Your itinerary
Day 1
Start Lusaka • To the Zambezi
We meet at Lusaka Airport, where we begin our transfer (four to six hours, traffic dependent) to the shores of the Zambezi. Most of this journey is on tar road with the last section along a bumpy dirt track.En route, we stop at a supermarket, where you can pick up snacks and drinks for the adventure – there are no shops on the wild banks of the river!Your tour leader then prepares a welcome dinner, where we gather as a group to get to know each other and learn more about the adventure ahead.Please note: If you’re booking your own flights, do not book one arriving after 1.30pm. Want more time in Zambia? Secure extra nights through your sales representative.
Meals: Dinner
Day 2
Three days of canoeing and wildlife watching on the Zambezi, camping on remote islands
Spend three glorious days canoeing the Zambezi. This is a safari adventure, so you can expect to see many iconic African animals. We frequently pass hippo pods basking in the deeper water, who will no doubt keep an eye on us, and look for elephants feeding on the banks, basking crocodiles and numerous colourful bird species, including the magnificent African fish eagle.Each day, we start early to avoid the hottest hours and to catch the easterly headwind at its weakest. The pace is moderate, which allows us to make the most of our wildlife-viewing opportunities.Lunches and breakfasts are either taken on islands or on the riverbanks, while nights are spent at our wild camps, gazing at the African sky and sharing tales from the day.
Meals: Breakfast,Lunch,Dinner
Day 3
Three days of canoeing and wildlife watching on the Zambezi, camping on remote islands
Spend three glorious days canoeing the Zambezi. This is a safari adventure, so you can expect to see many iconic African animals. We frequently pass hippo pods basking in the deeper water, who will no doubt keep an eye on us, and look for elephants feeding on the banks, basking crocodiles and numerous colourful bird species, including the magnificent African fish eagle.Each day, we start early to avoid the hottest hours and to catch the easterly headwind at its weakest. The pace is moderate, which allows us to make the most of our wildlife-viewing opportunities.Lunches and breakfasts are either taken on islands or on the riverbanks, while nights are spent at our wild camps, gazing at the African sky and sharing tales from the day.
Meals: Breakfast,Lunch,Dinner
Day 4
Three days of canoeing and wildlife watching on the Zambezi, camping on remote islands
Spend three glorious days canoeing the Zambezi. This is a safari adventure, so you can expect to see many iconic African animals. We frequently pass hippo pods basking in the deeper water, who will no doubt keep an eye on us, and look for elephants feeding on the banks, basking crocodiles and numerous colourful bird species, including the magnificent African fish eagle.Each day, we start early to avoid the hottest hours and to catch the easterly headwind at its weakest. The pace is moderate, which allows us to make the most of our wildlife-viewing opportunities.Lunches and breakfasts are either taken on islands or on the riverbanks, while nights are spent at our wild camps, gazing at the African sky and sharing tales from the day.
Meals: Breakfast,Lunch,Dinner
Day 5
Canoe to our fly camp • Night drive in Chiawa Game Management Area
This morning, we paddle to our fly camp in the Chiawa Game Management Area. After three days of wild camping, the hot showers and chance to relax will be welcome. Our site also overlooks the Mana Pools, where wildlife regularly comes to drink – there’s even a lookout point for an excellent view!Later, after the sun has set, we embark on a 4×4 game drive, on which we hope to spot nocturnal animals, such as genets, civets, hyenas, porcupines, aardvarks and, if we’re really lucky, the elusive leopard.
Meals: Breakfast,Lunch,Dinner
Day 6
Ranger-led nature walk in the Lower Zambezi National Park
Either jump in a canoe or hop in a motorboat (depending on wind and river conditions) and cruise along the river to the Lower Zambezi National . Here, we join a local ranger for an insightful nature walk, in which our guides take us on a loop, sharing their expertise on the animals tracks, plant life and wildlife found here.After lunch, we return to our fly camp and enjoy the rest of the day to relax, watching the animals who come to drink at the Mana Pools.
Meals: Breakfast,Lunch,Dinner
Day 7
To Zambezi Breezes • Farewell dinner
Bid farewell to our fly camp hosts and take the motorboat to Zambezi Breezes. Our new camp has a lovely riverside location, plus a cash bar serving cold drinks, a swimming pool and a toilet and showers block.It’s the ideal spot to spend our final evening, gathering with the group around a table and retelling the adventures we’ve shared together (and perhaps start planning the next!)Upgrade to a chalet with private bathroom today – speak to your sales representative for more details
Meals: Breakfast,Lunch,Dinner
Day 8
To Lusaka Airport
You’ve canoed a long stretch of the Zambezi, gazed up at the twinkling Zambian night sky and spotted countless animals, but today the journey ends and we transfer (four to five hours) back to Lusaka Airport to catch our onwards flights.Alternatively, if you’d like to extend your adventure, speak to your sales representative to discuss our large range of extension options.
Meals: Breakfast
What’s included
What’s not included
Additional information
Food
Meals are prepared for you, but group members are asked to assist in preparation and washing up.
Typical meals
Breakfast: Cereals or coffee and toast plus a fried breakfast on most days
Lunch: Fresh salads, cold meats, cheese, bread, condiments, fruit
Evening meal (biggest meal of the day): Stews, pasta, curry, local cuisine
Vegetarians can be catered for but, given the difficulties of preparing different meals while wild camping, the variety of food may be limited.
Please indicate special dietary requirements (eg vegetarian or allergies) when booking. We supply the following drinks: fruit squash served throughout, and tea or coffee served with breakfast and dinner.
There is always a plentiful supply of chlorinated water available (sometimes even chilled!) and we encourage you to drink water throughout the day to avoid dehydration.
Chalet Upgrade at Zambezi Breezes (day 7)
Prefer a final night of added comfort? On day 7 you may upgrade to a chalet with private bathroom at Zambezi Breezes, swapping your dome tent for a river-view room with crisp linens, mosquito nets and space to unpack. Refresh with a hot shower, then stroll to the bar for a sundowner before dinner.
This upgrade is optional, subject to availability and at additional cost; it can be requested in advance or arranged on tour with your Tour Leader. After days spent paddling and camping on islands, the suite’s quiet privacy offers a restorative close, keeping you within steps of the river’s breeze and the sounds of the African night.
Motorboat to Zambezi Breezes & Farewell Dinner
Board a motorboat on day 7 and cruise the Zambezi by motorboat to Zambezi Breezes, a relaxed riverside camp with a pool, showers and a cash bar. Watch sandbanks slide past and look for crocodiles sunning on the margins while fish eagles call overhead.
As evening gathers, raise a glass at the bar before gathering for a convivial farewell dinner. Revisit favourite sightings and the stillness of island nights while the river glints in the dusk. With the comforts of camp close at hand, it’s an easy final night to soak in the riverside atmosphere and celebrate the journey from Lusaka to the Lower Zambezi and back again.
Sunset Boat Cruise on the Zambezi
In the early evening on day 7, you can book an optional sunset boat cruise from camp. Drift along backwaters as the golden Zambezi light softens the edges of reedbeds and Ana trees. Keep your camera ready for elephants wading between channels, bee-eaters flickering along sandy banks and skimmers tracing the surface.
This relaxed outing is at additional cost and bookable with your Tour Leader on tour. Enjoy chilled drinks and pause for photos and reflection as the sun slips behind the escarpment, returning to camp beneath a sky turning violet and indigo. It’s a serene complement to the active days of paddling and a fitting prelude to your farewell dinner.
Catch-and-Release Tiger Fishing Experience
Test your skills against Hydrocynus vittatus on a guided session to try catch-and-release tiger fishing. Head out by boat with an experienced boatman, tackle provided, and work the channels and eddies where baitfish gather. When a tigerfish hits, you’ll feel the sudden strike and acrobatic runs that make this species legendary.
Available most mornings or late afternoons near day 7, this activity is at additional cost and bookable on tour. Your guide follows sustainable practices, with barbless hooks and careful handling before release. Learn about the fish’s role in the Zambezi ecosystem while enjoying wide-open views of the river and escarpment.
Chiawa Community Village Visit
Step ashore with a local guide to visit the Chiawa community and learn about Zambezi river life. Walk through the village, meet artisans and farmers, and hear how seasonal floods shape crops, fishing and daily routines. Where possible, you may visit a school or small market and see basketry or woodcarving.
Usually arranged on day 6 afternoon or the morning of day 7, this experience is at additional cost and bookable on tour. Your participation supports community projects in education and conservation awareness. It’s a respectful exchange that deepens context for the wildlife you’ve seen, connecting the river’s ecology to the people who call its banks home.
Lower Zambezi Ranger-Led Nature Walk & River Journey
On day 6, travel by canoe or motorboat—conditions depending—into Lower Zambezi National Park to join a ranger-led nature walk. Moving quietly in single file, learn how to read the bush: spoor in the sand, owl pellets beneath branches, the scent of elephants on the wind.
Your ranger interprets the riverine ecosystem—winterthorn pods prized by elephants, sausage tree blooms that draw nectar feeders, and the intricate web linking predators and prey. Keeping safe distances, you’ll feel the tempo of the wild at ground level. After lunch, return to camp to enjoy a free afternoon, scanning the Mana Pools shoreline for elephants coming to drink as the day fades to gold.
Zambezi Canoe Safari & Island Wild Camping (days 2–4)
Rise with first light on day 2 and paddle the Zambezi, weaving among channels and sandbars as you spot elephants, hippos and crocodiles. With a steady, unhurried pace, breakfasts and lunches are taken on quiet banks, watched by African fish eagles and kingfishers. Your leader manages river safety, guiding you past hippo pods and choosing the best lines through gentle currents.
Each afternoon, make landfall to wild camp on remote islands shaded by winterthorn and sausage trees. As embers glow, trade stories under a star-laced sky and trace the Milky Way overhead. Across the water lie the floodplains of Mana Pools National Park, a primeval panorama that invites you to pause for photos and reflection before sleep. This immersive rhythm continues through day 4.
Canoe to Chiawa Fly Camp & Night Safari Drive
Glide downstream on day 5 to canoe to our fly camp in the Chiawa Game Management Area. After three nights of wild camping, relish hot showers and a riverside lookout facing the Mana Pools floodplain. Unpack, soak in the riverside atmosphere and watch impala and waterbuck move through the tall grass below.
After sunset, climb into an open 4×4 to set out on a night safari drive. With a spotlight sweeping the bush, your guide helps you seek elusive leopard, civets, genets and porcupines, while hyenas whoop in the distance. The cooler air sharpens scents of wild sage and dust; you’ll stop to pause for photos and reflection before returning to camp beneath a vault of stars.
Arrival Transfer, Briefing & Welcome Dinner
Touch down in Lusaka and join the group arrival transfer for the four-to-five-hour journey to the Lower Zambezi, passing rural villages before the final bush track to the river. On arrival, settle into camp as you meet your Tour Leader for a thorough safety briefing covering paddling, wildlife etiquette and life on the river. There’s time to watch the sunset tint the water copper before dinner.
In the evening on day 1, share a welcome dinner prepared by your leader and get to know the group. You’ll hear how the Zambezi marks the boundary with Zimbabwe and the famed Mana Pools National Park, a UNESCO site across the river. As night falls, listen for hippo grunts and cicadas and enjoy a free evening beneath the southern stars.
