King Lewanika

Overview

Key Features

When to Visit

King Lewanika Tours

Rates/Bookings

Liuwa Plains is one of the undiscovered secrets of Zambia. King Lewanika is the only permanent lodge in the park making it, its own piece of remote bush paradise. The endless grassy plains are home to huge herds of antelope with the second largest wildebeest migration, taking place in November. The open planes are the perfect spot for Cheetah, wild dog and there is a growing population of lion in the area hailing from the famous Lady Liuwa Lioness who has several documentaries made about her record long life.

The lodge boasts just 6 expansive luxury villas all built on raised platforms, providing you with uninterrupted views of the park, without any crowds.

Remote / photography

King Lewanika is the only permanent lodge in Liuwa, from the sprawling rolling landscapes to the extensive wildlife it is one of the few places you can have incredible landscape and wildlife photography. With backdrops of stormy skies over grassy fields, shadowed outlines of the unique antelope species against sunsets all make for the perfect shots of contrasted beauty. The beauty of the place is how undiscovered it is, as there is just one lodge here it remains in its wild untouched state offering stunning opportunities to explore unseen areas.

Wildlife

It will come as no surprise that African Parks has stepped in to help protect this unique and special area. Time + Tide have a long history of being heavily involved in conservation projects at all their locations and King Lewanika is no exception. Helping bring tourism to the area to promote the increasing wildlife and looking after the local people, these two power houses of conservation joined forces to make sue this secret savannah remains at its wildest best. With a big effort on lion conservation the population is now much healthier than a few years ago when there was just one lonely female on the plains who after 17 long years of ruling the plains sadly passed away in 2017.

Due to its massive size and open plains there are great populations of cheetah and wild dog as well as the huge herds of plains game…it is quite amazing to come across these massive herds on the horizon! From some rare species such as the serval and incredible bird life it is the place to find unique and rare wildlife.

Lodge

Built by the same architect of Chinzombo, King Lewanika keeps all the opulence of its sister camp with the charm of canvas walls in keeping with the bush surroundings. The sweeping villas take inspiration from the surrounding plains with uninterrupted views of the vast plains. Each tent is slightly raised to ensure you are above some of the areas wetlands which only adds to its charm. From huge indoor and outdoor bathrooms, to the large beds, decking and areas to relax between drives it really is a special place.

OPEN: 1 Jan – 15 Jul & 15 Oct – 31 Dec

CLOSED: 16 Jul – 14 Oct

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Nov-Apr:

Lush green scenery and best sunsets
Flowers, birds and baby animals galore
Few tourists
Cheaper rates

May-Jun:

Beautiful green scenery after rains
Fantastic photography opportunities
Dry weather
Mild temperatures

Jul-Oct:

Dry scenery, best for spotting game
Abundant wildlife – fewer water sources
Warm/hot temperatures
Prime time for walking safaris

Classic Zambia

Category Ranges:
$: USD 0 – USD250/pppn
$$: USD 251 – USD600/pppn
$$$: USD 601 – USD1,000/pppn
$$$$: USD1,001+/pppn

The price categories give you an idea of the nightly cost per person for this accommodation.

The vastness of Zambia

“King Lewanika was a unique and very different experience of Zambia, with its vast, golden savannas that obscure a menagerie of wildlife. The lions, cheetahs and hyenas were amazing to behold and the bird life was bountiful in the variety of water fowl. The main lodge and “tent” chalets, were very comfortable and reflected the minimalist environment of the plains that spread before it, while providing comfort and a sense of luxury. Food was delicious and varied. Afax and the local staff were warm, welcoming and charming. A perfect end to our celebratory trip for our 50th anniversary”

TripAdvisor User
Comfortable accommodation and warm, friendly hospitality, in an amazing location

“Luiwa Plain is a vast open plain, in a remote area without another tourist in sight, a very special experience. Brian is an excellent guide, who showed us thousands of Wildebeest and Zebra migrating to the south, where the camp is located, from the north of the park. Excellent birding and other game too, including 4 cheetah and plenty Hyena (3 dens close-by) If you want remote and wide open spaces, without the crowds, then this is it!”

TripAdvisor User
Wonderful stay at King Lewanika

“Just back from a wonderful stay at KL. The lodge is stunning and all the staff are utterly wonderful. The views from the lodge are outstanding, lovely Liuwa wilderness. My bedroom was incredibly comfortable, very stylish, hitting a difficult combination of minimalist yet luxury. Incredibly comfortable bed and many relaxing areas to rest. Siku, who runs the lodge is just lovely and her team great. If I have one complaint it’s that I put on about several pounds in just a three night stay! The food is really great and I found myself saying yes to the amazing cakes before our evening game drive when I wasn’t close to hungry.”

TripAdvisor User