Ker & Downey Zambia

Discover Zambia with Ker & Downey, where raw untamed wilderness meets immersive luxury. Our guided safari experiences in expansive and remote destinations is at the heart of our six decades of safari knowledge.

Our camps in Lower Zambezi and Liuwa Plain are strategically positioned in the most remote, untouched corners of these renowned parks, providing guests with exclusive access to the most scenic and wildlife-productive landscapes.

Nestled beautifully in the wild

Zambia is renowned for being one of Africa’s finest safari experiences, known for its diverse game viewing, variety of landscapes, rich typography and exceptional wildlife. The destination focuses on uncrowded and immersive guided experiences which aim to reconnect the traveller with nature through walking, boat cruises and game drives.

Ker & Downey Zambia has deliberately chosen the more remote, quieter sectors of the Lower Zambezi and Liuwa Plain National Parks to preserve an authentic wilderness experience in untouched landscapes. This thoughtful placement fosters a deeper connection with nature, allowing visitors to experience the rhythm, solitude, and raw beauty of Zambia’s wild spaces in their purest form.

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OUR DESTINATIONS

LOWER ZAMBEZI

Spanning 4,092 square kilometres (1,580 square miles), Lower Zambezi National Park is a sanctuary of breathtaking, untouched beauty. This cherished destination offers a diverse mosaic of habitats, creating a haven for a remarkable array of wildlife. Whether you are exploring via sunset boating safaris, game drives, or guided walking excursions, you are immersed in one of the park’s most scenic and wildlife-productive landscapes.

LIUWA PLAIN

Boasting 3,369 square kilometers (1,301 square miles) of untamed wilderness, Liuwa Plain National Park is widely celebrated as Zambia’s premier grassland safari experience, along with being home to the secret migration, Africa’s second largest of wildebeest. Our lodge is nestled on the threshold where rare, ancient woodlands meet the dramatic, seemingly infinite horizon of the Liuwa Plain, in near complete exclusivity of other guests, offering an unparalleled vantage point from which to explore this legendary landscape.

Lower Zambezi

Whether you are exploring the Lower Zambezi around our Musesenji River Camp via day and night game drives, tranquil boating safaris, or immersive guided walking tours, the opportunities to encounter wildlife are unmatched. This is a land of giants, home to large elephant herds, elusive leopards, powerful lion prides, and the rare spectacle of wild dog packs. It is also a true birder’s paradise, teeming with exceptional avian diversity, with more than 430 species.

LOWER ZAMBEZI HIGHLIGHTS

  • Explore diverse and stunning landscapes
  • Adventure with a wide variety of activities
  • Extraordinary photographic destination
  • Incredible birding

Our camp occupies the most remote real estate in the Lower Zambezi National Park, uniquely positioned on a peninsula where the Zambezi and Musesenji Rivers converge. Opening its doors in April 2027, Musesenji River Camp is intimate in size, thus ensuring a bespoke, nature-focused experience within the breathtaking scenery from the camp’s vantage and surrounding area.

We believe in conscious luxury: our eco-friendly design is entirely solar-powered, utilizing a state-of-the-art water filtration system, and is built without permanent concrete footings to minimize our environmental footprint. To ensure your complete comfort throughout the entire safari season, the camp is also fully air-conditioned.

Musesenji River Camp, Lower Zambezi

5 Luxury Safari Tents and 1 Family Tent

Opening Date 1 April 2027

Seasonality Shoulder Season 1 April – 30 June 1 - 30 November High Season 1 July – 31 October

Location Located inside the Lower Zambezi National Park, on the banks of the Zambezi River at the confluence with the Musesenji River. Musesenji is the furthest most east camp (downriver) in the Lower Zambezi National Park, making it the most remote camp in the Park, creating an exclusive experience away from the crowds.

Size Standard room internal floor space - 55m² (181 feet²). Outside decking space of 30m² (98 feet²). Total of 85m² (279 feet²). Family Room internal Floor space - Each bedroom 37m² (121 feet²) plus a shared common lounge space of 31m². Internal floor space of 105m² (344 feet²). Outside decking space of 50m² (164 feet²). Total 155m² (509 feet²).

Plunge Pools Each tent has a private plunge pool

No. of guests Musesenji River Camp accommodates 14 guests.

Safari Activities - Game Drives: Morning and evening safaris in open 4x4 vehicles - River Excursions: Boat cruises, fishing - Walking Safaris: Guided bush walks with professional guides and DNPW scouts. - Birding: Exceptional diversity along the river - Cultural Visits: Optional excursions to nearby communities. • Spa and wellness in-room treatments

Camp Facilities - Elevated views from the central bar, restaurant and lounge area overlooking the Zambezi River with an abundance of outdoor seating/lounge and dining areas - A-la-carte dining - Curated library and curio shop - Firepit with river views - Gym

Access Daily seat in charter flights to from Lusaka to Kulefu airstrip with KDZ Plane (35-minute flight) followed by 10-minute game drive or boat trip to camp Daily flights from Lusaka to Jeki Airstrip (35-minute flight) with Proflight Zambia (May to 15th November only) followed by a 2-hour game drive to camp.

Set on the confluence of the Zambezi and Musesenji Rivers, this camp is well situated in the remote East of the Lower Zambezi National Park.

Just minutes eastward from Kulefu Airstrip our new plane seamlessly connects guests with
our King Lewanika in Liuwa Plain and many other Zambian safari highlights.

MUSESENJI RIVER CAMP LOCATION, LOWER ZAMBEZI

Located inside the Lower Zambezi National Park, on the banks of the Zambezi River at the confluence with the Musesenji River. Musesenji is the furthest most east camp (downriver) in the Lower Zambezi National Park, making it the most remote camp in the Park, creating an exclusive experience away from the crowds.

Liuwa Plain

Liuwa Plain National Park is a safari destination unlike any other—an ultra-exclusive wilderness limited to just 15 guests. Far off the beaten track, this untouched sanctuary hosts Africa’s second-largest wildebeest migration and serves as a vital habitat for over 350 bird species, including the continent’s largest population of wattled cranes, crowned crane and Denham’s Bustard. The plains are a thriving stronghold for lion, cheetah, and wild dog, with large hunting hyena clans dominating the predatory hierachy. A further interesting phenomena is that the landscape itself transforms with the seasons, carpeting the earth in wildflowers and dramatic, ever-changing vistas between October and December.

LIUWA PLAIN HIGHLIGHTS

  • Unexplored and off-the-beaten-track
  • Large herds of wildebeest and predator action
  • Extraordinary displays of birdlife and wildflowers
  • Incredible photographic opportunities

Liuwa is also a testament to the power of community and conservation of their ancestral inheritance, the land; it is home to the Lozi people, whose traditional heritage is woven into the park’s management. Today, it stands as a celebrated conservation success story, revitalized through the partnership of African Parks, the Department of National Parks and Wildlife, and the Zambian Carnivore Programme.

KING LEWANIKA LODGE, LIUWA PLAIN

5 Luxury Safari Tents and 1 Family Tent

Seasonality 1 March to 30 December annually. Aligning travel for guests with the rest of Zambia’s peak season of travel.

Size Each Safari Tent is 60 square meters in size, together with an additional 40 meter² veranda and outdoor shower. Family Room internal Floor space - Each bedroom 100 meters² (328 feet²). All luxury safari tents are nestled on the edge of the woodland with uninterrupted views over Liuwa Plain.

No. of guests 5 luxury tents and 1 family tent Maximum 15 Guests. Each Luxury Safari Tent is set up either as a twin or double.

King Lewanika's Family Tent The Luxury Family Safari tent can accommodate 5 guests with 2 bedrooms and 2 bathroom. 120 square meters (1,291 square feet). Each Luxury safari family tent is 80 square meters in size, together with an additional 40 square meter veranda.

Pool King Lewanika now has a new pool area, overlooking the vast Liuwa Plain as well as an elevated deck area for dinning and sunset drinks.

Access Flights on our Cessna 210 Aircraft, this ease of access directly to Matiamanene Airstrip (6 minutes from camp) on a daily basis, from both Livingstone and Lusaka. The flight schedule seamlessly aligns for domestic and international flights.

The spacious luxury safari tents have been tastefully designed to offer unrivalled luxury, whilst championing the beauty of the Liuwa Plain from every vantage point. As you open your door and enter the room, you feel as if you are walking directly into The Plain, as the open fronted rooms effortlessly draw the beauty of outside, in.

Your eye is immediately tempted to scan the expansive panoramic view unfolding in front of you. Each luxury safari tent offers multiple seating areas, a large sofa is the perfect spot to sit with your binoculars and see what comes to drink during the heat of the day, or soak up the sun on your lounger chairs on the expansive veranda. The earthy tones of leather, steel and grass are wonderfully incorporated into the tasteful colour palette that reflects the golden hues of the grass that surround you. The luxury safari tents offer a choice of an indoor, or an outdoor shower, for the adventurous, a shower under the remarkable Liuwa night sky is the perfect way to end the day.

KING LEWANIKA LODGE LOCATION, LIUWA PLAIN

King Lewanika Lodge is located just 6 minutes from the airstrip.  This is an exceptional offering to allow guests to follow the migration up North with our exceptional fly camp experience.

CONNECTING OUR DESTINATIONS

Connecting our destinations in Zambia has been of most importance, ensuring ease of access for guests between Lower Zambezi and the Liuwa Plain.

With our flight times connecting domestic flights for guests that might be travelling on to other areas such as the South Luangwa, and importantly aligning to International carriers arriving in Lusaka and Livingstone.

Cessna 210 – Maximum 4 Passengers

For all Ker & Downey Zambia booked flights, the Meet & Greet service is included.

We will pick up and drop off guests for any third party charter flights booked to land/ depart at Kulefu and Jeki airstrips in Lower Zambezi, and Matamanene airstrip in Liuwa. Please ensure Reservations are advised of timings well ahead of time, info@kerdowneyzambia.com

A wildlife success story

King Lewanika Lodge offers guests the opportunity to enjoy front-row seats to an incredibly diverse eco-system, rich with an abundance of wildlife, without the crowds. The lodge is situated in a game dense area of the National Park, perfectly positioned to showcase majestic lions, menacing clans of hyena up to fifty-strong and pans teeming with rare aquatic birdlife. It is the safari destination that truly has something for everyone.

To visit Liuwa Plain National Park means to be part of the incredible success story that continues to unfold. A Park that was once on the brink of total destruction, now thriving with a variety of mammal and bird species thanks to the unwavering efforts of African Parks in partnership with the Department of National Parks and Wildlife.

Zambia offers an exceptional safari experience, fine food, amazing sights, incredible people.

Ease of Access

Ker & Downey Zambia is delighted to now have the arrival of our Cessna 210 Aircraft connecting our destionations

LIUWA PLAIN
Assuring guests ease of access directly to Liuwa Plain, arriving at Matiamanene Airstrip (6 minutes from camp) on a daily basis, from both Livingstone and Lusaka and connecting the Lower Zambezi.

LOWER ZAMBEZI
Daily seat in charter flights to from Lusaka to Kulefu airstrip with KDZ Plane (35-minute flight) followed by 10-minute game drive or boat trip to camp.
Daily flights from Lusaka to Jeki Airstrip (35-minute flight) with Proflight Zambia (May to 15th November only) followed by a 2-hour game drive to camp.

Importantly, the flight schedule seamlessly aligns for domestic and international flights, linking other iconic areas.

Follow the Northern Migration in Liuwa Plain

As the migration moves North from King Lewanika Lodge, in late May, we have enhanced our guest offering with an innovative, fun and adventurous full day trip & sleep out experience, which is available to all guests on a complimentary basis.

The activity allows guests to track the migration on its Northern range loop, hopefully encountering them and spending time exploring between the herds in near exclusivity which spans an enormous area of 3,369 square kilometers (1,301 square miles).

Game Drives

Game drive vehicles designed for Liuwa

Game drives allow for exploration of our destinations.

With specially designed vehicles for exceptional viewing of the expansive Liuwa Plain. This areas teems with a stunning variety of plains game and their attendant predators, not to forget hundreds of bird species and large flocks of crowned and wattled cranes.

The vehicles also boast roof top "vista" seats which, together with the under roof game drive seats ensure the ideal vantages to spot, observe and photograph Liuwa's wildlife and landscapes.

Cultural immersion

Across all of our destinationss we offer guests the opportunity for cultural experiences.
In Liuwa Plain guests can see and experience their generational traditional fishing methods of the Lozi people, with their methods of catching that have been passed down for generations.

In the Lower Zambezi guests too have the ability to visit local communities.

Cuisine

Enjoy our fresh and nutritious cuisine across all of our destinations, with much sourced locally. Perhaps sample some wonderful local delicacies. Signature experiences include bush brunches, starlit dinners, remote plain picnics and Champagne sundowners.

Spa and Wellness

Indulge and unwind in the caring hands of a spa therapist between activities, with a treatment of your choosing, enjoyed while imbibing the tranquility and bush sounds as a backdrop in our camps