Chinzombo was one of the Luangwa’s original safari camps, the old camp mostly fell into the river and closed down in the late 90’s, Norman Carr Safaris acquired the site and have now built a fantastic new camp which opened in July 2013. The camp descriptions and opinions on this website are purposefully honest so I’m happy to admit that I wasn’t totally sure about the idea of building a very high end camp adjacent to the, at times rather over-crowded, central Mfuwe area of the South Luangwa, until that is, I visited the camp.
I can’t think of a Zambian safari property that has combined comfort and style with a tented environment quite as well as has been achieved in this camp. The tents are spacious, but not overly so and they are littered with little additions that make your stay just that bit more comfortable. The standard of food and level of service are certainly higher than in most other properties but this is an area that will require constant attention if they are to justify the high price tag associated with this camp.
Access is gained by boat from the Park side of the Luangwa River although the camp itself sits on the opposite bank. The game-viewing in that area of the National Park has always been phenomenal but this is countered heavily in the peak season by the number of vehicles that are utilizing the area on a daily basis. The guiding team at Chinzombo has been picked from the cream of the Norman Carr stable, I know them all personally and they are some of the best around, they are all aware of the problems of offering a high end product in a crowded area and from what I have experienced in the camp they manage this as well as could possibly be expected.
Overall I’m a huge fan of this relatively new camp, it is as expensive as any in Zambia but the price is justified and Chinzombo offers something that has previously been left out of the Luangwa menu. It does not necessarily have to be complimented by a stay in a more remote camp and for the right client 3 or 4 nights here would tick the Luangwa box admirably.
