Situated deep in the South Luangwa National Park, Time + Tide Luwi is wonderfully remote. There are no other camps for miles around. Tranquillity envelops this rustic but very comfortable camp. Creating a wilderness haven that allows you to reconnect with nature in a meaningful way.
Nearby, a wildlife hide overlooks a oxbow lagoon with a lively population of hippos and crocodiles. Perfect for photography. Combine safari walks with day and night game drives to explore everything the bush has to offer.
Luwi’s setting is ideal to enjoy moments around the campfire. In the early morning making jaffles over the hot coals to evenings listening to the sounds of the Luangwa.
The camp operates on solar power with British three pin plugs in the main lounge. There is WiFi in the rooms.
Nestled in a grove of ancient mahogany trees, the safari tents are designed to fully immerse guests into the bush experience. From the comfort of your open air lounge, watch the diverse wildlife wandering by on the grassy floodplains. Listen to the hippos bellowing in the nearby lagoon and breathe in the heady aroma of African jasmine drifting past on a cool breeze. Sit back and let the peace of this place wash over you.
Comfortable tents at Luwi
Zambia Family Safari
Spend time in the places you love, with the people you love. Time + Tide believe in introducing children to the wonders of the wild from an early age. The team takes great care in sharing a deep appreciation for the land, wildlife, and culture with every guest. Including the youngest explorers. Unforgettable encounters, immersive experiences, and inspiring stories help families connect with nature. Whether simply enjoying time together or diving into fun filled activities on safari.
Children’s experiences at Time + Tide will spark curiosity and wonder for all kids. Beyond thrilling game drives, younger guests can track wildlife with the guides, try their hand at cooking with the chefs, and enjoy a host of other engaging activities.
Children of all ages welcome in all Time and Tide camps. When sharing with an adult, children under 18 years old are charged 50% of the nightly adult rate. Children 3 and under are free of charge when sharing with an adult. Families of four or less including at least one child younger than 12 years, are required to pay for the use of a private vehicle. Adults are responsible for supervising children at all times. Minimum age for walking, canoeing and sleep out is 12 years old and at the discretion of the guide. The children’s menu delights younger palates with flexible meal times for kids.
Time + Tide Luwi Activities
The Time + Tide Luwi surroundings are famous for lions and wild dogs. The thrill of tracking them on a walking safari is an experience not to be missed. Combine walks with game drives and ventures upriver to find elusive roan antelope, eland and hartebeest.
Next to camp, a permanent oxbow lagoon attracts wildlife from far and wide, especially during the dry winter months. A wildlife hide overlooks the resident hippos and offers superb sightings of the lagoon’s many visitors.
Walking Safaris
Discover the delicate balance of the natural world as you explore the unspoiled wilderness of Zambia on foot. Back in the 1950’s Norman Carr pioneered walking safaris and conservation-based tourism in Zambia. His aim was to track big game on foot in Zambia’s Luangwa Valley. Home to some of the continent’s greatest concentrations of game.
Guides offer guests a raw, authentic safari experience. Slow down and trace a leopard track in the sand through early morning mists. Watch the delicate dance of an ox pecker on a zebra. Listen to the sunrise call of a lion. Breathe in the wild African air. Delight in learning something new on each activity.
Walking safaris are immersive, sensual and peaceful. In Zambia, an armed wildlife ranger or “scout” leads each walking group, followed by the trained walking guide. Having a walk led by two wildlife experts was conceived by Norman and a 60 year+ track record of safety speaks to the effectiveness of this approach.
The difference between a vehicle safari and walking safari is on the walks you can see, hear, smell and feel the bush. You begin to understand the interconnections of the flora and the fauna. How each small part plays an important role in the greater ecosystem. Small mysteries of the bush are unlocked and explored. Tracks are investigated; and the wide variety of animal poo becomes an unexpected and fascinated learning experience! While generally speaking, walks are more focused on the little things in the bush, tracking big game on foot is not uncommon and always thrilling.
Zambia’s wild places are rich with life at every turn. In the South Luangwa, the landscape shifts from riverine forest to open plains, teeming with zebra, puku, giraffe and wildebeest.
Driving safaris are all in open 4X4 vehicles (Land Cruiser or Land Rover). At Chinzombo, Luwi, Nsolo, Kakuli and Mchenja generally have 4, with no more than 6, people on a vehicle ensuring everyone has a ‘window’ seat.
Night drives are generally an extension of your afternoon game drive or walking safari. As the sun begins to set we stop to watch the day come to a close and as dusk falls set off to explore as the nocturnal animals start to emerge.
The best chance of seeing genets, civets, elephant shrew, porcupine and the fierce honey-badger is after sunset and the large predators, with the exception of wild dog, are most active at night. Night time birding can be very rewarding with nightjars, owls great and small, dikkop, bat hawk and coursers are all abundant.
Leopards
Return to the Wild Sleep Out
For an additional supplement guests can sleep under the stars in the spectacular and extremely remote Luwi dry river bed. No tent – just a comfortable bed roll and a mosquito net so you can watch the Milky Way progress across the crystal clear night sky. Surrounded by a romantic bonfires whilst the guide and scout keep a watch for big game till morning. Experience the thrill of the first safari pioneers, including Norman Carr himself, as they discovered the wonders of the South Luangwa.
Sleep under The Stars
Dining
Relive your favorite moments of the day over a delicious Zambian inspired meal in the wild.
Set in the heart of the bush, the talented culinary team serves up meals that are as joyful as they are delicious. Drawing on Zambia’s rich flavors, fresh produce and food traditions, each dish celebrates a sense of place while taking a little inspiration from around the world. The result is dining that feels both familiar and new, always with a touch of Zambian warmth and authenticity.
Sample menu:
Roasted pork fillet with wembe, ginger and sage
Tilapia baked in banana leaves with preserved Kapani lemons & za’atar
Wild munyanya vichyssoise with chives and munyanya crisps
Munkoyo panna cotta with masau syrup and fresh fruit
The best time to visit Luwi Camp?
May and June is time of less rain (with June having almost none) and the scenery is still lush. The weather is cooler making it ideal for walking safaris. This is a fantastic time for photography.
July to October is the dry season. The bush gets less dense therefore it is easier to spot the wildlife. They also congregate at the fewer water sources so generally this the peak safari season in the South Luangwa National Park. Temperatures are lovely and warm during the day but chillier in the evenings (especially July and August). Again, this makes it ideal for walking safaris.
November is the green Season when the scenery is lush green and you get the best sunsets. There a fewer tourists and cheaper rates. The rains bring birds and baby animals in abundance so excellent time for everything!
How to get to Luwi?
Mfuwe is the gateway to the South Luangwa National Park. There are regular flights from Lusaka to Mfuwe International Airport (MFU), just outside the park. The drive from Mfuwe Airport to Luwi is approx 2.5 hours.
Time + Tide Luwi Accommodation Rates
Luwi is open from the 20th May to 15th November every year.
2026 and 2027 Time + Tide Luwi Rates
Green Season: 20th May – 30th June & 1st – 15th November
Safari Season: 1st July – 31st October
Per adult sharing
$ 840
$ 1,030
Single Supplement: 50% of the nightly rate
Children 3 and under stay for free. 4 – 17 years old pay 50% of the adult rate.
The rates include:
Accommodation and all meals.
Standard drinks (soft drinks, house wine, beer and spirits).
Transfers to/from Mfuwe Airport.
Local inter camp road transfers, laundry and service charge.
Two daily activities: Game drives, walking safaris, cultural visits.
These rates exclude:
Reserve spirits, wines and champagnes.
Entry visas, flights.
Meet and Greet in Lusaka.
Spa treatments.
Gratuities, personal expenses and extras.
Park Fees and Conservation Levies.
Time + Tide Luwi Special Offers
Stay/Pay Offers
Stay 10, pay 8, stay 7, pay 6 or Stay 4, pay 3* at all Time and Tide camps in Zambia (see below under Jet Set Safari).
*Valid all year except the 4 for 3 offer which is only available in the green season (1st – 15th November and 1st April – 30th June).
Spontaneous Safari
A wildly generous offer that allows you to follow the road less traveled and enjoy this exceptional, untouched and uncrowded wilderness. The Spontaneous Safari rates are valid for travel until 30 June 2026. With the exception of Time + Tide Luwi and Time + Tide Nsolo, valid until 15 November 2026. This offer can be combined with the Stay Pay offers, which give you complimentary nights to enjoy more time on safari.
Spontaneous Safari Rates
Green Season: 1st January – 30th June 2026
Safari Season: 1st July – 15th November 2026
Chinzombo
$ 950
–
Chongwe Suites and Chongwe House
$ 700
–
Chongwe Camp, Mchenja, Kakuli, Nsolo, Luwi
$ 600
$ 800 (Nsolo, and Luwi only)
Jet Set Safari
Stay a minimum of 5 nights at any Time + Tide Safaris camps in Zambia and 5 nights at Time + Tide in Madagascar and receive 2 nights complimentary.
Valid all year.
*For stays at Miavana, you also get complimentary return helicopter transfers from Diego Suarez / Nosy Be.
South Luangwa Honeymoon
Stay a minimum of 5 nights at any Time + Tide Safaris camps in Zambia within 6 months of your wedding and receive 50% off your partner’s accommodation.
Valid all year.
To provide the best experiences, we use technologies like cookies to store and/or access device information. Consenting to these technologies will allow us to process data such as browsing behavior or unique IDs on this site. Not consenting or withdrawing consent, may adversely affect certain features and functions.
Functional
Always active
The technical storage or access is strictly necessary for the legitimate purpose of enabling the use of a specific service explicitly requested by the subscriber or user, or for the sole purpose of carrying out the transmission of a communication over an electronic communications network.
Preferences
The technical storage or access is necessary for the legitimate purpose of storing preferences that are not requested by the subscriber or user.
Statistics
The technical storage or access that is used exclusively for statistical purposes.The technical storage or access that is used exclusively for anonymous statistical purposes. Without a subpoena, voluntary compliance on the part of your Internet Service Provider, or additional records from a third party, information stored or retrieved for this purpose alone cannot usually be used to identify you.
Marketing
The technical storage or access is required to create user profiles to send advertising, or to track the user on a website or across several websites for similar marketing purposes.
