South Luangwa
The quintessential bush camp, Luwi occupies an enviable location in the heart of the South Luangwa National Park. Aside from sister camp Nsolo, Luwi is the only camp in the area and activities focus on walking through the untouched and pristine bush. With the nearby lagoon drawing animals from the surrounding plains there is never a shortage of wildlife to discover and the birdlife is an ornithologist’s dream. Quite simply, Luwi is secluded luxury at its best and a stay here is intimate and very, very exclusive.
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A cathedral of ancient mahogany trees provide most of the shade at Luwi but there is a small thatch roof covering the cosy bar area in the centre of camp. Comfortable lounge chairs surround the permanent outside fireplace, making it the perfect spot for a cup of tea and slice of cake at Afternoon Tea and a gin and tonic and shared safari tales in the evening. Dining is al-fresco both during the day and at night.
Individually designed, the 4 grass and thatch rooms make the most of the surrounding wilderness and are built around huge trees and hanging branches. Rooms 1 and 2 are our favourite, with large grass ‘French windows’ opening out to private terraces with polished mud floors. All have an outside private seating area and vast king size beds (twins available) with stunning views down to the riverbed. Bathrooms are open air and spacious and have hot running showers, fluffy towels and delicious toiletries to boot.
With only a few roads looping through the area, activities focus on walking safaris through the dry Luwi riverbed and surrounding miombo woodland. Walks leave straight from camp and usually last 3 – 4 hours in the morning, ending back at Luwi or Nsolo, the next camp in the Norman Carr circuit. In the evening, walks end with a sundowner as darkness falls before meeting a vehicle and continuing on a short night drive.
You’ll be treated like royalty by a team who have worked together for many years and know everything there is about the bush.
You never know what you’re going to come across wildlife-wise, but Luwi is about taking things slowly and appreciating the smaller aspects of the bush. Remember this and you’ll have a whale of a time.
With grass walls, sandy floors and reed doors, this isn’t the camp if you’re nervous about things that go bump in the night!
The Time + Tide Foundation is dedicated to preserving natural environments and supporting nearby communities, and guests contribute to sustainability purely by visiting their properties. The foundation focuses on community and school-based learning, female empowerment, health, and wildlife conservation. Through initiatives like student sponsorship, it aims to ensure the long-term prosperity of wildlife economies and foster positive social change in Time + Tide communities. A contribution of $10 per guest, which is included in the nightly rate, goes towards the above goals.
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