Mfuwe Lodge
South Luangwa National Park, Zambia
Location
Inside South Luangwa NP
The lodge sits inside South Luangwa National Park overlooking two wildlife-rich lagoons, under ebony and mahogany trees, around five minutes from the Mfuwe Gate and 40 minutes from Mfuwe Airport — open year-round.
Transfer
A Mfuwe transfer
Fly in to Mfuwe Airport, then around 40 minutes by road — light-aircraft luggage is soft-bag and weight-limited; the lodge is around five minutes from the park gate.
Villas
18 chalets
18 thatched chalets — two suites, three family rooms, three doubles and ten twins — plus a family house, each en-suite with a private deck or verandah, mosquito nets and a fan, overlooking the lagoon.
Best For
Who it suits
Families and first-time safari-goers after the accessible South Luangwa gateway — the famous elephants through reception in season, an in-park lagoon and the gateway to a deeper bushcamp circuit — with family rooms and all ages welcome.
Board Basis
All-inclusive
All-inclusive — meals and game drives — at the main lodge under an enormous thatched roof, with lagoon dining and a bar and library.
About the Resort
The lodge the elephants walk through
Mfuwe Lodge is the accessible, family-friendly gateway to South Luangwa — a comfortable in-park lodge of 18 thatched chalets overlooking two wildlife-rich lagoons, under ebony and mahogany trees, around five minutes from the Mfuwe Gate. Its famous moment is the herd of elephants that walks through reception, though it is worth being clear: that happens in mango season, roughly October to December, when the wild mango tree in the courtyard fruits — a seasonal wildlife event, never guaranteed, with the lodge open all year regardless. The safari is the substance: day and night game drives through one of Africa's best leopard valleys, walking safaris on request, and a gateway to the Bushcamp Company's remote bushcamps for a deeper walking circuit. There is a Bush Spa overlooking the lagoon, with hippos below during a massage. The Luangwa Valley is a malaria area, so antimalarial precautions are advised. All-inclusive and around 40 minutes from Mfuwe Airport, it suits families and first-time safari-goers.
Accommodation
Chalets
18 thatched chalets — two suites, three family rooms, three doubles and ten twins — plus a family house, each en-suite with a private deck or verandah, mosquito nets and a fan, overlooking the lagoon.
Entry
Twin/Double Chalet
Sleeps two. A thatched twin or king with a private deck, lagoon-facing.
Private deckLagoon outlook
Family
Family Room
Sleeps three to four. A two-level loft family layout, over the lagoon.
Loft layoutLagoon outlook
Suite
Suite
Sleeps two. A larger chalet with a full bath, over the lagoon.
Full bathLagoon view
Food & Drink
Dining
Dining runs to the main lodge under an enormous thatched roof over the lagoon, with lagoon dining and a bar and library.
Signature
The main lodge
The main lodge, under an enormous thatched roof, over the lagoon.
Lagoon
Lagoon dining
Lagoon dining.
Bar
The bar & library
The bar and library.
Wellbeing
Bush Spa
The Bush Spa overlooks the lagoon — hippos below during a massage — with a swimming pool over the water and day and night game drives in leopard country.
The Bush Spa
The Bush Spa, overlooking the lagoon — hippos below during a massage.
A lagoon-view pool
A swimming pool over the lagoon.
Game drives
Day and night game drives, in leopard country.
Activities & Experiences
Signature Experiences
A famous lobby, and a deeper bush beyond it. Watch for the elephants in season, drive day and night for leopard, walk the valley, and head out to the bushcamps.
Elephants through reception
The famous elephants that walk through reception in mango season — around October to December, when the wild mangoes fruit; a seasonal wildlife event, not year-round.
Day & night drives
Day and night game drives — the majority of outings — in one of Africa's best leopard valleys.
Walking safaris
Walking safaris on request, in the walking-safari birthplace.
The bushcamp circuit
The gateway to the Bushcamp Company's remote bushcamps — walk between camps on a deeper circuit.
The lagoon Bush Spa
The lagoon-view Bush Spa, with hippos below.
Getting There
Location & transfers
By air
To Mfuwe
Fly in to Mfuwe Airport, around 40 minutes by road.
In the park
South Luangwa
Inside South Luangwa National Park, overlooking Mfuwe Lagoon.
Guest Reviews
What Our Clients Say
★★★★★
“The most extraordinary place I have ever stayed. Nothing prepares you for the depth of the silence, the beauty of the reef, or the sheer generosity of the experience.”
✓ Verified via feefo
★★★★★
“We’ve stayed here three times now. The house reef has no equal. The stargazing was, genuinely, one of the most moving experiences of my adult life.”
✓ Verified via feefo
★★★★★
“I had stayed at Four Seasons, One&Only and Velaa before visiting Mfuwe Lodge. They are all magnificent. But this is different in a way that is hard to articulate.”
✓ Verified via feefo
Good to Know
Good to know
Board basis
- All-inclusive — meals and game drives.
The lobby elephants
- The elephants that walk through reception are a seasonal event — around October to December, when the wild mango tree in the courtyard fruits; they are wild and never guaranteed, and the lodge is open year-round regardless.
A malaria area
- The Luangwa Valley is a malaria area, so antimalarial precautions are advised — speak to your GP or a travel clinic before you travel.
Getting there
- Fly in to Mfuwe Airport, around 40 minutes by road; the lodge is around 5 minutes from the Mfuwe Gate.
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