Unique once in a lifetime travel experiences in Africa
There are many ways to experience Zambia
Adjust your pace to the Luangwa’s natural rhythm and enjoy a wide array of experiences ranging from walking safaris along natural hippo trails to indulging on freshly baked goods produced using local skills and techniques.
Booking a private vehicle is an excellent way for specialist photographers, serious birders or families with young children to experience the bush with a little more privacy and in your own time.
A private vehicle should be pre-booked and comes at an additional cost.
Specific guide requests will be accommodated wherever possible at no extra cost.
Enjoy delicious cuisine cooked over a wood fire, warm homemade bread baked with coals in the ground and indulge in the fresh produce from the Tafika vegetable garden. We offer special attention to all dietary needs and requirements despite the remote location of the camps.
Visit the Mkasanga village and be welcomed with great enthusiasm and plenty of smiles. Start off at the Mkasanga school where you can learn more about remote education and meet some of the children. Remote Africa Safaris support the school through the Tafika Fund.
The local ladies give insight into some Zambian customs by showing how millet is ground and pounded. Try your hand at some pounding to put meal preparation into perspective.
Visit one of the church choirs who serenade visitors with their beautiful harmonies and encourage you to join them in some dancing.
With experienced guides and comfortable vehicles kitted with bean bags, you will be perfectly placed to take the best advantage of the excellent photographic safaris presented.
Open vehicle tops allow unobstructed views of the wildlife, landscape, towering canopy of vegetation and birds – perched or in flight – ensuring great photographic opportunities from every angle.
For the photographer, Remote Africa Safaris offers private photographic safaris guided by Bryan Jackson, who is both an experienced guide and a professional photographer. Bryan may be pre-booked and this comes at an additional cost.
Photographic tips
Lenses
For close up shots use Macro or Extension
tubes (use a tripod with these lenses)
Wide angle (18mm-50mm) – best for landscapes.
Telephoto (80mm-300mm) – lenses bigger than 300mm may require a tripod or bean bag (bean bags are supplied in all game viewing vehicles).
Camera Bag
Protection for your camera and equipment is necessary. Remember to take your camera equipment on the plane as carry-on luggage.
Batteries
Always travel
with spares. Batteries can be recharged at communal charging areas in all of
the bush camps.
Cleaning
Bring a blower,
brush and cloth to clean off the dust.
Tripod
A good tripod
may be difficult to travel with, consider bringing a lightweight monopod.
Filters
Polarizing filters increase colour contrast saturation, remove reflection and darken blue skies (although they may absorb some of the light).
RASair is Remote Africa’s in-house Cessna 210. The plane is based at the Mwanya (Lukuzi) airstrip close to Tafika Camp and the Chikoko Trails camps in the South Park. It’s perfectly placed for scenic charter flights to the North Luangwa, Luambe, Bangweulu, Lower Zambezi and many other beautiful places making travel in Zambia that much more convenient. RASair accommodates four people and their luggage per flight.
Luggage is restricted to one 15kg soft bag plus 5kg hand luggage per person.
Game drives are taken in open top vehicles for prime wildlife viewing and photography. Our game drives accommodate a maximum of four guests guaranteeing unobstructed viewing and photography, enabling all guests on board to share in the knowledge and insights of our skillful guides. Guides pay full attention to the safety and comfort of our guests throughout activities.
Covered vehicles are available upon request and are generally used during the hotter times of year.
Morning drives stop for a tea break in a scenic area to soak up the natural surrounds. Night drives stop for a sundowner before dedicated spotters seek out nocturnal wildlife with a spotlight.
We practice radio silence to ensure intimate and undisturbed wildlife sightings.
The South Luangwa showcases 469 recorded bird species and the North Luangwa showcases 416 recorded species (Birdwatch 2019).
Remote Africa Safaris is a bird-lover’s paradise with sightings of Bat Hawks and Pel’s Fishing Owls; great flocks of Crowned Cranes; a breeding colony of Yellow Billed Storks and Carmine bee-eaters; and visits from the White Winged Babbling Starling and Yellow-Throated Long Claw.
Boasting everything from the plain Little Brown Jobs to the spectacular Lilac Breasted Rollers, the Luangwa Valley has converted many a non-birder to the delights of birding.
All Remote Africa Safaris guides are excellent and enthusiastic birders.
Game drives are taken in open top vehicles for prime wildlife viewing and photography. Our game drives accommodate a maximum of four guests guaranteeing unobstructed viewing and photography, enabling all guests on board to share in the knowledge and insights of our skillful guides. Guides pay full attention to the safety and comfort of our guests throughout activities.
Night drives stop for a sundowner before dedicated spotters seek out nocturnal wildlife with a spotlight. The night drive lasts for about two hours with regular sightings of Luangwa’s nocturnal animals such as owls, genets, civets, hyena, lions on the move, leopard, four toed elephant shrew, several mongoose species and much more.
We practice radio silence to ensure intimate and undisturbed wildlife sightings.
Sit back in the secrecy of Tafika’s elephant hide to observe life around the waterhole and its many visitors. The hide is frequented by elephants on a daily basis during August to November.
The seasonal (September / October) Carmine bee-eater hide offers fantastic photographic safaris of the colourful breeding colony.
Unparalleled and pure walking safaris in remote areas of the Luangwa Valley. Enjoy an intimate safari experience tracking wild animals on natural wildlife trails through wilderness that is only accessible on foot and untarnished by vehicle tracks.
Walking safaris are always lead by an experienced Remote Africa Safaris guide, an armed National Park scout and accompanied by a tea bearer. Morning walks are approximately 4 hours long with a pace set by the present walkers. Enjoy a rest along the way for a hot cup of tea or coffee and sweet treat alongside a lagoon and soak up the natural surrounds.
The Chikoko Trails walking safari area was identified by Norman Carr as a prime walking area, the Chikoko Camp site identified as his own chosen walking campsite in the ‘60s. On foot guests are given the rare opportunity to experience the bush at nature’s pace and to be immersed in the wonders that present themselves at every turn. Go back in time and learn how to make fire the natural way with some sticks, elephant dung and a touch of skill.
Discover the delights of the bush, from the fascinating insects that live within animal droppings, tiny elephant shrews, delicate wide-eyed antelope to towering giraffe, enormous elephant and huge herds of buffalo with prides of lion in tow. Predators become the prey as you track lion’s prints from the night before to their resting place of that day.
Stretch your legs and enjoy getting active with an afternoon cycling safari.
As a passionate cyclist himself, John Coppinger often leads the rides which are approximately 1½ hours, taken at a leisurely pace. The route takes the safari cyclists along natural wildlife tracks in the Game Management Area and into the park along the main roads. Cyclists meet up with the night drive to continue their safari by vehicle.
Shorter rides can be combined with a cultural visit to the local Mkasanga Village.
This is a unique activity to Remote Africa Safaris in the Luangwa Valley.
Specialist photographic vehicle for both enthusiasts or professionals
Private photographic vehicle
This 2-guest vehicle is equipped with two swivel seats for easy 360° viewing and photography, a charging unit for phones and camera batteries, a short roof so bird and leopard-in-tree photography is still possible from the luxury of a shaded seat, a fridge for frosty refreshments throughout the adventure, a gas cooker for hot coffees and freshly cooked bush snacks and lock boxes for dust free storage.
Pre-book this vehicle when planning your safari, extra daily cost applies.
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