A single night opportunity to be closer to the wilderness and its inhabitants than your're ever likely to find anywhere else. Unforgettable.
For some people, luxury is a gourmet meal, followed by a glass of champagne in a huge bubble bath, a king-size bed and wall-to-wall room service. For others, it's the chance to completely escape from the trappings of civilisation for a night and get back to the wild. This experience is definitely suite for the latter, and even then, only the more adventurous.
The sleepout has been conceived by the successors of Norman Carr, father of walking safaris in Zambia. Norman was an avid believer that the best way to experience the bush and wildlife is to do so on its own terms; on foot with the minimum of paraphernalia. This being the case, it's hard to imagine a better way of doing this than spending a night out under the stars in a sandy riverbed.
Somehow, even the simplest of meals taste suberb when cooked on a camp-fire, consumed on your lap while sitting on a log, feet burrowing into the white sand. The bush is peaceful but never silent and the sound of crickets, hyena, lion and leopard may well accompany a meal here. Being modern-day cave dwellers, it takes a bit of getting used to sleeping outside and there is the chance that you won't have the best night's sleep ever as your ears tend to tune into the night noises. But, the excitement of hearing elephant nearby or waking in the early hours to see the Milky Way above your head is worth sacrificing a few hours beauty sleep.
The camp is made safe by lighting fires around the bedrolls (everyone sleeps a few metres away from each other), and the scout and guide get up periodically to stoke them during the night. Sometimes hyena venture close to check out the leftovers but will seldom be a nuisance.
This is not bush luxury - it is basic, and so if it bothers you not to have a shower for a night, or get a bit of sand between your sheets, or to use a short-drop loo behind a stack of driftwood...then you may well not enjoy this. But if you are looking for a memorable night as close to nature as you can be without actually being an impala, then this is as good as it gets.
Bedrolls and mossie nets around a campfire
A single night opportunity to be closer to the wilderness and its inhabitants than your're ever likely to find anywhere else. Unforgettable.
Includes full board accommodation, scheduled activities, soft drinks, beer, house wines and local spirits, park fees where applicable. Does not include special activities, premium wines, champagne and spirits, gratuities, items of a personal nature.
The Luangwa Valley is probably Zambia's best known wildlife area. As well as having very good all-round game, Luangwa is somewhere that has gained a well deserved reputation for walking safaris, though there is a great deal more to do above and beyond. The park consists of large amounts of woodland; miombo interspersed with grass lands in the north of the park and large stands of mature ebony forming deep shade along the banks of the river. Read more?
Zambia has made a name for itself in the last ten years, as a high quality wildlife destination and one that is particularly good for walking safaris. Intimate (and often rustic) bushcamps, excellent local guides, beautiful riverine scenery and varied game and birdlife are the trademarks of a safari in Zambia. Jump straight to our favourite Zambia experiences. Read more?
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Catherine's long experience of, and enthusiasm for Africa, makes her a mine of travel information. Add to the mix her vivacious character and inscrutable attention to detail and there are few people you'd rather have plan your holiday.
At Natural High, we've had long experience putting together trips in Africa that really work. Whether it's intimate bushcamps in out of the way places, or a private lodge in one of Africa's top-billing wildlife areas, light mobile camping or remote island escapes, we know there is a lot to choose from. We're absolutely confident that we can recommend the right places for you.
