Lion Camp

South Luangwa National Park, Zambia

An Intimate Lodge in Zambia's Wild, Wildlife-Rich North

Tucked into the northernmost reaches of Zambia’s South Luangwa National Park, far from the Mfuwe crowds, Lion Camp occupies one of the valley’s most exclusive and wildlife-abundant corners. Elevated above the valley floor in the manner of a treehouse, the lodge commands sweeping views across oxbow lagoons and golden grasslands. Unfenced, it allows wildlife to move freely beneath the raised timber walkways — lending every encounter a rare, unhurried intimacy.

Canvas walls roll up to frame uninterrupted wilderness views, thatched roofs channel the breeze, and the main lodge — with its viewing deck, bar, swimming pool, and snooker table — is a place to watch the valley come alive at dusk. A water-level game viewing hide offers some of the park’s most arresting wildlife encounters, while a dedicated photography studio provides a WiFi-enabled workspace for reviewing and editing the day’s images.

Suites are ranged along elevated walkways, each set on a raised timber platform with a private deck overlooking the oxbow. Canvas walls open fully to the sounds of the bush; inside, king-sized beds dressed in down duvets and fine linens confirm that comfort is never the price of adventure. Two dedicated deluxe suites offer a heightened sense of space and finish, while family configurations welcome those travelling together.

Dining is a convivial, ever-shifting affair — shared table lunches on the terrace, dinners in the boma beneath a canopy of stars, and bush breakfasts in surprise locations overlooking the Luangwa River, paired with South African estate wines. Twice-daily game drives in open four-wheel drive vehicles reveal lion, leopard, wild dog, elephant, buffalo, and the valley’s endemic Thornicroft’s giraffe, Cookson’s wildebeest, and Crawshay’s zebra. Guided walking safaris — a discipline pioneered in Zambia — and night drives by spotlight complete a remarkable offering.

A leopard feeds intently on its prey in close-up, its spotted coat vivid against a backdrop of dry leaves and bush in South Luangwa National Park.

You will love

Remote, uncrowded game viewing
Walking safaris in Zambia
Rare endemic wildlife sightings
Night drives by spotlight
Bush dining under the stars

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Call 1300 130 218 Contact us

At dusk, a private dinner table is set on a Lion Camp deluxe suite deck, lanterns glowing beside a freestanding bathtub and sunloungers, the warm interior of the suite and the open bushveld beyond visible in the same frame.

A lioness stands tall and watchful beside the broad, textured trunk of a termite mound in South Luangwa National Park, bathed in warm late-afternoon light with dry thornbush all around her.

The open, circular interior of a Lion Camp deluxe suite at dusk — a four-poster king bed draped in white muslin, a generous lounge area, and canvas walls rolled back to reveal an unbroken view across the South Luangwa plains.

Five figures are silhouetted against a wide South Luangwa sunrise, walking single file across open ground past a lone thornbush — a guided walking safari departing at first light.

Framed through dry thornbush, a lioness watches undetected as a small walking safari party passes along a sandy path in South Luangwa National Park, guide and guests unaware of how close they are being observed.

Three figures — a guest and two guides — stand in the South Luangwa bush observing two elephants moving through dry scrub at close quarters, the scene captured from behind on a guided walking safari.

A walking safari party crouches low in open grassland, watching a large herd of buffalo graze across the South Luangwa floodplain under a wide, cloud-filled sky.

Golden afternoon light floods the South Luangwa plains as guests sit beneath a magnificent shade tree for sundowners, the Lion Camp game drive vehicle parked beside them and the low sun casting long shadows across the dry earth.

A male lion stands over a seated lioness in open golden grassland in South Luangwa National Park, both animals gazing outward with quiet authority in the warm afternoon light.

At the close of a game drive, guests and guides gather beneath a broad tree on the open South Luangwa plains as the horizon glows deep pink and orange, the camp vehicle parked alongside.

A young lioness stands alert on the twisted, weathered trunk of a dead tree in South Luangwa National Park, with Lion Camp guests observing quietly from a game drive vehicle below.

Lion Camp's illuminated pool glows blue at dusk, sunloungers and lanterns arranged along the timber deck while the South Luangwa floodplain stretches away beneath a fading pink and amber sky, the thatched lodge canopy overhead.

Beneath a soaring thatched roof, Lion Camp's main lodge lounge and pool area open onto a wide timber deck facing the South Luangwa plains, the curved pool reflecting a cloud-streaked sky and the bush stretching to the horizon beyond.

Lion Camp's curved swimming pool and long timber sun deck face west across the South Luangwa floodplain at sunset, sunloungers lined along the water's edge and the thatched main lodge canopy framing the scene to the right.

Inside a thatched Lion Camp luxury suite, a four-poster bed with white muslin canopy is paired with a generous sofa dressed in colourful cushions, the whole space enclosed by a circular thatched roof and bush views on every side.

A Lion Camp luxury suite interior opens towards the South Luangwa bush at golden hour, sheer curtains drifting at the open canvas walls, a private deck with chairs visible beyond the foot of the king-sized bed.

A leopard stands alert and poised at the edge of dry thornbush in South Luangwa National Park, its spotted coat sharp against the warm amber tones of the surrounding scrub.

A couple recline on a blanket in the open South Luangwa bush at golden hour, a staff member pouring champagne beside a small fire and a wooden drinks table as the sun sets through the trees behind them.

A lioness rests on a tangle of fallen timber in the South Luangwa bush while a Lion Camp game drive vehicle and its passengers observe quietly from close range in the dry undergrowth beyond.

Two African wild dogs stand alert on a dry, sandy track in South Luangwa as a Lion Camp game drive vehicle pulls alongside, guests and guide watching the scene from the open vehicle above.

A lioness lies draped at ease across the angled trunk of a fallen tree in South Luangwa, while Lion Camp guests photograph her from an open game drive vehicle parked in the dappled shade behind.

An elephant strides across open, golden grassland at dusk while a Lion Camp game drive vehicle and its passengers watch from a respectful distance, a bare-branched tree silhouetted against a pastel sky.

A pride of lions rests in the dry grass of South Luangwa National Park directly alongside a Lion Camp game drive vehicle, guests photographing the relaxed animals at close range.

Lion Camp's thatched main lodge sits elevated above the South Luangwa floodplain on raised timber supports, its open-sided deck and lounge area nestled among mature trees beneath a heavy, cloud-filled sky.

A walking safari party crouches low in open grassland to observe a small group of elephants — including a calf — moving through dry scrub at the edge of woodland in South Luangwa National Park.

Looking out from inside a Lion Camp deluxe suite at sunset, canvas walls open fully to the South Luangwa grasslands, a king bed in the foreground and lounge chairs on the private deck catching the last of the day's light.

A Lion Camp deluxe suite deck glows with candlelight at dusk — a freestanding bathtub, champagne on ice, sunloungers, and a private dining table set against an open horizon of South Luangwa bushveld.

Lion Camp's infinity pool and timber sun deck face out across the South Luangwa floodplains at dusk, sunloungers reflected in the still water as the sky turns gold and cloud-streaked above the treeline.

Twin vessel basins sit beneath a wide, reed-framed window in a Lion Camp suite bathroom, looking out across open South Luangwa grasslands — the wilderness framed as naturally as any artwork.

An absolutely fantastic travel company - every one of the many trips they have organised for us over 22 years have been faultless and fabulous.
Judith & Roger Williams

Would do it all again and not change a moment. Best holiday ever!
The McGowan Tribe

It certainly was the best trip we have EVER had. The experiences were mind blowing. We want everyone we know to experience Africa - the animals, the people - magical.
Jo-anne & Dean Mifsud

The Classic Safari Company is the best I have dealt with. Extremely knowledgeable & professional, friendly, patient & understanding of first timers to Africa.
Annette Whiley

Classic Safari Company were brilliant - 10/10
Di & Kingsley Yates

Classic Safari is the place to go to for "top end" adventure travel.
Ron & Alison Guthrie

If you want the most sensational experience in Africa let Julia and the staff at Classic Safari Co plan it for you! Their knowledge, expertise and enthusiasm for their job means your every wish will be fulfilled.
Miriam & Joseph Harrison

Their experience and knowledge of Africa is evident and we couldn't have been happier with the total package. This has given us a taste for Africa - now we are ready for more.
Andrew & Pip Stevens

Classic Safari Company has done it again! A unique experience that ticked all the boxes - wildlife, culture and dining experience. A dream come true!
Ros Wheeler

Absolutely everything was first class & so well organised.
Simon & Jackie Adams

The trip of a lifetime, couldn't have dreamt of a better adventure if I tried.
Emma Jeffcoat

You can't improve on perfection. I had my best birthday and holiday with my family celebrating my 80th birthday in Africa. Everything that Julia organised was perfect and the whole trip was a highlight!
Buckingham Family

Everything was perfect! Advice and information on destinations and activities hit everything I had hoped to experience. I contacted the Classic Safari Company upon recommendation and have now, in turn, recommended to others.
Tim Bradley

Very knowledgeable and patient. Our trip was all that we hoped for. Wonderful!
Jane & Robert Happell

Thank you for making our trip to Africa so spectacular. The attention to detail really made it special. It really was the trip of a lifetime.
Paul Cozzi

An amazing experience - the best family holiday we have ever had. We were extremely impressed by the meticulous attention to our itinerary. I can't speak highly enough of all the elements of this exciting journey!
Sheryl & Robert Taylor

We loved it all. Our son wants to go back tomorrow. We would ALL go back again!
Laurence & Remi Cunningham

Classic Safari are the people who genuinely know other culture and offer incredible insight to perfectly meet your expectations.
Melanie McMillan & Iain Jones

The trip exceeded my expectations and was the best family holiday I have ever had. Our children simply loved it and now I know more about African wildlife than they do about our own farm animals.
Rowntree family

We are so happy we put our trust in CSC, we had an amazing adventure and would recommend them to anyone.
Kim & Brad Balance

Julia you did a fantastic job - everything was first class. Well organised, efficient and stress free. We all agreed it was the best holiday we've ever had. Cant wait to travel with CSC again.
Milford family

We wanted the opportunity to see as many wildlife parks as possible and the Classic Safari Company provided an action-packed itinerary that included six, with 11 tiger sightings and nine leopard. This was overlaid with an introduction to Jaisalmer, Jaipur and the 'real' India. Pench and Panna were the hidden gems of a really great trip, very well organised, seamless and enjoyable. As a solo traveller I felt incredibly safe at all times. I want to go back!
Mark Taylor

Exellent and wonderful, reaching way above expectations.
Elizabeth Mackintosh

Thank you for putting together the ancestral adventure of a lifetime. I cannot speak highly enough of the trip.
Jenny Kidd

A Lion Camp game drive vehicle is parked beneath a vast, spreading tree as the South Luangwa sky burns pink and amber at sunset, guests and guides gathered on the open plains for sundowners.

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