Wilderness Safaris Explorations

Wilderness Safaris offers three types of Explorations: Trail, Discoverer and Adventurer. These Exploration safaris take advantage of exclusive locations, mostly in private concessions, offering guests a select, spectacular journey through pristine areas with the most outstanding wildlife viewing in Zambia and Africa. Explorations are for small groups of up to eight guests, or tailor-made for private groups.
 
Trails
Trail Explorations are about reconnecting with nature and embracing the elements on foot, canoe or mountain bike. Trail Explorations are not accommodation specific. Instead they use Wilderness Safaris special tents — the Adventurer dome tents and Discoverer meru tents as well as sleeping platforms are used.

Africa is renowned as the home of walking safaris, a great way to really get a feel for the African wilderness. The walking trail experience allows guests to get their feet on the ground and feel, smell and touch Africa. The walking trail involves rambling for several hours at a leisurely pace that can be enjoyed by most guests, with plenty of time for quality game viewing and birding.

Trail Explorations include:
Kalamu Walking Trail
The Kalamu Walking Trail is a three night exploration of the South Luangwa National Park and is an ideal way to experience this renowned park which is known as the best, and first, walking safari destination in Africa.

Set in the Luamfwa Concession in the southern sector of the Park, the Kalamu Walking Trail sets out to explore the Luangwa River and its diverse environment. The trail is set in unique "wilderness" areas where there are no vehicles or roads, while each night is spent at a 'one of a kind' camp: Chinengwe Riverbed Camp and Kalamu Star-Bed Camp on the banks of the River. The Kalamu Walking Trail allows safari goers to experience the thrill, majesty and pristine nature of the Luangwa wilderness on foot.

Guests begin at Kalamu Lagoon for one night before going on to explore the untouched northern banks of the Luangwa River on foot. This pristine wilderness area, in a remote and wild corner of the park, is an unforgettable journey into pure wilderness.

The dense vegetation, mature woodlands and oxbow lakes of the South Luangwa National Park create a nature-lover’s paradise that offers both unique bird watching and exciting game viewing.  Animals likely to be spotted include lions, leopards and spotted hyenas and buffalo. Hippos and crocodiles can be seen basking on the banks of the Luangwa River. Puku, impala and waterbuck are the most conspicuous mammals while bushbuck and Sharpe’s grysbok are regularly sited in the denser vegetation. Thornicroft’s giraffe is endemic to the Valley and yellow baboons are regularly spotted.

As with all Wilderness Explorations, Kalamu Walking Trails are led by highly skilled and qualified professional guides with an incredible passion for the natural regions in which they work. These guides have years of experience in the field and a depth of understanding of animal behaviour and the environment. This knowledge enhances the journey of discovery for the guests. Many of the guides are also skilled photographers and can assist guests in getting amazing wildlife photographs. They are also available to lead private safaris and specialist trips.

Discoverer Explorations
Discoverer Explorations are a deluxe range of mobile safaris that have the advantage of superb locations, taking guests on a select, spectacular journey through the most remote wilderness areas to enjoy outstanding wildlife viewing in Africa.

Discoverer camps are designed to bring the guest closer to nature; they are specially outfitted to ensure the camping feel with a clear emphasis on necessary and stylish comfortable interiors. Wilderness Safaris has developed an innovative Meru-style canvas tent for the Discoverer trails camps. This design, with its hexagonal shape, walk-in structure and en-suite separate toilet and shower areas, allows for a sense of space, matchless views and privacy.

These safaris combine Wilderness Safaris' fixed camps with exclusive Trails camps. Such camps are always located in private concessions, ensuring not only private accommodation but also meeting other Wilderness Safaris guests.

Discoverer Explorations include:
Kafue Rivers and Plains Exploration
This exploration involves exploring the two major arteries of the Kafue National Park, the Kafue and Lufuba rivers. Guests will also enjoy an exploration of the spectacular Busanga Plains in the north of Kafue, discovering the diverse habitats of riverine forest, miombo woodland, acacia and palm-strewn floodplain, dambos and ultimately the Plains themselves.

Kafue National Park, Zambia’s largest protected area, extends over 9050 square kilometres. This enormous and under-developed pristine wilderness area is home to an impressive variety of big game and a record of almost 500 bird species.

The jewel in Kafue’s crown is the Busanga Plains, located in the north of the Park — a vast flat expanse that forms one of Zambia’s most significant wetland resources. This enormous watery wilderness, flooded in the wet season (mid December to end May) by several rivers and tributaries, covers an enormous 750 square kilometres.

This exploration takes seven nights and eight days. The exploration starts at Lufubu Bush Camp. Guests are transferred from Lusaka Airport to the Kafue National Park using a light aircraft. Lufupa Bush Camp stands on the banks of the Kafue River and accommodation involves four traditional thatch and brick chalets with en-suite facilities and veranda out front overlooking the river. This is a diverse game location area with a wide range of habitats formed by a combination of dambo areas (seasonally filled grassy depressions that dry out in the period this safari operates), riverine, floodplain, grassland and woodland. Guests spend three days at the camp and move on to the Musanza Tented camp.

Musanza Tented Camp is located deep inside the wildlife haven of the Busanga Plains of Kafue National Park. Accommodation consists of six well-appointed tents with wall-to-wall views of the spectacular Lufupa River. This camp is located in a slightly wooded belt just south of the Busanga Plains, thus allowing guests to explore the productive woodland, grassland other than the Busanga Plains including the southern section of the breath-taking Busanga plains. Animals in the area include several species of antelope, hippo, crocodile, lions, cheetahs and spotted hyenas, among others.  Guests spend day four and five at this camp before moving on to the Busanga Bush camp in the Northern Kafue National Park.

Day six and seven are spent at Busanga Bush Camp which is located in the heart of the Busanga plains. The Busanga Plains is an area of wilderness paradise that is home to a full set of antelopes including the red lechwe, ubiquitous puku, stately roan and oribi, other animals include Lichtenstein's hartebeest, herds of wildebeest, zebra and buffalo .This wealth of game on the plains is also a big attraction for predators, including wild dog, cheetah and several prides of lion. Bird lovers are not disappointed as the park boasts 491 species, including endemics such as Chaplin’s Barbet. This itinerary specifically includes two locations within or near the Busanga Plains, allowing for in-depth exploration of this phenomenal ecosystem. Busanga Bush Camp caters for 8 guests in 4 well-appointed rooms built of reed and canvas with wall-to-wall views of the spectacular wildlife that frequents the plain in front of the camp. Activities include game drives and night drives, led by qualified guides who are extremely knowledgeable about the area and its wildlife.

On the eighth day, guests enjoy an early breakfast and afterwards depart by helicopter from Busanga Bush Camp to Busanga airstrip, where they are transferred by a light aircraft to Lusaka Airport, where the safari ends.

Adventurer Explorations
Adventurer Explorations combine unique mobile camps with a variety of other locations and accommodation, to provide an intimate, insightful encounter with the particular region.

For the Adventurer Explorations, Wilderness Safaris utilises a spacious walk-in "maxi" dome tent. The comfortable interior has canvas bedrolls, crisp cotton sheets and duvets set out on GI stretchers, complemented with old-fashioned tin finishes, recreating a sense of simple style under canvas. The en-suite bathroom, comprising toilet and bucket shower, guest amenities and hand-wash basin, is at the rear of the tent via a zipped doorway. Inviting dining areas offer an atmosphere of understated, serviced camping. These camps are erected prior to guests' arrival. This, coupled with the wildlife-rich areas visited and the easy mobility of the camps, allow guests to explore the most remote areas of the subcontinent.

Important additional safari notes

• Safaris may start or end in Lusaka or Livingstone
• Tailored Explorations are available on flexible dates, accommodation and itineraries, for groups of up to eight guests. These are also ideal for families or for small groups from four guests
• Ensure that a minimum 2-D cell flashlight is brought on safari, with spare batteries. Head lamps are also useful. Wilderness Explorations does not supply flashlights.
• A 12V cigarette lighter adaptor will be required (that is compatible with your camera make) for charging batteries while on game drive or transfer drives. 110/ 240V outlets are available at the permanent lodges at Lufupa and Busanga. Musanza Tented Camp only has 12V electricity.
• Due to remote locality of camps, it is wise to ensure that full dietary requirements and special occasions are advised at the time of booking confirmation.