Zambia Safari 15-Day Tour

15-Day Tour

Livingstone – Choma – Chirundu – Chisamba – Mkushi – Mutinondo – Bangweulu – Kasanka – Nsobe – Ndola

Tour Information

Birds

Shoebill, African Pitta (unlikely, out of season), Black-cheeked Lovebird (endemic), Chaplin’s Barbet (endemic), African Spotted Creeper, Ross’s Turaco, Schalow’s Turaco, Chestnut-headed Flufftail, Great Snipe, Pel’s Fishing Owl, Bocage’s Akalat, Anchieta’s Barbet, Miombo Pied Barbet, Black-backed Barbet, Reichard’s Seedeater, Coppery-tailed Coucal, Miombo Scrub Robin, Souza’s Shrike, Böhm’s Bee-eater, Böhm’s Flycatcher, Livingstone’s Flycatcher, Swamp Flycatcher, Pale-billed Hornbill, Miombo Rock Thrush, Black-necked Eremomela, Red-capped Crombec, Rufous-bellied Tit, Miombo Tit, Chestnut-backed Sparrow-Weaver, Bar-winged Weaver, Green-backed Woodpecker, Black-eared Seedeater, Cabanis’s Bunting, Wood Pipit, Tree Pipit, Pennant-winged Nightjar, Racket-tailed Roller, Pallid Honeyguide, African Broadbill, White-breasted Cuckooshrike, African Golden Oriole, Little Greenbul, Cabanis’s Greenbul, Yellow-bellied Hyliota, Southern Hyliota, Racket-tailed Roller, African Skimmer, Grey-headed Parrot, Spotted Crake, Western Banded Snake Eagle, Bat Hawk, Spur-winged Lapwing, Long-toed Lapwing, Slaty Egret, Orange-winged Pytilia, Brown Firefinch, Locust Finch, Arnot’s Chat, Sooty Chat, Rufous-bellied Heron, Cuckoo Finch, Fawn-breasted Waxbill, Red-throated Twinspot, Anchieta’s Sunbird, Copper Sunbird, Brown-headed Apalis, Yellow-throated Leaflove, Coqui Francolin, Marsh Tchagra, Purple-throated Cuckooshrike, Fülleborn’s Longclaw, Montagu Harrier, Sharp-tailed Starling, Marsh Widowbird, Moustached Grass Warbler, Stout Cisticola, Blue-breasted Bee-eater, Rosy-throated Longclaw, Katanga Masked Weaver, Papyrus Yellow Warbler, Black-rumped Buttonquail, Blue Quail, Blue-spotted Wood Dove, Black-backed Barbet, White-winged Black Tit, Swamp Nightjar.

Mammals

Sitatunga, Lichtenstein’s Hartebeest, Puku, African Wild Dog, Cheetah, Waterbuck (Defassa sub-species), Miombo Genet, Straw-coloured Fruit Bat, Side-striped Jackal, Four-toed Sengi, Caracal, African Wild Cat, African Civet, Kinda Baboon, Blue Monkey, Leopard, Lion, African Buffalo, African Elephant, African Clawless Otter, Water (Marsh) Mongoose, Roan Antelope, Sable Antelope, Oribi, Cape Porcupine.

Private birding and wildlife guide.
Accommodation in semi-luxury private lodges and resorts (may change subject to availability, in which case similar will be found).
Specialist guided tours and activities:
- Boat cruise (half day) – 1 x Kafue and Zambezi Rivers.
- Mokoro (dug-out canoe) trip – 1 x Bangweulu Wetlands.
- Birding walk – 1 x Kasanka.
- Wasa Lake walk – 1 x Kasanka.
- Game drive – 1 x Kasanka.
- Sunrise and Sitatungas walk – 1 x Kasanka.
3 Meals per day – Breakfast, lunch and dinner.
Bottled water in vehicle whilst travelling per person per day.
All entrance fees, conservation and community levies to parks and reserves.
Trip guide.
Personalized species checklist.

Airport departure taxes or visa fees.
Travel and medical insurance (incl. personal equipment and repatriation).
All ground transport – to travel in client’s vehicle.
All snacks and drinks (except bottled waters).
All road tolls and parking fees.
Optional excursions.
Specialist guide fees and activities not specified.
Travel and medical insurance.
Items of a personal nature.
Laundry and telephone charges.
Tips and gratuities for guides and local restaurants.
Anything else not mentioned in “Tour Includes”.

Test

Distance:

Total driving distance (including around sites) = About 2,700 km.

Scheduled Dates:

02 – 16 March 2026
15 – 29 November 2026

Or alternate dates on request

Validity:

01 January – 31 December 2026

Duration:

15 days, 14 nights

No. of Pax:

Maximum 7 guests per vehicle and per guide.

Tour Starts:

At Harry Mwaanga Nkumbula International Airport in Livingstone, Zambia.

Tour Ends:

At Simon Mwansa Kapwepwe International Airport in Ndola, Zambia.

Price:

January to September 2026: ZAR 143,500 per person sharing, ZAR 153,500 per person single

October to December 2026: ZAR 184,900 per person sharing, ZAR 213,800 per person single

Terms and Conditions apply
Accommodation may change subject to availability, in which case similar accommodation will be found.
Total driving distance (including around sites) = about 2,700 km.
Minimum of 3 participants per vehicle required to undertake the trip – should the number of guests change, the cost of the tour and the per person cost will change accordingly.
The species mentioned in the itinerary represent only some of those we may view on the tour, however, none of these can be guaranteed even though every effort will be made where possible to locate them. A full list of possible species appears on your checklist, although vagrants and rarities may also surprise us.
This itinerary is subject to change due to weather conditions at the time and other factors beyond our control.
All images taken on tour with Sustain Safaris.

Tour Insight

Livingstone – Choma – Chirundu – Chisamba – Mkushi – Mutinondo – Bangweulu – Kasanka – Nsobe – Ndola

This 15-day guided wildlife safari tour package with Sustain Safaris will lead you the marvelous birding world that is Zambia, where the transition between southern African and east African species is extraordinary, as many regional species reach their respective southern and northern range limits.

Being the month of May, some of the palaearctic migrants would have passed through, but the intra-African migrants and residents will be on full display, enjoying the last bounty before winter. It will be drying out, so the wetlands and lakes should be showing great wading flats and the mammals will become more water dependent. Zambia is a large and lengthy country, and so given the available time, travel destinations where habitats and species types vary, will require lengthy journeys to reach. However, we will fortunately spend 2 nights at most destinations, allowing us time to discover most of the birding treasures they have in store for us.

We will visit several iconic birding areas along the way, with each offering numerous bird species which will be completely new to your eyes.

We enter this amazing country in Livingstone near the majestic Victoria Falls and mighty Zambezi River, in the far south-west, where we seek Black-cheeked Lovebird (endemic), Racket-tailed Roller, African Skimmer, Red-faced Crombec and Grey-headed Parrot.

Our next destination in the thriving Choma area, where we will search for the endemic Chaplin’s Barbet, and may also find Spotted Crake, Miombo Pied Barbet, Western Banded Snake Eagle, Rufous-bellied Tit and Miombo Scrub Robin.

Then we enter the Lower Zambezi valley, where we will have two days to search for Pennant-winged Nightjar, African Broadbill, Livingstone’s Flycatcher, and the secretive African Pitta (unlikely, out of season). The area around the Zambezi River could turn up Long-toed Lapwing, Swamp Boubou, Slaty Egret, and Brown Firefinch.

We then pass through Lusaka (the capital) for Chisamba, where we will seek out African Spotted Creeper, Southern Hyliota, Orange-winged Pytilia, and Souza’s Shrike.

Next, we will advance through to Mkushi, where White-breasted Cuckooshrike, Black-necked Eremomela, Chestnut-backed Sparrow-Weaver, Böhm’s Flycatcher, Yellow-bellied Hyliota, and Southern Hyliota become likely.

Following this, we journey to the furthest north-east extent for the quite magnificent Mutinondo Wilderness for Bar-winged Weaver, Chestnut-headed Flufftail, Anchieta’s Barbet, Reichard’s Seedeater, Locust Finch, Bat Hawk, and Bocage’s Akalat.

We return to the Mkushi region, before proceeding north to Balanbeen in search of Pale-billed Hornbill, Arnot’s Chat, Black-necked Eremomela, Red-capped Crombec, and Green-backed Woodpecker, and lastly we progress in a north-easterly direction for the city of Ndola, where we end our big adventure.

Southern and Central Zambia offers a very good list of specials for world listers and a wide array of species and other wildlife for those with a more general interest. This trip has a strong focus on watching birds, but there are opportunities too for some mammal watching and bird (and other) photography.

By the end of our adventure, we would have explored 9 unique areas that are renowned for high levels of bird species richness, rare mammals, and diversity, and several that offer special all-round wildlife sightings. The tour has strategically selected key destinations that promise to provide the very best chances for discovering new avian treasures in the time available. In total, we can hope to discover in excess of 320 bird species, from a total possible list exceeding 600 species in the region we tour through. A species checklist will be handed out to you at the start of the tour and will be sent beforehand to you.

Tour Overview

Semi-luxury private lodges. Luxury accommodation can be arranged at your request (additional cost).

We expect to encounter some rain, mostly as afternoon thunderstorms. Most days, especially in the Zambezi Valley, will be warm to hot, although rain will bring some relief from the high temperatures. The central north has a tropical climate that sees average daytime temperatures staying uniform throughout most of the year. The exception is the transition from Dry season (May to October) to Wet season (November to April), when temperatures rise a few degrees. Rain and heat both diminish in the drier months. The average temperature in Lusaka in January for a typical day ranges from a high of 27°C to a low of 19°C. It is typically humid with an average amount of 85%, which could be described as pleasantly warm with a gentle breeze. The wettest month in Lusaka is January where a typical day has a 67% chance of on average 18 mm of precipitation.

Miombo woodlands, dambos (swamps), savanna, wetlands, inselberg mountains, and perennial rivers, which host a few regional endemics, threatened and endangered bird and mammal species, as well as great floral diversity. Each destination offers extraordinary scenery, providing you with unparalleled photographic opportunities.

Optional extension
A 14-day or a 19-day birding and wildlife tour from Windhoek, Namibia, to Victoria Fall.

Tour variation
This set-departure tour is also available as a private or custom tour on request. Kindly submit an enquiry with your preferred dates and group size.

Safari Highlights:

This safari commences in Ndola and ends in Livingstone in Zambia. We explore:

The Livingstone, Victoria Falls, and Zambezi River region on day 1.
The highly bird species rich Nkanga Conservancy in the Choma region for 2 nights, where we target Zambia’s two endemics, Chaplin’s Barbet and Black-cheeked Lovebird.
The extraordinary Lower Zambezi Valley for 2 nights, where we search for the African Pitta treasure and spend 2 mornings its prime area.
The Chisamba region, which is full of miombo woodland and wetland specials, for 1 night.
The forest around Fika Lodge, which we will visit twice for a combined total of 2 nights.
The exceptional wilderness around Mutinondo where we will find a whole new suite of special birds for 3 nights, including Bar-winged Weaver, Chestnut-headed Flufftail, and Reichard’s Seedeater.
The amazing Bangweulu swamps, where our main target is the extraordinary Shoebill and Black Lechwe.
The Kasanka National Park, the home of Sitatunga and Kinda Baboons, Lichtenstein’s Hartebeest, Puku, Pel’s Fishing Owl, Ross’s Turaco.
The bird and game rich habitats around Nsobe Game Camp for 1 night.
We will undertake very good miombo birding.

The tempo of our tour will be medium paced, with opportunities to pause in key areas and optional midday breaks (advisable on the hot days). If you are a keen photographer, well so are we, and we will offer several opportunities to capture the moments that will make you the envy of your birdwatching friends.