Selv drive in Zambia

[soleillevan]

Hi I am new on this forum and hope some of the experienced people here can help me to organise a selv drived trip in Zambia.

First what is the best solution for a selvdrive trip in Zambia:

Rent a car from an Namibian or South African country or directly in Zambia.

In Zambia I have contacted Limo hire and Juls Travels Africa.

Does anyone have any experience with any of these companies?

Thanks in advance!

[ForWildlife]

No experience with those companies. I would try to hire from Zambia itself.

Where do you want to go? Kafue, South Luangwa, North Luangwa, Lower Zambezi, Livingstone, Ngonye Falls, northern waterfalls circuit, Bangweulu, Kasanka? Frankfurt has opened some really nice selfdrive camps around North Luangwa recently. Very remote, very scenic. Not the wildlife densities as in South Luangwa, but everything is present.

[soleillevan]

21 hours ago, ForWildlife said:

No experience with those companies. I would try to hire from Zambia itself.

Where do you want to go? Kafue, South Luangwa, North Luangwa, Lower Zambezi, Livingstone, Ngonye Falls, northern waterfalls circuit, Bangweulu, Kasanka? Frankfurt has opened some really nice selfdrive camps around North Luangwa recently. Very remote, very scenic. Not the wildlife densities as in South Luangwa, but everything is present.

Thank you for your answer! I was thinking of Kafue and South luangwa mostly since I like to have a lot of time and not rush. I guess the selvdrive camp you are mentioning are community campsites. I lhave experienced i c.c.  like these in the Caprivi and they where great. They are generally well placed and, are not crowded.I think 16 days is a bit short to make the roundt trip  Lusaka ,South Luangwa, Luambe, North Luangwa, the great north, maybee Mutinondo since I will be so close then Lusaka, central Kafue around Mukambi then northern section with the plains then maybee Mc Bride and Lusaka again...

[ForWildlife]

16 days for both Luangwa Valley and Kafue is do-able, depending on what you do. If you really want to explore South Luangwa, then go up to North park and use those community camps, out of the valley to great north road and visit Mutinondo, then do Kafue, it would be a great trip, and 16 days should suffice. For South Luangwa, I would recommend to book a drive with the lodge you stay at as well. The guides are really knowleadgeable, and you will have a greater chance of seeing lions, leopards and wild dogs, and night driving as a self drive isn't allowed. Permits are valid for a full day, so you could drive yourself most of the day, and then be back in camp in time to join the night drive which usually leaves around 16:00, and you won't have to buy an extra entry permit.

1 day  Lusaka - South Luangwa (that will be a long day)

3 days South Luangwa

1 day South Luangwa to North Park through Luambe.

2-3 days North Park

1 day to Mutinondo

1 day at Mutinondo

1 day to Lusaka again

1 day to Kafue (to Mukambi isn't that long, half day)

3 days at Kafue (Mukambi and McBrides)

1 day to Lusaka

[soleillevan]

Hi, 

Landing in the morning, take over a rental car (registration, instruction,etc), buy supplies in one of the town shopping mall, all that confronted to Lusaka congested traffic in the middle of the day and  after that drive more then 700 km to Mfuwe in one day that will be quite a chalenge!

Will be verry happy if I made it to the Luangwa bridge that day.

Too much long days of driving, Lusaka to luangwa bridge then to Mfuwe is to day of long driving ( to me anyway)  from S.L. to N.L in one day, that is also verry long driving, the same from N.L. to Mutinondo and Mutinondo to  Lusaka. 

Then Lusaka to Mukambi is tre og en half hours, Mukambi to Mc Brides around the samme and Mc bride to Lusaka around 4 hours (not exactly sure of the driving time here, since it is now 12 years since I was there last)

I will prefer to have four maybee five days driving and the rest of the time to relax  and explore  S.L. and Kafue.

Edited June 3, 2023 by soleillevan

[soleillevan]

I must maybee had that if I haven t rented car in Zambia before I have been a resident there for four years and also a resident in Malawi for tre years.

[soleillevan]

Hello again,

I see that you are registred as researcher for wildlife, can i please ask you whitch species are you reasearching on and where are you based?