Time + Tide Chongwe

There aren’t many other places in Africa where you can get quite so intimate with quite so many hippos – or see animals in the water at such close range.

There’s great night-viewing, too, when lions, hyenas and leopards can be spotted, alongside smaller creatures such as bush babies. Over 370 bird species are present here.

Safari activities here include river cruises by boat and canoe, game drives, and bushwalks – guides are well-versed in both bush crafts, as well as river activities.

Walks are accompanied by an armed National Parks ranger. Wild dogs are occasionally seen, as they pup in the hills above the valley.

There can be few more beautiful places to fish. Tiger fish here are fighters (and great fun to catch – and release) while the vundu grows as big as 40kg. You can also sleep out under the stars from July to October.

Chongwe is 35 minutes’ flight from Lusaka or 90 minutes from Livingstone, then an hour’s game drive from the airstrip.

Staff are happy to look after children in the house, teaching skills like animal-track identification around the house, and biscuit-making. The standard minimum age for kids is eight.

Staff are generally local, and help to educate their local villages in conservation. The camp is involved in Conservation Lower Zambezi, the local NGO, and supports two schools.

Guests are invited to the local Goma village to visit the Chieftainess, and experience life in the Chiawa Cultural Village.