Chikunto Walking Camp

Zambia invented the modern walking safari, and Chikunto Walking Camp still practises it in its original form: small groups, an armed guide on foot, and nothing between you and the bush but good judgement and quiet observation. Four reed-and-thatch chalets sit above the Luangwa River, open on one side to the sound of hippos grunting through the night.

Days are built around walking — three or four unhurried hours each morning, tracking, reading spoor, and stopping wherever something interesting demands it, followed by a vehicle-based game drive in the afternoon or evening. It is a slower, more physical, more attentive way of encountering Africa than a game-viewing vehicle allows.

There is no Wi-Fi at Chikunto, and it is not an oversight. Guests who want a genuine break from signal find it here, along with some of the best guiding in southern Africa.