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This journey is the first in a three-part summer safari series led by Peg Abbott of Naturalist Journeys, along with exceptional local guides. Each trip explores lesser-known, yet wildlife-rich corners of Africa. With a maximum of just six participants, exclusive small camps, and knowledgeable guiding throughout, this is one of our premier experiences.
Our adventure begins in Kasane, Botswana—gateway to Chobe National Park. We combine elegant riverfront lodging with three nights in a mobile camp in the Linyanti region of the Okavango Delta. On the Chobe River, we explore by small boat, discovering nesting waterbirds, Rock Pratincoles, and an array of mammals. In the dry season, this corridor is legendary for encounters with large Elephant herds, Puku, Hippo, Lion, Buffalo, and a dazzling diversity of waterbirds. As an optional bonus, we offer a day trip from Kasane to the magnificent Victoria Falls, just two hours away by road and border crossing. We spend our first eight days in Botswana.
We then travel deep into Zambia to explore two of its most iconic parks: Kafue and South Luangwa. Both provide exceptional opportunities to see Africa’s charismatic big mammals and a rainbow of stunning bird species. In each park, we stay first at a comfortable lodge and then transition to a remote bush camp for a more immersive wilderness experience.
Why July? We time this trip for Zambia’s cool, dry season, when wildlife congregates around water sources, making for easier sightings. With dry roads and open landscapes, it’s the perfect window for exploration—Zambia’s winter is a prime time to visit.
Kafue National Park, often called Zambia’s Yellowstone, is vast and diverse, with woodlands, rivers, and open plains. We stay at two locations, connected by a full-day safari. At Mukambi Lodge, our rooms and dining areas overlook the river, and the gardens attract barbets, bee-eaters, and more. A river cruise here has brought sightings of Lesser Jacana, Half-collared Kingfisher, African Finfoot, and numerous herons and egrets. From there, we venture north to Busanga Plains, our guide’s favorite region, where we stay at a small, intimate camp ideal for our group. This wetland ecosystem hosts wildlife similar to Botswana’s Okavango, and the viewing is exceptional.
South Luangwa National Park lies on Zambia’s southeastern border and is a remote, breathtaking park known for its distinct subspecies of Wildebeest, Giraffe, and Zebra. It’s also a top location for predators including Lion, Leopard, Wild Dog, and Spotted Hyena. Birdlife is outstanding, with possibilities for African Skimmer, Lilian’s Lovebird, Saddle-billed Stork, Goliath Heron, Bat Hawk, and both Racket-tailed and Lilac-breasted Rollers.
We stay at Mfuwe Lodge, located inside the park, where each room has a private balcony overlooking a waterhole. We then head to Kuyenda Bushcamp, one of our guide’s favorites, for an even deeper immersion into the wild.
This is a true Naturalist Journeys safari—unhurried, immersive, and meaningful. With top-notch local guides, handpicked accommodations, and a small group size, every detail is carefully crafted. Your participation also supports conservation efforts, including the renowned Zambia Carnivore Program.




Tour Highlights
- Begin in Botswana along the Chobe River, known for close encounters with Elephants and superb bird photography.
- Spend three nights at a secluded tented camp in the Linyanti region, rich in wildlife and far from crowds.
- Take an optional day trip to the awe-inspiring Victoria Falls.
- Explore Zambia’s diverse habitats—from wetlands and savannas to Miombo woodlands teeming with endemic birds.
- Enjoy classic African wildlife viewing in remote, less-touristed regions of Zambia.
- Travel with Zambia-based expert Frank Willems, a renowned and engaging guide.
- Visit Kafue National Park, a hidden gem with large predators and Elephant herds.
- Discover the Busanga Plains, a lush wetland area reminiscent of Botswana’s Okavango Delta.
- Experience South Luangwa National Park, home to endemic Thornicroft’s Giraffe and Cookson’s Wildebeest.
- Dine al fresco while watching Elephants, Baboons, Hippos, and waterbirds—including the elusive Finfoot.




Trip Itinerary
Itineraries are guidelines; variations in itinerary may occur to account for weather, road conditions, closures, etc. and to maximize your experience.
More details coming soon.
Pre-Tour Extension
Itineraries are guidelines; variations in itinerary may occur to account for weather, road conditions, closures, etc. and to maximize your experience.
Day 1: Arrival in Lusaka | Wild Dogs Lodge
Welcome to Zambia! Our pre-tour extension (like our main safari) begins in Lusaka, the capital and largest city in Zambia. Please plan to arrive at the Kenneth Kaunda International Airport (LUN) at your leisure. A driver meets you at the airport and transfers you to our comfortable lodge located outside the busy city. Settle into your peaceful chalet, situated on lush grounds with shady trees. This lodge has terrific birding right on the grounds so it’s a great place to arrive early, rest up, and start exploring. Dining is outdoors under the stars, a perfect introduction to Zambia!
Accommodations at Wild Dogs Lodge (D)
Day 2: Flight to Zambezi River National Park | Afternoon Boat Cruise
This section of the mighty Zambezi River is strikingly different from both the Luangwa and Kafue Rivers, being up to two miles wide in places, slowly meandering in a multitude of channels through a myriad of sandy islands.
Lower Zambezi National Park is just across the river from Zimbabwe’s Mana Pools and shares that gorgeous riverine habitat of spreading trees with an open understory. It is less visited than Mana Pools and often described as a “hidden gem” of African parks. Its Wild Dog population is on the rise and the park is known to have a high density of Leopards, a species not found at Mana Pools. The Lower Zambezi Valley is part of Africa’s Great Rift Valley and an impressive escarpment rises behind the lodge, in view of all our game drives. Because of its premier location, we are using the Royal Zambezi Lodge here, a five-star accommodation. What a nice way to start our journey with lovely amenities! Our lodge claims to have a front row seat on both wildlife and scenic beauty and we agree.
Accommodations at Royal Zambezi Lodge (B,L,D)
Days 3 – 4: Two Full Days in Lower Zambezi National Park
The spectacular Lower Zambezi National Park was established in 1983 and covering over 1500 square miles, it is the larger of the two parks that comprise a united conservation area on the Zambia/Zimbabwe border. The park and its lodges are committed to high climate, community and biodiversity standards, rated as one of the most effective of its kind in the world. Habitat conditions are excellent as prior to becoming a national park this was a private park exclusively for use by the Zambian president (thus the royal connotation). Our thatched cottages are private suites with a patio and Elephants and Buffalo are often in view. The public areas have a historic feel to them on the inside, and grand views on the outside decks and patios. If you wish, you can book an Africa bush spa treatment (additional cost) to ease the bumps of our safari drives. Depending on the water levels, we may book a river cruise and there are canoes available.
Best of all, we continue our hunt for Zambia’s wildlife and birds in this newest of Zambia’s national parks. Over 370 species of birds have been recorded in the park, which is an Important Bird Area of Zambia. African Fish Eagle are common here along the river, and big colonies of White-fronted Bee-eaters nest in holes in the riverbank. The wild nature of this large park increases our chances of encountering predators on a kill with attendant vultures. All vulture species are rapidly declining in Africa and of real concern so a chance to see them is prime. Night drives are allowed in the park (they are not in Mana Pools) with a chance to see African Porcupine, civets and genets, and possibly Leopard or the rarer chance to see Aardvark. Kingfishers are varied and include Pied, Giant, Brown-hooded, Woodland, and in small reed patches, Malachite. We have a good chance here to see Greater Kudu and Waterbuck, as well as Side-striped Jackal and even Honey Badger.
The gallery forests and woodlands that flank the Zambezi River are known for their lowland bird community, typical for Mozambique and just entering Zambia here, with Livingstone’s Flycatcher, Eastern Nicator, Sombre Greenbul, Purple-crested Turaco, Lilian’s Lovebird, and Bearded Scrub-Robin. The area is well-known for the high densities of Southern Crested Guineafowl and Crested Francolin. Due to the proximity of the escarpment, Black Stork is feasible while Eastern Black Saw-wing occurs here regularly in winter. Pel’s Fishing Owl and Verreaux’s Eagle Owl reside not far from the lodge and we may get lucky to find them. Among the many raptors are specials like Bat Hawk and African Cuckoo Hawk. The river itself is so large that it holds a myriad of islands, hosting both species of dynamic rivers as well as of marshlands, such as White-crowned and Long-toed Lapwing, White-fronted Plover, Goliath and Purple Herons, Collared Pratincole, Greater Painted Snipe, and more.
Accommodations at Royal Zambezi Lodge (B,L,D)
Day 5: Morning Game Drive | Return to Lusaka | Main Safari Begins
We make the most of our time available before the flight back to Lusaka, driving out to see what is happening with all the local wildlife. If we are missing any species of note, we make a last good effort to find them.
Wild Dogs Lodge is the meet-up point with our comrades for the main safari. Birding is quite good on the grounds there. Flowering trees attract sunbirds, and a wild area behind the lodge attracts any number of species. The rest of our adventures awaits!
Accommodations at Wild Dogs Lodge (B,L)
Cost of the Journey
The cost of this 19-Day Zambia-Botswana Safari is priced per person, based on occupancy: $TBD DBL / $TBD SGL. This cost includes accommodations for 18 nights, all meals as noted in the itinerary (B,L,D), all land transportation, game park and other entry fees.
Tour cost does not include: transportation from your home city to Maun and from Lusaka, optional activities, or items of a personal nature such as laundry, telephone charges, beverages from the bar or personal, medical, and cancellation insurance.
Travel Details
Please plan to make air travel plans only after the minimum group size has been met. We will send you a confirmation email as soon as the trip has been confirmed.
Arrival Airport: Maun International (MUB) in Maun, Botswana
Arrival Details:
Departure Airport: Kenneth Kaunda International Airport (LUN) in Lusaka, Zambia
Departure Details:
Travel Tips:
Entry Requirements: See "Essential Information" section under the "Know Before You Go” tab.
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Frank Willems — Zambia & Zimbabwe Expert
Frank is Zambia’s leading ornithologist and ecologist. Being from Dutch origin, he worked with the Dutch ornithology trust SOVON after obtaining his MSc in Ecology from Nijmegen University. Most of his professional work focused on the breeding ecology and population dynamics of birds in the Netherlands. His involvement in Foundation WIWO focused on bird research and training projects mainly in Russia and Iran.
He came to Zambia with his wife Inge in early 2008 to work with Kasanka Trust on the management of Kasanka and Lavushi Manda National Parks, as well as Shoebill Island Camp in Bangweulu Wetlands. Tasks varied from mammal and bird monitoring, supervising PhD studies on Shoebill, Kinda Baboon and Straw-coloured Fruit Bat, facilitating film crews and writing management plans, to anti-poaching activities, building scout camps and bridges, creating firebreaks, and filling potholes in the dirt roads. The very Bangweulu Shoebills prominently feature in BBC's monumental "Africa" production, alongside Kasanka's mega-colony of Straw-coloured Fruit Bats (the world’s largest mammal migration) and the eagles preying on them, both facilitated by Frank.
Since late 2017 Frank and family, now based near Fringilla, Chisamba, run their own company Kigelia Solutions. Major projects since have included the Birds of Zambia app, a biodiversity survey of the Mafinga Mountains with the BirdLife partner BirdWatch Zambia, an NHK film production on African Skimmer, consultations linked to community conservancies in Mpumba, the creation and management of Kalwelwa Bushcamp in Mwinilunga, and the creation of Birding Zambia.
Side activities include the function of ‘Zambian Bird Recorder’ and Technical Advisor of BirdWatch Zambia, and country rep for African Bird Club. Several of his free-time explorations have focused on remote and unexplored parts of the Mwinilunga district. The large evergreen forests he and others identified using Google Earth, prove to hold real surprises like Vermiculated Fishing-owl and Spot-breasted Ibis. Frank is determined to ultimately create a large conservancy to protect Mwinilunga’s rich biodiversity.
From a young age, Frank has guided and trained people, in the Netherlands, Zambia, and many other countries. He loves sharing his passion for and knowledge of the bush. During his twelve years in Zambia, he guided numerous groups in numerous places, including tens of film crews and research groups, photographers and journalists.Other trips with Frank Willems — Zambia & Zimbabwe Expert
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Peg Abbott
Peg Abbott is the owner and lead guide of Naturalist Journeys, LLC. She has been designing, guiding, and organizing natural history tours for more than 25 years, working for the National Audubon Society and other organizations before launching Naturalist Journeys, LLC in 1998. Her work has taken her from Alaska to Africa and Argentina, as well as many other locations around the world. She has conducted research on several bird and mammal species and keeps a close interest in Yellowstone and Mexican wolf reintroduction projects. Her interests include all aspects of natural history and geology. After 20 years in and around the Yellowstone area, Peg relocated in 2003 to the birding mecca of Portal, AZ.
Photo credit: Carol Simon
Other trips with Peg Abbott
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Incredible Ecuador: Chocó Galore
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Island of Wonder: Birds & Nature of Sri Lanka
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FULL - See our Rancho Primavera New Year Departure!December 30, 2025 - January 7, 2026, w/Mt. Totumas extension -
Tanzania: Wildlife & Birding Safari
FULL - Ask us to put you on the list for 2027.February 9 - 22, 2026, w/Amboseli & Nairobi National Parks extension -
Big Cats & Breathtaking Birds of India
FULL - Check out Island of Wonder: Birds & Nature of Sri Lanka!March 9 - 26, 2026, w/Pallas's Cat extension -
Nome Sweet Nome!
An Alaskan Migration ImmersionMay 28 - June 4, 2026 -
China’s Sichuan Basin & Tibetan Plateau
FULL - Check out Thailand: Birding & Nature!June 11 - 26, 2026
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Essential Information +
Pace & Protocols +
Packing List +
Suggested Reading List +
Useful Links +
Photo credits: Banners: Safari Game Drive (Peg Abbott), Saddle-billed Stork, Cheetah, Zebra, Hippo, Wild African Dogs, Elephant, Giraffe (Nancy Bissinger), Little Bee-eater (Peg Abbott), Thumbnails: Pel's Fishing Owl, Blue-cheeked Bee-eater, Lion, Southern Ground Hornbill, Elephant, Gray-crowned Crane, Common Eland, Baboon