Vintage Classic Walking Safari - 4 days

The elegant adventure of a 1920s walking safari
Our intention is to offer our guests a unique experience of the Zambezi wilderness area. The attraction of an exclusive, classic walking safari with portable mobile camp, and the thrill of seeing some of Africa's most prolific wildlife will ensure that visitors will leave having appreciated an extraordinary journey.

From the moment our guests arrive they are transported to a bygone age, an echo of the 1920s, and will be without need of motorized transportation until they leave.

The Walking Safari
There is nothing quite like a walk through the African bush. Not only does the excitement of encounters with big game on foot, but also the detail of the environment, leave one with an intimate appreciation of creation.

Our mobile walking safaris take place within the Chiawa Game Management Area and the Zambezia Wildlife Sanctuary, protected wildlife areas adjacent to the Lower Zambezi National Park. We walk from the Zambezi River itself into the uncharted wilds of the Zambezi escarpment hills to the north. Without roads and accessible only by foot, the area is outstandingly beautiful and each party on safari has endless miles of pristine, remote bush to explore.

The area is home to an abundance of animal species, with the most prolific big game populations inhabiting the flatlands close to the Zambezi River. Throughout the safari we are likely to find a fascinating diversity of wildlife, from elephants, lion, leopard and antelopes, to a wide variety of birdlife.

Each safari takes place entirely at the pace required of each group. Routes and exploration are endless.

The fully-appointed mobile camp, including gramophone and squeeze box for an occasional soiree, provides all the elegance and comfort of travel in style, and our guests will immediately recognize the pleasures of a walking safari from another age.

Sample Itinerary - Each trek is planned to fit the best interests of the group

Day 1: Lower Zambezi
Arrive in Lusaka in the morning and board a 25-minute private flight to the Kayila bush airstrip where you are met by the Vintage Africa Safaris team. Then walk 10 to 15 minutes to your camp, an echo of the 1920s, set on the banks of the Zambezi.

There is nothing quite like a walk through the African bush, and the day is spent undertaking introductory walks in the surrounding area. Not only does the excitement of encounters with big game on foot, but also the detail of the environment, leave one with an intimate appreciation of creation.

Vintage Africa Safaris' fully-appointed mobile camp provides all the elegance and comfort of travel from a bygone age classic, spacious tentage and first-class dining under the African Sky.

Day 2: Lower Zambezi
A full day to explore the area. You might decide to walk into the hills for a picnic lunch by a spring and enjoy a fantastic panorama of the Zambezi Valley. Later you return to your camp by the river. Walks are led by your guide and host.

Day 3: Lower Zambezi into the foothills
You break camp early to travel into the foothills of the escarpment. As you walk into undeveloped wilderness, the whole camp is transported and set nearby a river that runs from the hills. Your walk brings you through a game-rich area and you take time to learn more about the area's wildlife, tracks and signs, birds, vegetation and bush lore. If fresh tracks are found you can follow them and experience the thrill of walking up to animals, all the while safely guarded by an armed guide and an armed game scout. You arrive at the new site for tea.

Day 4: Lower Zambezi back to the Zambezi
After 3 days of travel you either return to the river for a final night on its banks, or you spend the last night in the foothills of the escarpment. The choice is yours!

Last Morning - You travel towards the airstrip for breakfast before your departure.

Details

The Mobile Camp
Guests will enjoy a high degree of comfort whilst traveling on a vintage safari: fine dining, elegant attention to detail, and custom-built, traditional-style two-person white tents with canvas basins, water on tap and hot showers. Discrete traditional bush toilets are also dug. Everything is provided for a successful safari.

Depending on chosen route and number of available days, camp can either move daily or stay in a particularly attractive site. Route and camp options are discussed on a regular basis to best suit the group's wishes.

Length of Journey
Treks are presently 4 days in length. If you are interested in a longer walking period, please contact us. We suggest that you consider our safaris that include journeys into other areas and give you an even richer experience of a unique wilderness area.

Meals
All meals are served with characteristic elegance. Breakfast is flexible: on some mornings it is best to rise early and to begin walking in the cool and crisp dawn, after tea or coffee and a light breakfast of toast and cereal. Alternatively, if we have decided that camp should not be moved, we can return from an early walk to enjoy a full breakfast. Lunches are served at the campsite or as picnics on lengthier walks. Delicious three-course dinners made with fresh ingredients are served by candlelight under the stars and beside a campfire. Our extremely versatile chefs bake bread daily on open fires. We are self-sufficient and also carry plenty of ice.

Drinks
All cordials, sodas, beers, spirits and wines are provided. Ice and lemon are supplied for drinks.

Group sizes and age restrictions
Our safaris are exclusive: in the past we have catered to only one party at a time whilst on trek. The increased demand from single individuals and small groups wanting to join other walkers allows us to offer more options. For example, you choose a trip date and we can include you in a group or suggest other dates. Of course, you can also make this an exclusive safari for you and your friends/family. Participants must be 12 or older but consult with us for options for the younger children.

Walking - Safety
Every safari is carefully planned to ensure our guests' safety. Your guide leads each foray into the bush and carries a heavy-calibre rifle. An armed game scout also provides backup for guides on each outing. Before the trek all visitors are given a full safety briefing that outlines the procedure for approaching game on foot.

VHF radio contact with base camp is maintained to ensure assistance should there be a need for urgent medical attention or evacuation by aircraft. A comprehensive first aid kit is carried at all times.

Terrain
The Zambezi Valley offers flat bush-and-woodland terrain for easy walking through abundant wildlife.

The escarpment hills rise dramatically to the north of the Zambezi. Once up in the foothills overlooking the valley below, the terrain to the north is predominantly undulating with steep valleys and grassed ridges. Beyond the escarpment ridge are extensive Miombo forests with some stretching grassland plateaus. Elephant paths traverse the area, providing the most perfectly engineered routes up steep inclines. Big game is not as easily found here as in areas close to the Zambezi River, although elephant are often seen; there is every chance of encounters with a variety of species, like klipspringer and sable antelopes found only in hilly country. A variety of riverine hardwoods often fringe valleys, as do the numerous natural springs found throughout the hills.

Fitness and Health
Guests should be able to walk comfortably for up to 3 or 4 hours at a time and enjoy reasonable health.

Malaria prophylactics are encouraged, as is any personal medication that one could require once on safari. Personal medical insurance is essential.

Permanent Camps
Vintage Africa Safaris is committed to offering visitors to Zambia a unique and unforgettable experience, in particular within the Lower Zambezi Valley.

To this end, a flexible itinerary including both the walking safari plus an onward trip to any of the Lower Zambezi National Parks' best camps and lodges is available. A visit to other Zambian quality destinations, such as Livingstone and the Victoria Falls, can also be arranged. See our other safaris for more information.

Activities
Game viewing: the emphasis of a Vintage Africa Safaris experience is on walking amongst wildlife in some of the most remote and inaccessible parts of the Zambezi Valley, recreating the age of travel before the advent of the motor.

When walking one takes in the detail of the bush and gets a chance to safely approach game on foot and experience the subtleties of the wild through tracking, birding and learning about natural history and bush lore.

Fishing opportunities during days spent at our river sites abound. The Zambezi is famous for its tiger fish that becomes ferocious when hooked. Zambezi bream is also an excellent eating fish. Rods and tackle are available.

Canoe trips down the Zambezi provide other unique experiences. They are included in all our other trips.

What to Bring
Comfortable walking shoes, binoculars, sunscreen, malaria prophylactics, personal medication and suitable safari clothing, including sunhat and warm layers for cool evenings.

A detailed suggested kit/clothing list will be sent upon booking.

Access
Transfers by light aircraft to and from Lusaka (a 30-minute journey) are recommended. We can easily arrange flights as per our guest's itinerary.

What is included
Full-board accommodation, laundry, wines, spirits, beers and soft drinks, game-viewing and fishing.