May-be you’re thinking about a safari?
But you’re not sure where to start? If so please read on! My May blog brings you plenty of ideas for a Zambia safari, new special offers, a taster of what I’m up to in June and answers the Frequently Asked Question ‘When is the best time to book your safari?’
P.S. Shameless May pun intended, and as usual I’m responsible for all the bad photography.
What’s happening in May?
Thanks to my iPhone’s algorithms I get constant reminders of previous Mays that I’ve spent in Africa. My most recent May (and June) adventure was a 2 month road trip (and a bit of flying, see above) checking out beautiful places to stay in Botswana, Zambia, Namibia and South Africa, so I can vouch that it’s a brilliant time to visit.
There are loads of good reasons to travel to Africa at this time of year - weather, wildlife, low season rates.
Why travel now?
Travelling to Africa in May is a winner (if you’re not tied to school holidays). Across the Southern and Eastern parts of the continent camps are open following the rainy season, and many have been refurbed so are sparkly new. The greenery is still er, green, and there are lots of animal babies to swoon over.
Lower Costs
There are bargains to be found as Low Season rates still apply in lots of places in May. For example this year a night in the gorgeous Encounter Mara camp is $633 vs $835 per person per night (exc. flights transfers, park fees etc but you get the gist).
A Luxury Safari Tent at one of my fave places, Flatdogs Camp, is $336 per person per night vs. $450 in high season (same exclusions as above apply.)
Wildlife & Weather
The animals are in great condition right now, fat and happy, as food is plentiful and photographers will love the clearer skies - before the dust kicks up later in the year - and the colours of vegetation make for vibrant pictures. In some parks wildlife at this time of year can be a little trickier to spot in the long grass, but that shouldn’t put you off as good guides will know where to look.
Wildlife highlights include the calving season on the short grass plains in the Southern Serengeti, this means cuteness and well fed predators in equal measure! Elephants are abundant at this time of year around the Chobe River in Botswana.
Across the area the weather is good, clear skies, warm days and cooler nights. It can be really cold in the mornings especially in Botswana - hats and down jackets are required, but the days warm up quickly.
It’s not to early to plan for next year so if you’d like to talk about a safari in any of these wonderful destinations please get in touch
Destination Zambia
I’m always being asked where is my favourite place for safari, and while this is a moveable feast Zambia is consistently in my Top 3.
Landlocked and sitting slap-bang in the centre of the Southern African landmass it is an outstanding Safari destination, offering unspoiled wilderness, huge concentrations of wildlife, and it can be budget friendly too as well as fabulously luxurious if you prefer!
Why travel to Zambia?
If you’re looking for pristine wilderness, abundant wildlife, fantastic hospitality and like to get just a little bit further off the beaten track then Zambia might be the perfect place for you. It has a vast amount of land designated as National Parks, it receives far fewer visitors than the Headline safari destinations, and it offers a brilliant variety of experiences to blow the socks off first-time safari goers, as well as experienced Africa enthusiasts.
One feature of a Zambian safari that really stands out is the walking safari, which were pioneered by Norman Carr in the late 1950’s in the South Luangwa Valley. He instigated a rigorous guide training programme and as a consequence the standard of walking safaris in Zambia is exceptionally high. There are walking options for everyone, from a gentle stroll for a couple of hours to ‘camp to camp’ walking trails taking place over a number of days. N.B. the minimum age for children to take part is 12.
As well as game drives and walking safaris Zambia also offers horse-riding safaris, canoeing expeditions on the Lower Zambezi and even the option to e-bike at some camps!
I’ve canoed on the Zambezi twice, both trips were about 3 or 4 days in length, and involved camping out overnight on sand islands in the middle of the river. I loved the adventure and can highly recommend it if you are not averse to roughing it a bit.
Who is Zambia for?
Families are very well looked after and there are plenty of gorgeous safari houses for larger gatherings. It’s ideal for couples of all ages and it’s also worth noting that getting to some of the parks doesn’t involve light aircraft – good news for those less agile travellers! Honeymooners will be blown away by some of the romantic options - baths overlooking the Zambezi, luxury sleepouts under the stars….
When is a good time to visit Zambia?
The Safari season opens at the start of April and runs through to the middle of January. The weather starts gently with warm days and cooler nights, and the temperature increases throughout the year, peaking around the end of October when it can get pretty hot before the rains arrive in November.
As the weather heats up the wildlife becomes easier to see as it congregates around water. Elephants crossings of the Luangwa River are frequent and drying lagoons make for some great hippo sightings as fractious males battle to defend their shrinking territories.
This image was taken at Flatdogs Camp in the South Luangwa.
What are the best safari destinations in Zambia?
There are over 20 National Parks in Zambia, the most popular are the South Luangwa National Park, the Lower Zambezi, Kafue and Mosi Oa Tunya.
South Luangwa is a personal favourite of mine. It is easily accessed by scheduled flight from the capital, Lusaka, and has a good variety of camp styles to suit most safari-goers. It is known for it’s exceptional leopard sightings, as well as a healthy and growing wild dog population.
The Lower Zambezi also has great game viewing, and with the added bonus of offering water based activities as well, including boat safaris, canoeing, (short trips as well as 3 or 4 night trails -brilliant for the adventurous!) and, in season, fishing for Tigers. Go on, ask me! 😉
The Kafue National Park is the easiest to reach from Lusaka and the oldest park in Zambia. It has a variety of different eco-systems and works as a stand alone destination as well as combining with other parks, and also offers boating safaris as well as walking, game drives and e-biking.
Mosi oa Tunya national park is outside Livingstone so you can drop in here if you visit Victoria Falls as part of your trip. It’s also the only place in Zambia that you’re likely to see rhino and it’s possible to walk with the habituated white rhinos here.
There are some interesting and specialised safaris available in Zambia as well, such as the Kasanka Bat Migration, and looking for Black Rhinos in North Luangwa.
How to travel to Zambia?
It’s easy to reach Zambia - although there are no direct flights from London anymore - carriers such as Emirates and Qatar fly via the Gulf. Once you land it’s a short flight of about an hour to most of the National Parks. Travelling via the Gulf also means you have the option of combining your safari with a beach extension in Dubai or Oman (my preference).
Zambia is also well connected to many other great destinations in Africa, including Malawi, South Africa, Zimbabwe, Kenya and beyond…
Zambia Itinerary Ideas
South Luangwa and Lake Malawi - this is a great way to take advantage of this month’s special offer, and a quirky take on the ‘Bush n Beach’ combo. Lake Malawi is perfect for a post safari chill, the lake is massive, crystal clear with sandy beaches and with it’s amazing cyclid fish, is brilliant for snorkelling.
Lower Zambezi, South Luangwa and Victoria Falls - a deep dive into Zambia’s best safari areas and a fabulous honeymoon idea to boot!
Kafue Explorer - spend around 7 nights travelling up through the Kafue, staying in 3 different camps, combining great game drives with boating safaris on the Kafue River, and finishing up on the remote Busanga Plains, one of the best places in Zambia to see cheetah.
Luangwa Valley walking - a wonderful 10 night camp to camp walking safari through the South Luangwa and into the remote North Luangwa National Park.
Let’s go! If this has piqued your interest and you’d like to talk about an itinerary tailored just for you please get in touch, and check out the Zambia special offer, it’s a doozy!
Your Safari Questions answered!
When is the best time to book a safari?
The answer is, either a long time in advance or at the last minute!
It really depends on what your safari is ‘for’ and how many of you there will be travelling. If your dates are fixed it makes sense to book as far in advance as possible.
If you’re impulsive however, there are some brilliant offers for last minute travellers. If you’ve always thought that a safari is beyond your budget you might be wrong!
Timing your booking is critical if you are planning specific dates to celebrate a honeymoon, anniversary or birthday. A lot of people are surprised at how quickly Safari camps sell out. This is because the best camps only have 8 – 12 tents, and most only a couple of 2 bedroom Family Tents, and only one Honeymoon Tent so to avoid missing out you need to think ahead.
So if you fit into the above category you should be looking to book at least a year prior to your holiday dates. This can work out to your advantage as a lot of places will honour their previous year’s rates if they have not yet released rates for your dates of travel. The only unknown should be the flight costs and in some cases flight schedule but a good advisor will build in wiggle room in the cost and itinerary to mitigate for this.
If you’re more flexible or even impulsive there are outstanding last minute offers across the board. Booking travel within 6 weeks or even a month can get you discounts of over 25% so if this is you please get in touch and I’ll let you know where the bargains are.
Safari Specials
New! Zambia is marking 60 years of independence this year and I have a great new offer to share with you
Robin Pope Safaris are one of the longest established Safari operators in Zambia with camps throughout the Luangwa Valley as well as neighbouring Malawi and Zimbabwe. Staying at one of their gorgeous camps in South Luangwa (some of which have amazing history and best views in the valley) you will enjoy an extra 10% discount in the peak months of July and September 2024.
Savvy safari goers can combine this as part of a 10 night itinerary across Zambia, Malawi and/or Zimbabwe and end up with 30% off - in Peak Season!
Please get in touch if you’d like to know more.
Walking will be just one of the highlights of this trip!
All previous offers - Namibia flying, Southern Tanzania Honeymoon, and East Africa Flying are still active, see previous blog posts for details or get in touch.
A heads up about June…
I’m exploring Tanzania for a few weeks in June. I’m starting up in the North flying into Kilimanjaro, exploring the Ngorongoro Crater before heading into the Serengeti to see if I can track down the migrating herds as well as visit some fantastic camps for a recce.
After my safari I’ll travel to Zanzibar where I’m staying on the East Coast at one of my favourite spots for a swim before a final stay in Stone Town - a UNESCO world heritage site - to soak up some culture and history .
It’s a really exciting trip and I’m looking forward to sharing all my highlights with you so please make sure to follow me Instagram @safari_lucie, or like my facebook page Lucie Thaxter Safaris for updates from the field!
A little toot on my own trumpet! 🎺🎺
It’s always special to get feedback and here’s some from a recently returned client:
“We had a great experience with Lucie when we went to South Africa for our son's school rugby tour. We decided to go 3 weeks prior and Lucie came up with an amazing itinerary all within our budget. We had limited time, but managed to fit in wine tasting in Franschhoek, a couple of days on safari and spending a few days in Cape Town. We also went to some fantastic restaurants recommended by Lucie. Having someone meet us at the airport when we arrived was a really nice touch as we were exhausted from our flight. We will definitely go back to Lucie when we plan our next trip.”
Share the love!
I’m really proud that my business is growing thanks to recommendations and referrals from happy clients, so please forward this to friends or family who need a safari, and don’t forget that if you refer anyone to me and they book I’ll send you a lovely hamper as a thank you.
For regular(ish) doses of inspiration please follow me on Instagram @safari_lucie, or like my facebook page Lucie Thaxter Safaris.