Description
Luwi Bush Camp is the remotest bush camp in the Norman Carr Safaris family, and is reached by a two and a half hour game drive transfer through some of the park's remotest areas.
Luwi Bush Camp has just four reed and thatch chalets, each individually designed to blend in with the surroundings. Two of the chalets have enclosed bathrooms, and the third and fourth, the honeymoon suite, have bathrooms open to the air. The honeymoon suite has a novel design, with the whole front wall attached by hinges, so the front of the chalet can be fully swung open, like a door, which creates a secluded deck area where private dinners can be served. Each chalet nestles under the shade of towering mahogany, sausage and wild oleander trees, which form a lush oasis in the middle of the Luwi plains.
In the centre of the camp there is a simple main bar area, and the dining table is set outside under the stars. There is also a hammock tree, a small library (containing a selection of reference books and several written by Norman Carr himself) and, towards the front of the camp and overlooking the Luwi Plain, a selection of comfortable chairs surrounding a fire pit. Around the fire is where guests will meet in the mornings before heading out on a walk.
A mere five minutes walk from camp you will find the two permanent Luwi lagoons - teeming with hippos and crocodiles, and attracting a good variety of game, particularly in the drier months of the season. Here there is a hippo hide - built into the riverbank, and looking down on the lagoon, this is a perfect spot for keen photographers to get some lovely shots, not only of the hippos and crocodiles, but of the prolific birdlife around the lagoon. Often, families of elephant will come down to drink and bathe in the water.
The activities at Luwi focus mainly on walking safaris into the pristine area surrounding the camp, and generally finishing at the lagoon for some hippo viewing. There is an option to drive occasionally, but the roads in this area are few, and the area lends itself perfectly to walking and exploration.
Luwi combines perfectly with its sister camps - Nsolo, which is also on the Luwi sand river, Kakuli, which is on the confluence of the Luwi and the main Luangwa River, and Mchenja, which is on a sweeping bend of the Luangwa, sheltered in a towering grove of ebony trees.
Accommodation
Luwi Bush Camp has four thatched chalets, all en-suite. Two have enclosed bathrooms and two have bathrooms open to the skies. Chalet 4 is the honeymoon chalet, with an enclosed and private deck.
Childcare
Children under the age of twelve are not accepted at Luwi Bush Camp, as this is the minimum age for walking. Children aged twelve to sixteen are able to walk if they are accompanied by a parent or guardian. As the camp is in a wildlife-dense area, children are asked to be with an adult at all times.
Facilities
In the centre of the camp there is a simple main bar area, and the dining table is set outside under the stars. There is also a hammock tree, a small library (containing a selection of reference books and several written by Norman Carr himself)
Activities
Due to the remoteness of Luwi Bush Camp, there are very few roads nearby and so the activities from here focuses primarily on walking safaris. There is also a hippo hide overlooking the lagoon which is source of great entertainment as guests watch and listen to the snorting, sometimes fighting, hippos just metres away.
When to travel
Luwi Bush camp is open from- 1 June to 31 October.
Zambia has a moderate to sub-tropical climate with three distinct seasons: from November to March is the Emerald, or the rainy season, April to July is Zambia's winter, when the weather is cool and dry, and August to October is summer, when the weather is hot and dry. In terms of game-viewing, the dryer months, meaning a higher concentration of game at the permanent water sources, are a superb time to visit. Alternatively come for some superb bird-watching at the end of the rains.
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Best time to visit
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Average time to visit
Not applicable
Location and directions
Luangwa Valley, Zambia
Luwi stands in a small grove of mahogany and sausage trees, near the Luwi river, a dry sand bed throughout most of the year, in the South Luangwa game reserve.
How to get there
10 hour international flight to Kenneth Kaunda International Airport, Lusaka. After a 70-minute flight from Lusaka, you arrive at Mfuwe Airport where you are met for a game drive transfer to camp, through South Luangwa National Park which takes approximately 2 hours.
