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Going presidential at the Luangwa safari luxe

Going presidential at the Luangwa safari luxe

TimesLIVE15-05-2025
You'll want to get out and explore, whether on a meandering morning walking safari or one of the twice-daily game drives. With the endemic Crawshay's zebra and Thornicroft's giraffe, the South Luangwa National Park is especially famous for its healthy population of big cats. No wonder it's dubbed the 'valley of the leopard'. Dry summer months are best for predators and you might see a handful on a single drive. Or, perhaps, none at all. This is the bush after all, so it pays to find the magic in the smaller sightings. Endangered ground hornbills hunting snakes. Cheeky migrant bee-eaters chirruping from the branches. Sunset light filtering through a majestic leadwood forest on the banks of an oxbow lake filled with hippos. Here, the landscape is as magical as the wildlife.
You'll return to a deliciously contemporary culinary experience at the lodge. While there are no foams or frippery on the plate, dinners are defined by elevated bistro-style plates and lunchtime mezze platters are filled with bold colours and fresh flavours: Asian noodle bowls and beef skewers with house chimichurri. Freshly baked flatbreads. Daily sorbets. It's just the kind of food you want on safari. In the hours in between, book a massage at the intimate and airy spa or hit the treadmill in the gym with a view.
Or find a couch on the terrace. Chances are the bateleurs will be balancing on the thermals out front and a lone buffalo will be plodding towards the waterholes below. It's a fine place to sit and gaze over one of Zambia's most remarkable wild spaces. I imagine old KK would be pleased.
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Chilli-hot sirloin steak with Asian mushrooms, courgettes and red peppers

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