Puku Ridge Camp is in a remote part of the South Luangwa National Park. Overlooking a wildlife rich lagoon where there is seemingly always something to see. Chichele Safaris owns Chichele Presidential Lodge & Puku Ridge Camp. In a collaboration with Chiawa Safaris, these two South Luangwa lodges have been upgraded (Chichele* will be open by early 2025). This will make these as reputable as the Lower Zambezi camps. With this comes “Best in Africa” award winning hospitality and guiding. Puku Ridge has now re-opened and is receiving rave reviews.
*Chichele Presidential is expected to be open on 7th March 2025. We will add it to this website after the official photo shoot.
The African canvas/chic style camp blends in completely with its gorgeous, wild environment. This is a luxury camp with every comfort. Yet it is intimate and friendly, and offers the authentic safari experience that many people long for. Children from 12 years old are welcome.
The camp is open from 1st April until 30th November every year.
The main area of Puku Ridge offers indoor and open air lounge with various dining options. As well as a campfire and viewing hide overlooking the waterhole.
The elevated safari tents comprising of canvas, thatch and decking all overlook the beautiful Puku Ridge floodplain and woodlands. With its seemingly endless parade of wildlife.
All rooms have super king beds or twin configuration with mosquito nets. They are air conditioned which is a rare and welcome luxury in the Luangwa Valley. En suite facilities include an private WC and indoor shower plus “his & hers” washbasins. And a huge bathtub with view. There is also an outdoor shower with a view. A multi level veranda with plunge pool overlooking the plains and wildlife.
Puku Ridge exterior of room
Plus a tower with star bed perfect for nights under the vast African sky. Inside the luxury tents you’ll of course find a minibar with tea + coffee station, complimentary WiFi, 24/7 220v power, and international charging facilities.
Star bed
Puku Ridge Activities
The Park is endowed with abundant elephants, giraffes, leopards, lions, wild dogs, zebras, buffalo’s 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.
A great deal of big game saturates the Luangwa Valley. Including the endemic sub-species Thornicroft’s Giraffe and Crawshay’s zebra.
Sustainable tourism
At all of the Chiawa Safaris camps, conservation is not just a word. But a way of life. From lodge building materials to use of solar power and reduced reliance on fossil fuels. As well as a considerate and sensitive approach to how they interact with the environment and wildlife. Chiawa is committed to conservation and sustainable tourism. In late 2017, United Nations World Tourism Organization (UNWTO) Secretary General Taleb Rifai, made a visit to South Luangwa National Park. He declared it as a park committed to sustainable tourism. And it is the first in the world to be declared as such.
“There can be no true meaning of tourism if it does not benefit the local people in the community. We want to see more engagement and involvement of the local community in sustainable tourism” said Dr Rifai.
Safari activities ↓
Game Drives
Lions and leopards are often seen in the area around the camp. As are buffalo, giraffe, zebra and elephant. 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.
Lioness with its cubs – note the cub’s tail in mom’s mouth!
Varied habitat and diverse wildlife make for superb photographic opportunities.
Also available are night drives which use 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 guests with more natural behavior and better wildlife sightings. A night drive in the South Luangwa National Park is one of the activities that make Zambia particularly unique.
Wild dog
Walking Safari
The South Luangwa is home of the walking safari in Zambia. The most immersive of safari experiences that truly keeps you on your toes. Follow in the footsteps of explorers in a country that has scarcely changed and where the wildlife still roams freely. Bush walks are a sensory safari adventure and quite exhilarating, as you are on their turf now. Is that bird call a song or an alarm? Was that grunt a distant hippo or a nearby lioness?
Find yourself walking through thick Ebony grove, across dry tributaries of the Luangwa and into Mopane forests. Track wildlife with your knowledgeable guides. From elusive Leopard and African wild dog. To the more easily spotted wildlife of Puku, Giraffe, and Elephant. Amble gently, taking in the uniquely Zambian sights, scents and sounds. Which feel very different when experienced on-foot rather than in a game vehicle.
Walking safari
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 your guide and an armed game scout while taking careful note of the wind to mask any scent. There’s nothing like seeing lion tracks or the giant footprint of an elephant. The area is home to 60 mammals and over 400 bird species, making it one of the top birding destinations in the world.
Carmine Bee-eaters
Photographic Hide
There is a beautiful photographic hide at Puku Ridge. Observe (and photograph) wildlife without disturbing them from a very close vantage point. A rather serene and relaxed safari activity. Where you can watch the uninhibited behavior of the animals as they make their way to the lodge front watering hole. As they are unaware of your presence, you can truly take in the setting and scene as a quiet witness. As the wildlife go about their daily bathing and hydration.
Photographic hide
A favorite for herds of Elephant. There is nothing sweeter than to see than a new calf learning to roll and wallow in the mud, while testing their trunk in the water and bordering vegetation. Wildlife watching or photographic hides, are a wonderful way for wildlife to be viewed. Without disrupting or disturbing them. And they provide protection for viewers when observing larger or more dangerous species such as buffalo, elephant and lion.
The wildlife hide at Puku Ridge ticks both boxes when it comes to the must have traits of the best safari photographic hides. It is in a high wildlife traffic area and ideally positioned for avid photographers. The Puku Ridge hide is located just below the main deck. Positioned right in front of the watering hole with an expansive view of the private plains as a backdrop. With both upper and lower windows spanning the length of the hide. Along with cushions for elbows (and full body mats for laying flat) photographers can work with more than one angle. And stay comfortable whilst waiting for that perfect shot.
Safari Sun Downers
It doesn’t get much more African than the traditional safari experience of sundowners in the bush. Safari’s version of ‘happy hour’, is often enjoyed during a break in your evening game drive. As the sun sets. Enjoy a chilled drink of your choice and a delicious variety of snacks against the unforgettable African backdrop. As you take in the end of the day and the game drive sightings thus far.
Sundowners
A Typical Day at Puku Ridge
The day typically starts with a wake up call about 15 minutes before sunrise. However the movements of the wildlife and guests’ interests determine the order of the day. You’ll meet by the campfire for a light breakfast and depart for morning safari activity soon after. Returning to camp about 11 am.
Enjoy a brunch buffet with optional full English breakfast. After this, it is typically siesta or relaxation time until afternoon tea at around 3.30 pm. Enjoy sweet and savory options before the afternoon activity. This culminates in a night drive returning to camp about 8 pm.
Enjoy drinks and snacks at the bar or by the camp fire until a 3 course dinner is enjoyed. Coffee and liqueurs are offered after dinner and guests typically turn in for the night around 10 pm. Chiawa Safaris specializes however in making every day a unique and special occasion. Soft drinks, bottled water, spirits, beer and house wines are included in the price.
Puku Ridge Dining
Puku Ridge has quickly earned its reputation for some of the best dining in the entire South Luangwa. If not in Zambia. Some guests have remarked that the meals are better than they have received in Michelin starred restaurants! The food is fresh, creative, varied, always delicious. And always served with a smile and an incredible view.
Colorful, fresh vegetables are hand picked from the local markets just outside the National Park. All paired with fine South African wines and topped off with freshly ground coffee and a wide selection of teas. That will delight and satisfy.
Delicious food
Puku Ridge are happy and able to cater to most dietary tastes and requirements. But please give as much notice as possible due to the remoteness of the location.
Best time to visit Puku Ridge
South Luangwa Seasons & Wildlife Calendar
Daily Avg Temperature °C
Rainfall
Wildlife & Scenery
April
30°C
10 mm
Wild dog sightings
May
27°C Cooler AM/PM
0 mm
Green landscapes great for photography
June
Caracal or serval sightings possible
July
28°C
Perfect weather for walking safaris
August
30°C
Carmine Bee Eater seasons begins, Elephant river crossings
September
30°C
Predator sightings & hunting
October
34°C
10 mm
Water supply thins out
November
34°C Increased Humidity
50 mm
Impala babies born after first rain
Getting to Puku Ridge Camp
Proflight currently handles all domestic air travel within Zambia and offers cost effective and convenient flights around the country. Private aircraft are also available for hire on a charter basis.
Flights between Lusaka and Mfuwe are usually on Jetstream twin turbine commuter planes. If you are flying from Livingstone, it will go via Lusaka.
From Mfuwe Airport to Puku Ridge is about a 90 minute drive by road. The drive spends equal time winding through villages and market places as it does within the National Park. Therefore, you can expect some game viewing en-route.
Puku Ridge Accommodation Rates
2024
Safari Retreats Rates
1st April – 30th June 2024
1st July – 15th October 2024
16th October – 30th November 2024
Per adult sharing
US$ 1 255
US$ 1 700
US$ 1 255
Child (12 – 17 yrs) sharing with adult/s
US$ 575
2025
Safari Retreats Rates
1st April – 30th June 2025
1st July – 15th October 2025
16th October – 30th November 2025
Per adult sharing
US$ 1 400
US$ 1 875
US$ 1 400
Child (12 – 17 yrs) sharing with adult/s
US$ 575
Single supplement is 35% for more than per person per night rate.
Rates Include: 16% VAT and transfers between Chiawa Safaris camps and airfields. Accommodation in en-suite luxury tents. All meals (private dining available), beverages, house wines, local spirits & laundry. Professionally guided safari activities:
Game drives (day & night),
Bush walks.
Privately guided safari activities will be offered as much as possible.
Rates Exclude: Park, Conservation, Community & Carbon Collection Fees. Air or river transfers to/from South Luangwa. Any airport departure tax or access fees. Gratuities, visa fees and personal extras.
Puku Ridge Camp Accommodation Special Offers
Shoulder Season Offer
Stay 3 and pay 2 at Puku Ridge Camp. Valid: 1st May – 30th June & 16th October – 15th November every year.
Offers Valid All Seasons
Stay 5 pay 4, or Stay 7 pay 5 at Puku Ridge.
Best of Both Parks
Stay 7 pay 5 at a combination of Chiawa Camp, and Puku Ridge.
Safari Ultimate at Lower Zambezi and South Luangwa
Stay 9 pay 6 at a combination of Chiawa Camp, Old Mondoro or Puku Ridge. Three nights at each camp with one night free per camp. So, three nights FREE!
Group Offer
Save 10% when staying with a group of 6 or more guests. Can be combined with other specials.
South Luangwa Accommodation ↓
We are still adding South Luangwa lodges but feel free to email us with any inquiry you may have.
