ACTIVITIES
MAWIMBI'S ACTIVITIES TAILORMADE FOR YOU
MAWIMBI offers you a tailormade holiday – with 2 activities included a day (and as many more as you want to fit in) we want your holiday to be the best it can be. On arrival, you can plan your bespoke stay at MAWIMBI.
If you're not a morning person, you're so welcome to have a cup of coffee, curl up with a book or do yoga on your private deck. Have a leisurely bite to eat overlooking the Kafue river, with binocs in hand as you watch the pied kingfishers dive for their breakfast in front of the main camp lapa.
Choose from Game Drives (sunrise, sunset and night drives), Walking Safaris (professional guide and armed scout) and River Cruises (seasonal subject to river level) . If you just want to sleep and soak up the ambience, it's your holiday and you decide how you'd like each day to play out - we are here to make your holiday the best it can possible be.
Game Drives
We have abundant wildlife in Kafue National Park and with access to the full 22,400 square kilometres, there's much to see. Game drives are one of the best ways to explore the wide, diverse landscapes of Kafue National Park.
Using 4×4 safari vehicles, our drives allow guests to cover more ground and get close to wildlife without compromising safety or disturbing the animals.
If you’re a morning person, we have a beautiful Sunrise Game Drive and if you’d rather relax in bed and have a lazy morning, choose a Sunset Game Drive, or a Night Drive, or both!
Morning game drives depart at first light and return before lunch, with a break for coffee or tea in the bush. Game sightings are abundant when it's dawn and dusk from buffalo, leopard, lion and elephant to monitor lizards, puku, impala and zebra.
Each vehicle has three bench seats, comfortably seating up to six guests with clear views on either side.
However, we like to provide our guests with a quiet, more personal experience, and aim to limit guests to 4 per vehicle.
Private vehicles are available on request for birders, honeymooners or photographers and cameramen (subject to availability and additional fee). Vehicles carry a first-aid kit, VHF radio, and a cooler box with refreshments.
Kafue offers excellent opportunities to see lions, leopards, wild dogs, sable antelope, roan, and large herds of puku, red lechwe, and buffalo. Elephant and hippo are common at MAWIMBI Bush Camp as we have both the river and a dambo opposite camp as a water resource.
Night drives are a very special experience in Kafue, and often reveal nocturnal animals such as civets, genets, porcupines, hyenas, and, with some luck, leopards on the hunt. Conducted with care, these drives offer a rare look into the park’s after-dark wildlife activity.
We have white spotlights and red spotlights to minimise the disturbance to the animals, when hunting. We're guests in their environment and it's a privilege to see such abundant wildlife in an untamed environment.
But that’s not all, our birdlife is wonderful at MAWIMBI – from the morning chorus to bee eaters to vultures directing us to where there’s a kill, there are over 500 species to spot.
Walking Safaris
They say Zambia invented the walking safari — and once you’ve done it, you’ll understand why. There’s no better way to connect with the wilderness than on foot. It's slow, quiet, and deeply immersive - you notice everything.
Our walking safaris take you beyond the vehicle and into the heart of the bush — where every track, sound, and scent tells a story. It’s an unfiltered experience of the African wild, quiet, raw, and unforgettable.
Led by one of our professionally trained guides and accompanied by an armed scout from the Department of National Parks & Wildlife, each walk is a safe and fascinating journey through the wild.
Our guides are skilled naturalists who bring the bush to life — interpreting tracks, bird calls, insects, and plant life, and explaining how everything is connected in this living ecosystem.
Walks usually take place in the cool of the early morning and last between one and three hours. Sometimes we head out straight from camp; other times we take a short drive into more open country.
The pace is gentle, suitable for guests with moderate fitness and mobility. Safety is always a priority: your guide carries a first aid kit, water, radio, and protective equipment.
Because each walk requires an armed scout, we can only take six guests at a time. While we do our best to accommodate everyone, walks are subject to availability and conditions on the day.
If a walking safari is high on your wish list, please let us know in advance — we’ll do everything we can to make it happen.
A walking Safari at MAWIMBI Bush Camp is one for the bucket list.
River Trips
We are privileged to be on the great Kafue River and MAWIMBI offers a unique river safari where we gently cruise on the current, either gliding through early morning mist or drifting under golden skies at sunset.
Led by experienced guides who know the river intimately, you’ll see wildlife coming down the banks to drink, hippos languishing in the water, and crocs sunning themselves on the rocks. Every cruise offers a unique perspective of the park’s remarkable biodiversity.
Our boats are fully equipped with safety gear including life vests, VHF radios, fire extinguishers, first aid kits, and a well-stocked cooler box for refreshments along the way.
A luncheon river trip will include a restful stop on the river for a delicious picnic, before floating on.
The birdlife is rich on the Kafue River and seeing Kafue from the water, especially in Green Season when the river is high, is a real treat. There are regular sightings of African fish eagles, kingfishers, wattled cranes, and herons.
As the day unwinds, enjoy chilled sundowner drinks and specially prepared snacks while watching the sky turn into a tapestry of colour - every night is different. Depending on your itinerary, your cruise may end with a gentle return to camp or a handover to a waiting safari vehicle for an evening game drive under the stars.
Birding
The birding in the Kafue is exceptional, and our location gives us access to both the riverine habitats and the superb miombo woodland birding.
At the dambo (wetland) not far from the main camp is a secluded Bird Hide where you can sit for hours and watch the animals come to drink and wallow, and tick off the hundreds of species of birds from your list.
Don’t forget to bring your binoculars and your bird book to tick off all your sightings. MAWIMBI Bush Camp is a treasure trove for birders.
Let us know if you'd like to procure the services of a specialist Bird Guide
to join you at MAWIMBI Bush Camp - we can organise a wonderful birder if he's available.
