Time + Tide Kakuli

Kakuli sits on a high bank above the Luangwa River in South Luangwa, Zambia, looking down over a stretch of river that holds a permanent waterhole and a dense hippo population. The camp is seasonal and small — four safari tents and a family suite, all built from reed and thatch, each with a private verandah facing the water and an open-air bathroom with an outside shower.

The central chitenje, also reed and thatch on a wooden deck, is where meals are served and where you can watch giraffe and elephant coming down to drink without leaving your chair. Norman Carr Safaris, which operates the camp, is credited with pioneering walking safaris in the Luangwa Valley in the 1950s, and walking remains central to what the camp offers alongside morning and afternoon game drives in open four-by-four vehicles. Night drives run as an extension of the afternoon drive. Boating safaris operate during the wet season months, when the river rises and moves differently. A sleep-out under the stars in the Luwi dry river bed is available as an overnight option away from the tents.

Game drives carry no more than six guests per vehicle, so everyone sits on the outside row. A complimentary airport shuttle connects the camp to the nearest airstrip.