Time + Tide Kakuli

Kakuli sits on a raised bank above the Luangwa River, about two hours by game drive from Mfuwe Airport. There are four safari rooms and one two-bedroom family room, each with indoor and outdoor showers and a private verandah. Power is solar, and Wi-Fi works in the rooms but not in the main area. The raised main lodge has a lounge, library, bar and campfire, and a permanent lagoon nearby draws animals through the dry months.

Days are built around morning and afternoon game drives and walking safaris, with an optional sleepout under the stars for an extra charge. The camp has a resident lion pride and a strong record for leopard, and a seasonal colony of carmine bee-eaters nests close by. Kakuli is on the Time + Tide walking route, so guests can walk on to Mchenja, about 7 km or two hours away, or to Nsolo, about 14 km away.

Kakuli suits couples and families who want a classic South Luangwa river camp with good cat viewing, without the remoteness of the Luwi bushcamps further inland. It is open only from 20 May to 15 November, so it is a dry-season stop. Rooms are cooled by fans rather than air conditioning, which matters in October when the valley gets very hot, and phone signal is limited.