Explore the un-spoilt wilderness areas of Western Zambia. See the mighty Zambezi River plunge over the awe inspiring Victoria Falls, and then follow the second largest wildebeest migration in Africa. We explore the immense wilderness area of Kafue National Park, before visiting the Chimfuzi Wildlife Orphanage which cares for sick and wounded animals, with the focus being in Chimpanzees. 
 

WESTERN ZAMBIA
EXPEDITION SAFARI 
“Liuwa & Chimpanzees”
CAMPING EXPEDITION

13 days small group participation camping expedition     
Guaranteed from 4 participants, maximum group size: 8 participants
DEPARTS:  LUSAKA  at 16:00pm     
ENDS:   LIVINGSTONE at +/-14:00pm

Expedition Highlights:
* Livingstone
* Liuwa Plains National Park
* Kafue National Park
* Busanga Plain

EXPEDITION PLAN

Day 1  LUSAKA [camping Bx1 - -]
(B=breakfast, L=lunch, D=dinner)
The group will meet at Lusaka. Following an expedition briefing, and settling into our campsite we travel through the industrial heartland of Zambia – The Copperbelt - the area's production of copper and cobalt are of global importance. 
Planned stops:  1 nights in Lusaka
Includes: -   
Overnight:  Campsite – good ablution facilities, hot showers, swimming pool, restaurant & bar
Optional Activities: -
Distance/time: -

Day 2 - 6   KAFUE NATIONAL PARK [camping BLD]
Found in the centre of western Zambia, Kafue National Park is the oldest of Zambia's national parks covering a massive 22500 square kilometres. First established as national park in the 1950s, Kafue is one of the largest national parks in the whole of Africa. Despite its size and prominent location, it remains little known and largely unexplored. It is fed by three rivers, the Lufupa in the north-west and the Lunga and Kafue in the north-east. The Lufupa River floods in the summer (December to April), creating a large floodplain delta system that attracts thousands of waterbirds. The Lunga and Kafue rivers are wide and slow-flowing, banded by riverine forest.
Habitats in the park are diverse, and include floodplains, miombo woodland and dambos (grasslands which become marshy in the rainy season). It has good concentrations of plains game and their predators as well as the largest species diversity in Zambia, including animals that are rare or non-existent in other southern African countries, such as Lichtenstein's hartebeest, roan antelope, Defassa waterbuck and oribi. Birdlife is spectacular, consisting of 491 species.
Planned stops:  1 night en route Kafue, 2 nights camping on the border of the Kafue NP
Includes:   Entrance fees for 2 full days inside the Kafue NP
Overnight:  Campsite – basic facilities, hot showers & flush toilets
Optional Activities: boat cruise on Kafue River
Distance/time: Livingstone – Kafue National Park; 450kms ± 12½ hours

Day 7 – 9 LIUWA PLAINS [camping BLD]
This remote park in the far west is pristine wilderness, which to the ardent bush lover, makes it its biggest attraction and the rewards are great. The game is spread out across the plains and takes some driving around to find. But to come upon a vast herd of blue wildebeest, a prowling wild dog, a dozing pride of lion in this forgotten piece of Africa is especially fascinating because of its completely natural and uncommercialised state. The birdlife is abundant and the very dramatic storms and lightning rising up on the horizon, contrasting with the green and gold grasslands create views of spectacular magnitude and fantastic photographic opportunities. In November, with the onset of the rains, the massive herds of blue wildebeest arrive from Angola, traversing the plains in their thousands, very often mingling with zebra along the way or gathering around water holes and pans. Other unusual antelope found include oribi, red lechwe, steinbuck, duiker, tsessebe and roan. The Jackal, serval, wildcat, wild dog as well as lion and hyena are the predators of the area. Many birds migrate here during the rains and massive flocks of birds can be seen as they migrate south. The plains are dotted with woodlands which also make for excellent birding.
Planned stops: 2 nights en route to Mongu, 4 nights in Liuwa Plains NP
Includes: Entrance fees for 4 days inside Liuwa Plains NP
Distance/time:  Kafue National Park – Liuwa Plains; 350kms ± 8 hours.
Overnight:  Campsite – basic facilities

Day 10 - 11   BUSANGA [camping BLD]
The Busanga Plain found in the north-west is regarded as the jewel in the crown of the Kafue NP. Busanga is a wide flood plain which is inundated for much of the year, generating expanses of grazing and lush water meadows for thousands of red lechwe and Cape buffalo; birdlife is prolific.
The Plain is also renowned for frequent sightings of lion, leopard and cheetah.  The Busanga lion prides in particular are “must see” for any safari to Kafue.
Road conditions in the northern portion of the Kafue NP in November may be very muddy which could affect our ability to reach the Busanga Plains. It all depends on how early the rains arrive. There are also no formal campsites available in the Busanga Plains area, so we will do day game drives to the area from our base in Lufupa. The order of days 9-14 may be altered to make best use of time available to visit Busanga.
Planned stops:  3 nights camping in the Kafue NP
Includes:   Entrance fees for 3 days inside the Kafue NP.
Overnight:  Campsite – basic facilities, hot showers & flush toilets
Distance/time: -

Day 12 - 13    LIVINGSTONE - VICTORIA FALLS – TOUR ENDS [- BX2 - -]
The group will stay at the Waterfront campsite in Livingstone Zambia. We have time to explore the Victoria Falls, a natural wonder of the world, plunging into the Zambezi Gorge. Adventure activities abound, white water rafting on the mighty Zambezi, or a 111m bungi jump (own expense).
Planned stops:  2 nights in Livingstone
Includes: Entrance to Victoria Falls on the Zambian side
Overnight: Campsite - good ablution facilities, hot showers, swimming pool, restaurant & bar
Optional Activities: White water rafting, sunset cruises, scenic flights & many more.
Distance/time: -

Please note: The distance and travel times quoted above are an estimate only, and subject to local road conditions and photo stops!

RACK Price: € 2550,00 pps + local payment of US$ 400
Single supplement: € 85
Single tent supplement is applicable to the camping nights only.

Includes
* 20 nights camping
* Entrance fees
* Use of camping equipment (except sleeping bags & pillow)
* Transport in 4WD vehicle
* Meals as per itinerary
* Professional guide

DETAILED TOUR INFO

Why travel on an Expedition Trip.
Sunway Safaris have been running mobile camping & accommodated safaris throughout Southern Africa for the past 19 years. Our extensive knowledge and experience in African travel means that we are confident that we can safely take you to those remote and wild areas of Africa that many people dream about but who are daunted by the prospect of travelling on their own. You can rely on our knowledgeable and experienced tour leaders to take you to these out of the way places.

•Experienced African Travelers – By offering the Expedition trips to people who have travelled to Africa before, and who are aware of the sometimes very difficult travelling conditions, you will only be travelling with adventure minded travelers. The Expedition trips will be limited to a maximum of 8 people ensuring you experience Africa in a small an intimate group of like minded people.

•Sunway tour guides – group leaders are the key to any safari. On a Sunway Expedition safari you will travel with one of our most experienced guides who are confident of travelling off the beaten track. Your guide has a passion for Africa, her people and her wildlife, and they love nothing more than sharing his/her knowledge with you.

•Participation – An essential part of an Expedition trip is your participation. If the small group all pulls together and when the going gets tough, you are all there to help out. Putting up and taking down your tents is the easy part. Helping get the vehicle out of the thick sand, planning your route through thick mud, being a full participating member of the Expedition will only enhance your enjoyment of your out there African experience.

•Safety – All of our vehicles are custom built to ensure comfortable and safe touring. Each is constructed, by an authorised passenger vehicle builder, to the latest safety requirements, with a safety shell, and every seat has a lap belt. This gives you peace of mind when travelling with Sunway Safaris on the often demanding African roads.

•Responsible travel - Our commitment to sustainable & responsible tourism is reflected in our low impact travel style where all we take is photographs and all we leave is our footprints. Being an African company we have the grassroots contacts to make a real difference in the lives of the people whose lands we visit.
•On each itinerary in the brochure you’ll find this symbol which highlights just one of the sustainable travel initiatives that we support.

•Experience - We have more than 19 years experience planning tours throughout Southern Africa. As such, our itineraries and routes have been perfected over many years ensuring that your tour will run smoothly. We visit the highlights of Southern Africa, but ensure that you do not follow the well trodden tourist track. All of us at Sunway Safaris have extensive travel experience in Africa, and throughout the world.
•Being adventure travellers ourselves, we know how to plan trips that give you a broad experience of the countries that you will visit.

•Based in Africa - probably the most important part of a Sunway safari is that we are an African company. We live in Africa, we travel in Africa and it is our passion for this amazing continent that makes Sunway your best travel option.

Accommodation
•Camping – where possible we will stay at designated campsites in national parks, on private land and in towns. Campsite facilities are generally very good but in places can be basic. There are hot and cold showers, restaurants, washing facilities and telephones available at most of the campsites. Some camps have simple reed enclosures for showers but do have flush toilets! On other nights in expedition trips we may be forced to stay wherever we can find a campsite, this could even be an unscheduled wild camping night.
Sunway supplies all the camping equipment with the exception of your sleeping bag and pillow. The dome tents we use are 2.2 x 2.2 x 1.8 meters and putting them up or down takes only 5 minutes. Tents have built-in insect nets. We supply mattresses, which are about 5 cm thick, warm and comfortable. The camp chairs have a backrest.
•Wild camping - Wild camps have no facilities; we will need to take our own water and all equipment. Wild camping can be very enjoyable but please remember that we leave no trace of our stay and take all rubbish away with us. Toilets will be of the “dig and bury” variety and a simple bucket bush shower will be provided.
•Accommodation – there may on occasion be campsites with rooms / chalets available. Sunway has budgeted for camping night, and therefore should you wish to upgrade on arrival at the campsite, this would be for your own expense, subject to availability of rooms. Sunway would pay the cost of camping, any extra would be for your own expense. This gives you the flexibility to use accommodation as you find it, at your own budget (and depending on the weather on the day).

Transport
•Expedition vehicle – the Sunway Safaris expedition vehicle will be used for all portions of the tour. The vehicle is designed to handle all road conditions expected on the route. Depending on the group size we may tow a trailer for equipment. The vehicle has closed sides with opening glass windows. Individual seats for each client. There are a couple of long days of travelling but the vehicles have a comfortable cruising speed. The emphasis of the trip is “getting out and doing things”.

Local Payment
•A local payment is required on this safari and this will be collected by your tour leader on departure. The local payment forms part of your overall tour cost, and must be taken into consideration when booking your safari. It will be used by your tour leaders to pay for some of the operational costs incurred on safari.
Sunway prepays by bank transfer, as many of the tour costs as possible. However, in many cases, a cash payment is the only option: certain of the destinations that we visit, only accept cash. For example entry fees to most national parks, some of the campsites and also local food markets (and even some shops) are only payable in cash. In addition, each Sunway vehicle has a garage card but these are only accepted in South Africa and parts of Namibia, therefore in all other countries, fuel must be paid for in cash. Due to the remoteness of some departure points, having a local payment system enables us to manage tour funds effectively. The efficiency of this system helps keep the overall tour prices down.
For these reasons, it is necessary for Sunway to charge a local payment. It also ensures that a portion of the tour costs goes directly into the country you are visiting, thereby benefiting local communities and contributing to the conservation of the areas we visit. This is all part of Sunway Safaris’ ongoing effort to operate sustainable safaris that make a real difference.

Participation
•An essential part of your expedition is participation – from putting up your tent or packing away in the morning to helping with meal preparation and cleaning up – it’s all part of your adventure and when everyone puts in a little effort the trip will run smoothly. Your tour leader will do all the meal planning and food shopping however all participants will need to help with food preparation and washing up. At border crossings the expedition leader will need help from the participants in queuing for paperwork etc. In the unlikely event of a vehicle breakdown (such as flat tyre), or the more likely event of vehicle becoming stuck in mud or sand, everyone will need to help solve the problem and get the group out of the situation. Team spirit is part of the fun!

Recommended reading
Before you travel you might want to read any of the following books. While not specific to the Sunway tour you will join, they do provide some background understanding of the countries you will be visiting.
•Long Walk to Freedom by Nelson Mandela (Autobiography - Nelson Mandela is one of the great moral and political leaders of our time.)
•Cry the Beloved Country by Alan Paton (Is the deeply moving story of the Zulu pastor Stephen Kumalo and his son Absalom. A classic work of love and hope, courage and endurance, born of the dignity of man.)
•The Power of One by Bryce Courtenay (Story of one young man's search for the love that binds friends, the passion that binds lovers, and the realization that it takes only one to change the world.)
•The Covenant by James A. Mitchener (The best and worst of two continents carve an empire out of the vast wilderness that is to become South Africa.)
•Jock of the Bushveld by J Percy FitzPatrick (Story of a trader and his dog set in 1880 around Pilgrim’s Rest and Kruger area)
•When The Lion Feeds by Smith Wilbur (Fictional story set in Natal, South Africa in the 1870’s)
•A Time To Die by Wilbur Smith (Fictional adventure through Zimbabwe and Mozambique)
•The Steps of the Sun by Joanna Trollope (Love story set during the Boer War)
•Newman's Birds of Southern Africa by Kenneth Newman
•Sasol Birds of Southern Africa by Ian Sinclair, Phil Hockey, and W.R. Tarboton
•The Safari Companion: A Guide to Watching African Mammals Including Hoofed Mammals, Carnivores, and Primates by Richard D. Estes and Daniel Otte
•Field Guide to Trees of Southern Africa (Field Guides) by Braam Van Wyk, Keith Coates Palgrav, and Piet Van Wyk

Food
•We pride ourselves on giving very good healthy meals to our clients and will provide three meals per day, except as shown in the itinerary. For those meals we will eat at local restaurants.
•The tour leaders do the shopping and meal planning for each group. He/she will always try to obtain fresh produce wherever possible. A rough idea of what these will consist of is: Breakfast - cereals or coffee and toast or the occasional fried breakfast, Lunch - cheese, cold meats, salads on bread or rolls, Dinner - braais (local barbecue), potjies (stews), stir fries etc. We use regular plates, cups and cutlery. All cooking and eating utensils will also be provided.
•We do cater for special dietary requirements (e.g. vegetarian or allergies.)
•We will supply fruit squash served with breakfast and tea or coffee served with breakfast and dinner. All other beverages will be for your own expense. We will not supply bottled drinking water although it is available at many shops on tour.