Gwabi River Lodge
Chalets, stone tents and a large campsite · Kafue River at the Chiawa bridge, 6 km from the Zambezi near Chirundu · Family run, Tony Weber
Budget
Outside the gate
Owner/family-run
Not a safari lodge so much as the gateway everyone passes through. Tony Weber told us the old Kafue pontoon is long gone, replaced by the Chiawa bridge in 2015, and that the opening of that bridge changed what they do here considerably. What they run now is the water: transfers to the camps downstream, fishing, game viewing and birding trips, and a boat run into the park where their own game viewer vehicles are waiting, so you get the river and the land in one day. They also do canoe safaris sleeping on the river for up to three nights, and keep a bus for airport collections and cross-border runs.
Pros and cons
Pros
- 145 km from Lusaka, easily reached year-round by road
- Own game-viewer vehicles waiting after the boat run into the park
- Canoe safaris sleeping on the river for up to three nights
- Campsites have power points and braai areas throughout
- Family rooms among the river-view chalets
Cons
- No published rate card; contact the lodge directly
- We found no published child policy
- Standard and budget units are room-only, no breakfast
- Campsite ablutions are communal, not private
What's here
- Swimming pool
Arranged from the lodge:
- Boat trips
- Birding
- Fishing
Read from Gwabi River Lodge'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 Gwabi River Lodge
Rates on request, budget to mid. No published rate card. Camping, chalets and tented units are all available; contact the lodge.
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 Gwabi River Lodge
Can you self-drive to Gwabi River Lodge?
Yes, easily. Gwabi is only 145 km from Lusaka, near the Chirundu border, and the lodge describes itself as accessible throughout the year by road. It sits on the Kafue River at the Chiawa bridge, which replaced the old pontoon crossing in 2015.
What does a canoe safari from Gwabi River Lodge involve?
Gwabi runs canoe safaris that sleep on the river itself, for up to three nights, alongside shorter boat runs into the park where the lodge's own game-viewer vehicles are waiting, giving you river and land game viewing in one day. Fishing, birding and transfer trips downstream are also run from here.
What are the camping facilities like at Gwabi River Lodge?
The campsite has communal ablution blocks on each side, plus braai areas and power points throughout, and campers can use the lodge's pool, bar and restaurant. Two dedicated campsite chalets and a six-person Serengeti tent are also available for a step up from a tent.
Is Gwabi River Lodge good for families?
We found no published minimum age for Gwabi, but two of its Superior Chalets are family rooms, part of a block of five river-view units that take two to four guests. Ask when you book which room suits your group, since the rest of the accommodation is built more for pairs.