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A couple share wine at a round table on the private veranda of a thatched chalet at Kaingo Camp, the open bedroom with canopied bed visible behind them and an outdoor bathtub tucked to one side, South Luangwa, Zambia.

Kaingo Camp

South Luangwa, Zambia

Camp of the leopard

Kaingo takes its name from the Nyanja word for leopard — a fitting tribute in a valley where these elusive cats are sighted with rare regularity. Set on the banks of the Luangwa River in the prime heart of South Luangwa National Park, this has been the Shenton family’s flagship camp since 1992.

The camp is built of brick and thatch, its open-sided chitenge sheltering a dining area, library and a bar hewn from thousand-year-old leadwood. Entirely solar-powered, Kaingo is free of generator hum — only the wheeze-honk of hippos and the roar of distant lions carry through the night.

Chalets sit discreetly apart along the riverbank, each with a shaded veranda, hidden outdoor bathtub and private deck suspended above the water. The First House, the camp’s deluxe suite, adds private dining, a dedicated vehicle and butler service.

Days are spent on game drives, walking safaris and night drives, or settled quietly within the camp’s famed photographic hides, while the River Song Star Bed offers a night beneath the southern sky. Meals draw on produce grown on the Shenton Plot.

A leopard walks boldly across a dusty track in South Luangwa National Park, passing directly in front of a Kaingo-Mwamba game vehicle, its occupants watching intently through binoculars in the warm afternoon light.

You will love

  • Private decks above the Luangwa 
  • Renowned photographic hide network

     

  • Thousand-year-old leadwood bar

     

  • Nights on the star bed

     

  • Warm Shenton family hospitality

Let us design your perfect itinerary.

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A canopied bed on an open riverside deck at Kaingo Camp, white mosquito nets billowing in the evening breeze, the Luangwa River and a vivid orange sunset sky stretching beyond, South Luangwa, Zambia.
A beautifully dressed four-poster king bed in a Kaingo Camp chalet, featuring a sculptural driftwood headboard, teal velvet and ikat cushions, and two glowing capiz shell bedside lamps, framed by white mosquito netting and timber canopy posts.
A walking safari guide and three guests observe a tower of giraffes drinking from a shallow river channel on the open floodplain of the South Luangwa, Zambia.
An African wild dog stands alert on a dry, cracked riverbank beside a shallow pool, its mottled black, white and tan coat sharp against the parched earth, South Luangwa, Zambia.
Two southern carmine bee-eaters in vivid crimson and teal plumage photographed mid-flight against a clear blue sky above dry season grasses, South Luangwa, Zambia.
A light-filled Kaingo Camp chalet interior featuring a canopied four-poster bed with crisp white linen, shell-embroidered throw, geometric wall art, black-and-white wildlife prints in timber frames, and open doors leading to a private deck with wicker seating.
A guide and guest stand beside a Shenton Safaris game vehicle in open miombo woodland, scanning the canopy with binoculars, accompanied by an armed scout leaning against a vast, dark-trunked tree, South Luangwa National Park, Zambia.
Guests and guides share morning drinks beside a Kaingo-Mwamba bush camp game vehicle on the dry Luangwa riverbed, with a tower of Thornicroft's giraffes drinking at a waterhole in the foreground, South Luangwa National Park, Zambia.
A walking safari group of four, including an armed scout and guide, observe a large pod of hippos wading through a broad shallow channel of the Luangwa River from an elevated sandbank, South Luangwa, Zambia.
A male lion strides purposefully across dry grassland just metres in front of a Kaingo Camp game-drive vehicle, guests and guide photographing the encounter in the South Luangwa, Zambia.
Two guests photograph a hippo on the sandy bank of the Luangwa River from a shaded boat hide, the river channel and green treeline stretching beyond, South Luangwa, Zambia.
The elevated timber deck and reed-walled treehouse suite at Kaingo Camp, stairs leading to an open-air canopied bed above, surrounded by riverine forest as the sun sets behind the treeline, South Luangwa, Zambia.
Guests and a guide review wildlife photographs at the rustic driftwood bar inside the thatched main lodge at Kaingo Camp, another couple relaxing on sofas in the background, South Luangwa, Zambia.
A freestanding outdoor bathtub on a timber deck at Kaingo Camp, a glowing lantern beside it, overlooking the Luangwa River at a blazing orange sunset, South Luangwa, Zambia.
A small group of guests and a guide pause beside a Shenton Safaris game vehicle at golden hour, seated on a fallen tree overlooking a wide, open floodplain with distant wildlife visible on the horizon, South Luangwa National Park, Zambia.
A guest and a Kaingo Camp guide share drinks at the rustic thatched bar, built around a living tree, with wooden stools, shelves of spirits, black-and-white wildlife photography, and natural found-object décor including antlers and driftwood.
A woman reclines on a four-poster bed draped with white mosquito netting in a Kaingo Camp chalet, reading a book amid teal and grey cushions, with a rustic wooden headboard and mosaic-tiled wall feature visible alongside bush views through large windows.
A tall giraffe stands just metres from a Shenton Safaris game-drive vehicle as guests photograph it at close range in the golden late-afternoon light, South Luangwa, Zambia.
Two guests relax on a reed-screened riverside viewing platform at Kaingo Camp, one scanning through binoculars as the Luangwa River glows amber in the fading evening light, South Luangwa, Zambia.
Guests and a guide warm their hands around a glowing fire bowl on the riverbank at Kaingo Camp, lanterns flickering beside safari chairs as the Luangwa River reflects a golden sunset sky behind them, Zambia.
A couple relax on a reed-and-bamboo riverside deck at Kaingo Camp, the woman gazing out over the wide sandy Luangwa River channel and green treeline beyond in warm afternoon light, Zambia.
The open timber and mesh doors of a thatched safari chalet at Kaingo Camp reveal a canopied bed with mosquito netting and warm lamp light within, wild fig branches framing the entrance, South Luangwa, Zambia.
A safari vehicle and small group of guests gather beneath towering baobab trees at dusk, the ancient trunks glowing warm amber in the fading light of the South Luangwa, Zambia.
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Visitors watching a leopard and its kill at Kaingo Camp, Zambia
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