What Draws Us To Zambia’s Luangwa Valley Year After Year?

What IS it about Zambia’s Luangwa Valley that draws us back year after year?

The attraction for each person is different. I love the space, the balance and the freedom, also the endless variety of people we meet. John admires the strength of Nature with its rich biodiversity and life in abundance. On a daily basis the freedom of the skies and the occasional new wildlife discovery provides endless entertainment and fascination.

Lions on a Kill in the Height of the Dry Season

As I ask our staff the question “What do you love about the valley” I get a rather varied and interesting response. Rona loves the peace, the wide open skies, the personal safety and freedom she feels here. The trees huge, tall and strong are a particular delight, growing without confinement in this land of no boundaries or fences. The happy, smiling faces of our staff create a rewarding work environment for the creation of delicious, high energy food!

Heather enjoys the freedom of riding in open vehicles and the connection this allows with all forms of life around us. The painted skies of the sun rising and setting, and the wake up call of the vibrant dawn chorus offer a wonderful contrast to the sirens, alarms, helicopters and “next door neighbours” of city life. 

Chikoko Tree Camp at the Close of Day

I haven’t asked Bryan why he returns to the valley year in and year out, but I suspect his excellent wildlife and cultural photography give their own clues to his particular interests in the Luangwa Valley.

A more local response to the Luangwa’s call is that animals bring money and development. Each man enjoys an ancestral history within the area of many generations and is conscious of the benefits derived from international tourism. Farming without the expense of fertilizers is possible due to fertile soils and crop rotation. This balances the challenges of crop destruction by the large herbivores and the lack of any road network during the rainy season, from December to March each year.

Teatime at Tafika

So here we are – the complete Remote Africa Team – back at Tafika, rebuilding our South Luangwa camps; Tafika, Chikoko and Crocodile. We create comfort within the untamed elegance of Mother Nature to share our treasures with you, our guests, who live varied lives of logic and progress around the world.

Luangwa Valley welcomes you. Take the break.