South Luangwa National Park

The Luangwa River and its ox-bow lagoons has the most intense concentration of hippos and crocodiles in Africa with well as over sixty species of mammals and over four hundred species of birds. This is one of the best parks to see leopard as well as the resurgence of wild dog and is home to three endemic species – the Thornicroft Giraffe, Cookson’s Wildebeest and Crawshay’s Zebra. Game viewing in this area is superb – elephants are known to drink from the swimming pool and lions and leopard are seen wandering around the nearby ebony grove. Mchenja which means ebony, is a luxurious and elegant tented camp overlooking a huge sweeping bend on the Luangwa River. The five specially designed octagonal tents each have a private en-suite open air bathroom plus Victorian style baths with river views. The beautiful central lounge is built around one of the old fallen ebony trees where you can cool off there in the camp’s plunge pool. Brunch is taken in the shady lounge but dinner is more often served on the river bank under the stars. When staying at Mchenja you can choose whether they want to view wildlife on foot or from an open game viewing vehicle, or both.