Zambia
To get our mini brochure for this holiday please click here, and we will email you a PDF copy.
Day One: Straight to safari
Welcome to Zambia. It’s an easy transfer to your lodge for the night – around 20 minutes by private car. Depending on your category of accommodation, you’ll spend the next four nights at:
Classic Hotel : Victoria Falls Waterfront Lodge, in a great position between the falls and Livingstone Town, with stunning river views from its restaurant. Bed and breakfast is included with this option.
Premium Hotel : The luxurious David Livingstone Safari Lodge, with its incredible views over the falls from a privileged position in the Mosi-Oa-Tunya National Park. Dinner, bed and breakfast is included with this option.
You’ll have time to check-in and refresh, then you’ll enjoy a cruise along the Zambezi river as the sun sets and the animals come to the water for their last drink of the day. As the sky darkens from rose to deep purple, watch silhouetted birds flit across it and hear the soothing sound of the water below. You’ll then return to your chosen lodge for the night.
Overnight at your chosen lodge
Meals included: None (Dinner, with the David Livingstone Lodge option).
Day Two: Big cats and bungees
After breakfast, you’ll have the chance of a lifetime to walk with cheetah. During this unique experience, you’ll visit the Mukuni Research Centre, which has an ongoing cheetah conservation programme. After a safety briefing, you’ll spend an hour with cheetahs who have been rescued by the programme, walking them on leads, playing with them and learning more about the species. You’ll get as close as possible to these beautiful creatures. Afterwards, you’ll return to your lodge for lunch, and then visit the majestic Victoria Falls with a private guide. Named as one of the Seven Natural Wonders of the World and called ‘The Smoke That Thunders’ in the local language, Victoria Falls is the largest waterfall in the world and a sight of epic proportions. Take in its hugeness and then prepare to tackle it – from the Victoria Falls Bungee Bridge. As you ready yourself to jump, you’ll see spectacular views of the Zambezi River flowing into the Batoka Gorge, right on the border between Zambia and Zimbabwe; then you’ll head 111 metres down on a bungee rope, on a never-to-be-forgotten leap into the unknown.
Overnight at your chosen lodge
Meals included: Dependent on lodge choice
Day Three: Safari in Chobe
It’s an early start this morning, as you travel across the border to Botswana’s first national park, Chobe. Due to a high concentration of wildlife, this is one of the best places to view animals in the world, especially lion and elephant. You’ll get there by boat along the Zambezi River, passing the point where four countries meet (Zambia, Zimbabwe, Botswana and Namibia), and then you’ll transfer onto a River Safari along the Chobe River. Relax with drinks and snacks as you drift past groups of hippo, huge crocodiles and gigantic flocks of birds, then disembark for lunch at a lodge overlooking the river. Afterwards, you’ll head out into the Chobe National Park by open-top vehicle, spotting darting impala and strolling elephant on a game drive, before returning to your lodge in Zambia for the night.
Overnight at your chosen lodge
Meals included: Dependent on lodge choice
Day Four: High time
It’s your last full day at the lodge and you’ll end on a high, on an incredible trip above the falls – by microlight or helicopter. You can choose whether to soar serenely or hover by heli: both are incredible experiences.* There is no better way to grasp the scale of the falls than soaring above them, taking in the Zambezi River and huge gorges that lead up to them as you cut through watery mist. You’ll return to your lodge for lunch, then it’s all aboard the luxurious Livingstone Express in the late afternoon. You’ll savour sundowners followed by a silver service dinner on this classic steam train, as you leave the outskirts of Livingstone bound for the falls, spotting wildlife en route.
*Helicopter flights require a minimum of two passengers. Microlight flights are available for single travellers.
Overnight at your chosen lodge
Meals included: Dependent on lodge choice.
Day Five to Seven: Island life
You’ll be picked up from your Livingstone hotel and driven to the Islands of Siankaba Lodge, a hotel with just seven luxe lodges spread across two private islands in the middle of the Zambezi (some are even connected by rope bridges across the water!). No other hotel we’ve visited matches its get-away-from-it-all feel. Spend the next three nights here on an all-inclusive basis, enjoying excellent African cuisine that’s served in the atmospheric restaurant or out in the bush under a milkwood-tree canopy. A variety of fantastic activities are also included in your stay – including a visit to Victoria Falls, a trip to the local nursery school, sunset cruises, guided nature walks, fishing, an island picnic lunch, bicycling through bamboo trails, visits to a local village and shopping for curios in the market. But you might just like to spend time in the spa, pad across the rope bridges that connect the two islands, and take in the incredible sunsets from your lodge.
Day Eight: Farewell Zambia
It’s time to leave this incredible country with some fantastic memories. Take a private transfer to Livingstone Airport, ready for your flight home.
International flights are not included
Accommodation
Classic - Victoria Falls Waterfront Lodge
Premium - David Livingstone Safari Lodge
You will get a choice of hotel options for the duration of your experience:
Classic ★★★
Classic hotels provide mid-range accommodation (minimum three-star rated), with comfortable rooms and private facilities. We’ve selected these hotels based on positive client feedback.
Premium ★★★★
Premium hotels are typically upper mid range (usually four star), with more amenities than our classic choices. They all have comfortable rooms with private facilities and have received good client feedback.
Deluxe ★★★★★
Deluxe hotels are luxury hotels with excellent facilities and service, usually categorised as 4.5 or 5 star. Clients rate them extremely highly.
When booking an experience, please remember that the hotel category you select is for the whole holiday. The table below displays the hotels listed for each category. Please note that the actual hotel selection will be driven by availability at time of booking.
What's included:
- Private English-speaking guides unless stated otherwise
- Private transfers unless stated otherwise
- Meals as listed
- All game drives and park entry fees
- Mandatory taxes and service fees
- Victoria Falls bungee jump
- Microlight or helicopter flight over Victoria Falls
What's not included:
- International flights to/from experience: call 0208 251 0425 for AX specially negotiated flight rates
- Tips for guides, drivers and other staff
- Any visa, customs, airport taxes or similar charges before or after the holiday and during border crossings during your experience
- Drinks during meals unless stated otherwise
- Personal expenses, such as laundry
What to pack:
- Binoculars
- Camera
- Sunglasses, hat and sunscreen
- Mosquito repellent
- A fleece or jacket for early mornings and evenings
- Cool, comfortable clothes
To check for related African trips, click here.
GETTING THERE
Typical return Economy flights from London cost around £800 per person and take approximately 16 hours depending on exact flight configurations and layover times.
Experience start point: Livingstone (LVI). Arrive by lunchtime.
End point: Livingstone (LVI).
Prices for departures to 30th October include a 20% Pioneers Club discount and are subject to Pioneers Club terms & conditions. Click here for more information about the Pioneers Club.
Ready to book