Extended game drives with top guides are almost always included in your South Luangwa safari, representing the best possible chance of getting close to the most diverse range of animals. It’s usually an early start for breakfast before setting off on a drive as the sun slowly rises: a cool but utterly enchanting time to be on the road, as the bush slowly wakes up and wildlife emerges to face the day. There are frequent stops to view animals, learn about the flora and fauna from your guide, take photographs and enjoy refreshments.
In the “gateway” Mfuwe area there is a good network of well-maintained tracks and a large volume of wildlife that is well accustomed to humans and vehicles, making them less skittish when approached. In more remote areas, where game drives are enjoyed from the various bushcamps, you will usually have the wildlife entirely to yourself, with no other vehicles in sight. Unlike some of Africa’s other game viewing hotspots, there are few restrictions on off-road driving and very little radio contact between vehicles to ensure that Big 5 sightings are virtually guaranteed, with an attendant gathering of vehicles to share the experience. Instead this is game viewing as it used to be, with the guide using all their skills to find animals in their natural habitat. During your stay we can guarantee elephant, hippo, antelope and an array of birdlife, with lion, buffalo and giraffe extremely likely and a strong likelihood of leopard sightings.
