Luangwa Safari House

Entrance to the house is through a massive wooden door, which opens into an open-fronted, atrium-like lounge and dining room. The architecture is impressive, with high ceilings, enormous leadwood-trunk supports, and walls open to the views. The lounge, furnished with three large sofas, leads out to a tiled veranda with a lovely rim-flow pool, and, to one side, a wooden walkway that passes to a deck with a front-row view of a seasonal lagoon. The house is open year-round.

There are four spacious double rooms – two upstairs (accessed via floating staircases) and two downstairs. All are open-fronted (the lower rooms have canvas blinds), so they really make you feel part of the action. Mosquito nets drape the king-sized beds, and each room has its own en-suite bathroom and private veranda or balcony. The architect has made interesting use of materials in his design, from recycled aluminium and weathered wood to local marble and an opulent copper bathtub.

With its meandering river, oxbow lagoons, woodlands and plains, and the huge concentrations of game that live here, South Luangwa certainly offers rich pickings. Activities include daytime game drives in the national park (a pontoon lies between the house and the action!), night drives in the game management area around the house (watch for bushbaby, porcupine and white-tailed mongoose), and foot safaris with an armed ranger and guide. Go birdwatching or visit the wildlife education centre at nearby Kawaza village.