call with us early in our planning so that we could get to know her and she could better understand our expectations. Natalie was always very responsive and I could always count on seeing a response to my emails either same day or first thing the next morning if I sent something late in her day. Her level of service was always top-notch!Natalie was incredibly thorough in researching things like Visas, travel vaccinations, passport requirements, Covid requirements, etc. so that we knew what needed to be done to prepare for this trip as well as what to expect once we got there. The icing on the cake was when we got to our room at our final destination (Chobe) to find a bottle of champagne and a very special note from Natalie to me and my wife thanking us for booking our trip with her and recognizing our 12th anniversary! :-) I still get chill bumps thinking about how touching that was and what it meant to us.

Zicasso in the News

Up Close & Personal: Exclusive Zambia Safari on Foot, Horseback and Water

What to expect on this itinerary

Countries Visited

Places Visited

Suggested Duration

Customizable Itinerary

South Luangwa National Park – Entering the Wild

South Luangwa National Park – Africa’s Original Walking Safari

Kafue National Park – First Rides on the Busanga Plains

Kafue National Park – Exclusive Zambian Horseback Safari

Lower Zambezi National Park – Paddling Through the Evocative Canals

Lower Zambezi National Park – Unique Water-Based Safari

Livingstone – Relaxation and Victoria Falls

Livingstone – Departure

Trip Highlights

Starting Price

What's Included

Verified Traveler Reviews

Customizable Itinerary

Personalized Zambia Safari: Victoria Falls & More

Zambia Honeymoon: Safari, Victoria Falls & Zambezi River

Two-Week Highlights of Zambia Safari Tour by Light Aircraft

Highlights of Zambia Big-Game Safari

Zambia Safari for Couples: Private Activities & Romantic Accommodations

Legendary Predators of Africa: An Intimate Zambian Safari