Chiawa Camp
Classic luxury tented camp · Riverfront inside the park, western sector · Chiawa Safaris, the Cumings family
Top-end
Inside the park
Owner/family-run
The camp that started tourism in this park and still sets the standard. Classic canvas under thatch on the riverbank, guiding that people book years ahead for, and a family that has been in this valley since the late 1980s. Guests can join Conservation Lower Zambezi ecologists in the field on wild dog work from April 2026.
Pros and cons
Pros
- The pioneer camp of the park, opened in 1989
- A repeat winner of best safari camp in Africa awards
- Guests can join wild dog research from April 2026
- An open-air Safari Sleepout bedroom option on site
- Guided game drives, walking, boating and angling included
Cons
- Minimum age of 8, unless the whole camp is booked out
- Park and conservation fees of $120 per person per night added
- Camp closes mid-November to around 1 May each year
What's here
- Bar
Arranged from the lodge:
- Game drives
- Boat trips
- Guided walks
- Night drives
Read from Chiawa Camp's own website in July 2026. Anything not listed we could not confirm, which is not the same as it being absent.
What the park charges on top
The rate above buys you a bed. Lower Zambezi National Park charges its own entry fee for every day you are inside. Here is what that adds up to.
- Park entry$25 if you are with a licensed operator instead of self-driving.
- $30per person, per day
- VehicleUnder 3 tonnes, foreign registered.
- $15per vehicle, per day
Three nights means three days inside, so two adults sharing one vehicle pay $225 in park fees before anyone pays for a bed.
Camps inside the park bundle a bed-night levy and community fee on top, which together run $85 to $120 per person per night. That is the number that lands on your invoice, not the gate fee.
The full fee schedule for Lower Zambezi National ParkRates at Chiawa Camp
From $1,510 pppn. 2026: tents $1,510 low season, $1,995 high; the Safari Suite $1,895 and $2,495. Park and conservation fees of $120 per person per night are added on top.
What the rate covers is not confirmed. We do not know yet whether meals, drinks and activities are included, so read this as the bed only.
Every figure on this page is in US dollars.
Indicative 2026 rates from operators' own rate cards, gathered July 2026. Always confirm with the lodge. Two things shift the real comparison here. First, camps inside the park add $85 to $120 per person per night in bundled park and conservation fees, and most quote that separately. Second, camps in the Chiawa game management area carry no national park entry fee at all unless you cross into the park, which is why a GMA bed can work out far cheaper than the headline rate suggests.
Questions about Chiawa Camp
Is Chiawa Camp good for families?
Chiawa Camp's own site sets a minimum age of 8, with under-8s welcome only if the whole camp is booked out. Children 16 and younger must be accompanied overnight by an adult, and the Safari Suite of about 220 square metres takes children from age 5 within that rule.
What does the rate at Chiawa Camp include?
Nightly rates cover accommodation, meals and guided game drives, walks, boating and angling; canoeing is suspended until further notice, per the camp's 2025 activities list. The 2026 tents run from $1,510 a person in low season to $1,995 in high season, and the Safari Suite from $1,895 to $2,495. Park and conservation fees of $120 per person per night are added on top.
When is Chiawa Camp open?
Chiawa Camp runs a seasonal operation, open from about 30 April to 15 November and closed through the rains. Its own travel page lists camps as closed until 1 May, in line with that season. Confirm exact opening dates for your travel year before booking flights, since the rains can shift them.
Can you self-drive to Chiawa Camp?
Chiawa Camp does not publish self-drive directions. Its own travel page asks guests to contact reservations directly for current transport information, and the camp uses Jeki airstrip inside the park. Confirm with the camp whether a self-drive or boat transfer option exists for your dates.