Tour Zambia & Malawi "Livingstone Trail"

Transport

Due to the sometimes demanding road conditions you travel in a Sunway Safari truck with 12 seats. Potholes, speed bumps (!) & rain-damaged gravel roads are characteristic of the areas we travel through and can make driving slow and bouncy. However, we pass through road side villages and thus have the opportunity to witness the local lifestyle. For the game drives in South Luangwa we use open-sided 4WD vehicles with local guides.

Accommodation

12 nights on safari we stay at chalets, tented lodges and guest houses, with en suite facilities. On Mumbo Island 2 of the tented rooms share a bathroom – rooms will be allocated by guides. 3 night camping – for 1 night we “camp wild” without fences in the wilderness on an island in the Zambezi and 2 nights in a formal campsite in Liwonde. (Sunway will provide tents, mats and chairs, but you will need to bring your own sleeping bag).

Guide

2 Sunway tour guides – group leaders are the key to any safari. On a Sunway safari you will travel with 2 qualified and registered field guides (Field Guides Association of SA). Two guides as crew, not a guide and a driver, means interesting trips with maximum knowledge and information. Our guides have a passion for Africa, her people and her wildlife, and they love nothing more than sharing their knowledge with you

Others

Lower Zambezi – canoeing South Luangwa NP – game walk & 4WD game drives Mulanje Massif – tea plantations, hiking Liwonde – boat cruise & game drive Lake Malawi – snorkeling & island beaches

Meals

15 breakfasts, 14 lunches & 5 dinners are included. Of which; 12 breakfasts and 1 dinner are provided by the lodges. The remaining included meals are prepared by the Sunway crew at the vehicle & enjoyed around the campfire.

Not included:

Flights

International flights excluded

Insurance

Insurance not included

Optional

Game walks & game drives (South Luangwe) kayak hire and snorkelling gear (Lake Malawi)

Others

Local Payment of US$ 300 per person, this is to be paid in cash to the guides on departure.

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Day 1 Day 1: Lusaka
12:00 am - 11:59 pm

Day 1: Lusaka

The group will meet in Lusaka, in Zambia, at 16:00 at the lodge. This evening, after the tour briefing, we have a group dinner at the lodge (own expense).
Day 2 Kafue River
12:00 am - 11:59 pm

Kafue River

A long drive takes us across the rolling Miombo forested hills of southern Zambia and down into the Zambezi Valley lowlands and our lodge on the banks of the Kafue River. Being a major tributary to the Zambezi River it is the largest and longest river lying entirely within Zambia. We overnight on its banks and enjoy the sunset from the elevated deck.
Day 3 Day 3-4: Lower Zambezi Canoeing
12:00 am - 11:59 pm

Day 3-4: Lower Zambezi Canoeing

We paddle down the mighty Zambezi River, home of the tribal mythical god - Nyami Nyami. Canoeing past local riverside villages and magnificent scenery. We overnight at a wild campsite on Elephant Bones Island in the heart of untamed Africa. The following morning we continue our canoe safari through an area teaming with elephants, hippos and other wildlife. We will be collected by a motorboat, and transferred back up river to our lodge.
Day 4 Day 5: Lusaka – Great East Road
12:00 am - 11:59 pm

Day 5: Lusaka – Great East Road

We head north to Lusaka the capital of Zambia where we stock up on supplies in the bustling shops and markets. Taking the Great East Road we drive this afternoon, passing small villages and street side-markets, until sunset reaching the small town of Petauke.
Day 5 South Luangwa National Park
12:00 am - 11:59 pm

South Luangwa National Park

Make our way down into “the valley” of the South Luangwa National Park. This remote region is one of Africa’s finest wildlife sanctuaries where elephants, hippo, lion and leopard abound. Our lodge, on the banks of the Luangwa River, overlooks the national park and you can frequently see hippos and elephants from the camp swimming pool!

We explore the game management area and the national park on a game walk and open 4WD game drives, one at night with spotlights, to see nocturnal animals. (In the green season, Dec – Apr, walks may not be possible in which case we’ll do extra game drives).

There is time on the last afternoon either to relax in camp or take another game walk, game drive or village visit activity (own expense).
Day 6 Day 9: Lilongwe
12:00 am - 11:59 pm

Day 9: Lilongwe

We cross the border at Chipata into Malawi and make our way to the capital Lilongwe where we restock

on supplies. The afternoon is free to wander the town or search the markets.
Day 7 Mulanje Massif
12:00 am - 11:59 pm

Mulanje Massif

We tour one of Malawi’s famous tea plantations in the Thyolo region before making our way to our lodge in Mulanje. Mount Mulanje’s bare rock flanks tower to almost 3002m, dwarfing all that surrounds it, and influencing cloud patterns in the area, making it an important source of rain water at the head of almost every river in this part of southern Malawi. Formed about 130 million years ago, the first European to see the Massif was David Livingstone in 1859, but archaeological investigation reveals evidence of human activity since the Stone Ages. We take a day walk on the slopes to see the streams, waterfalls and towering peaks.
Day 8 Liwonde
12:00 am - 11:59 pm

Liwonde

Ancient baobab trees and lofty palms provide the backdrop for this magnificent southern Malawi reserve. Covering 548 km² of the upper Shire River plains and valley slopes, Liwonde harbours Malawi’s largest remaining elephant population and the critically endangered Black Rhino. The River Shire flows along its western border, allowing us to enjoy a boat safari, and we’ll game drive in our tour vehicle through the grassland and woodland habitats in search of leopards, elephants, hippos, antelopes and rare Lilian’s lovebirds.
Day 9 Lake Malawi
12:00 am - 11:59 pm

Lake Malawi

Lake Malawi is the jewel of Malawi and one the Great Rift Valley lakes. We head to the Lake Malawi National Park where we take a boat to the secluded tropical Mumbo Island, near Cape Maclear. The rustic lodge is an idyllic paradise with kayaks and snorkelling gear available to explore the island and snorkel with the jewelled fish, the endemic Cichlids. The friendly people of Malawi make it the “warm heart of Africa”.
Day 10 Lilongwe
12:00 am - 11:59 pm

Lilongwe

Wake up to the sound of the birds on your own paradise island. Roll out of bed and head down to the beach to soak a morning of sun and relaxation or take a kayak for a paddle around the island. Stop to snorkel and be amazed by the sheer variety of colour fish. Later we catch the ferry back to mainland where we climb back onto our truck and return to Lilongwe, sun-tanned, laid-back and ready to re-join life.
Day 11 Lilongwe – Tour Ends
12:00 am - 11:59 pm

Lilongwe – Tour Ends

Tour ends at 08:00am at the hotel.

Breakfast provided by the lodge

16 days tour

Zambia & Malawi "Livingstone Trail"

This tour includes:

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Start planning your experience

Itinerary of your trip Zambia & Malawi "Livingstone Trail"

Day 1: Lusaka

Kafue River

Day 3-4: Lower Zambezi Canoeing

Day 5: Lusaka – Great East Road

South Luangwa National Park

Day 9: Lilongwe

Mulanje Massif

Liwonde

Lake Malawi

Lilongwe

Lilongwe – Tour Ends

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