Tongabezi Lodge
Puku Ridge Camp is in a remote part of the South Luangwa National Park which overlookins a tranquil lagoon attracting multitudes of wildlife life.. This stunning award-winning camp was rebuilt completely in 2019 in collaboration with Chiawa Safaris of Chiawa Camp & Old Mondoro repute.
The design is African canvas/chic style and the camp blends in completely with its gorgeous, wild environment.This is a luxury camp with every comfort yet it is intimate and friendly with just eight tents and offers the authentic safari experience.
The Park is chock full of elephants, giraffes, leopards, lions, wild dogs, zebras, buffalos and various antelope species – many of which will be easily spotted as you lounge on your balcony or eat dinner. This stunning area can also be explored on foot with park rangers and tracking guides, and at night offering a chance to see some of the more elusive animals, such as leopards, genets and honey badgers. Sunset is a perfect time to enjoy a cocktail in the bush, or on the banks of the Luangwa River in the company of one of Africa's largest hippo populations.
Puku Ridge Rooms
The camp offers 8 identical rooms comprising of canvas, thatch and decking all overlooking the beautiful Puku Ridge floodplain and its seemingly endless parade of wildlife.
All rooms have super-king beds draped in mosquito nets that can be separated into generous 3/4 single beds, lounge area, tea/coffee/minibar, air conditioning, overhead fans, bath, his & hers washbasins, his & hers wardrobes, indoor & outdoor shower, plunge pool, sweeping, curved decks and star/day bed tower.
The Park is endowed with abundant with elephants, giraffes, leopards, lions, wild dogs, zebras, buffalos and various antelope species – many of which will be easily spotted as you lounge on your balcony or eat dinner. This stunning area can also be explored on foot with park rangers and tracking guides, and at night offering a chance to see some of the more elusive animals, such as leopards, genets and honey badgers. Sunset is a perfect time to enjoy a cocktail in the bush, or on the banks of the Luangwa River in the company of one of Africa's largest hippo populations.
Game Drive
Lions and leopards are often seen in the area around the camp, as are buffalo, giraffe, zebra and elephant. For big game like this, guests really need a vehicle to get up close and here in the South Luangwa, travellers have the privilege of going on game drives at night. Guests are always amazed how much can be seen when they go down to the river for sundowner cocktails before leisurely driving back to camp. Bush babies in the trees stand out with their enormous eyes, puku and impala scarcely notice as vehicles pass by. Guests often see hyena and leopard in the early evenings and are able to get very close in Puku Ridges' specially designed 4 x 4 vehicles. On the open plains below the camp there are always grazing herds of antelope and of course they attract the predators that every guest wants to see.
Also available are night drives which employ Chiawa Safaris' unique, award-nominated spotlight protocol, where a red filtered spotlight is used to find and watch the nocturnal action, and a diffuse filtered spotlight is used to help with the photography, ensuring that night drives are low impact on the wildlife which rewards our guests with more natural behavior and better wildlife sightings.
Walking Safari
Walking is the best way to see the bush around Puku Ridge Camp. The South Luangwa is home of the walking safari and it remains the best way to experience the sights and sounds of the bush. Puku Ridge's experienced guides love showing guests the indicators of the wild, 'rewinding' the action of the last few hours from just a few small give away signs. See where an elephant stopped to browse, where a leopard scratched a tree or a pangolin rolled into a ball. Accompanied by an armed game scout and taking careful note of the wind to mask any scent. There's nothing like seeing lion tracks or the giant footprint of an elephant to make guests relish the comforts of camp. The area is home to 60 mammals and over 400 bird species, making it one of the top birding destinations in the world.
For more information on Puku Ridge Camp, click HERE
