Kiambi Safari Lodge
Chalets, cottages and a campsite · At the Zambezi and Kafue confluence · Kiambi Safaris, established 1999
Mid-range
Outside the gate
Owner/family-run
One of the older operations on the river and one of the few places running its own multi-day canoe trips rather than reselling someone else's. The mix of chalets, self-catering cottages and campsites makes it flexible for mixed groups and for anyone driving in.
Pros and cons
Pros
- Sits at the Zambezi and Kafue confluence
- One of the few operators running its own multi-day canoe trips
- Free sunset cruise on two-night full-board stays
- Free half-day canoeing added on stays of three nights or more
- Children aged 4 to 12 priced separately at $76 a night
Cons
- Rate card found online is dated 2024, so confirm current prices
- About 3.5 hours by road from Lusaka
- Road conditions can affect year-round access
- Extra activities beyond the included ones cost more
What's here
- Restaurant
- Bar
- Campsite
- Self-catering
- Air conditioning
Arranged from the lodge:
- Game drives
- Boat trips
- Birding
- Fishing
Read from Kiambi Safari 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 Kiambi Safari Lodge
Rates on request; camping bookable online. No verifiable current rate card. Camping can be booked through the lodge's own site.
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 Kiambi Safari Lodge
Is Kiambi Safari Lodge good for families?
We found no published minimum age for Kiambi, though children aged 4 to 12 are priced at $76 a night on the 2024 rate card we found, separate from the adult rate. With camping, self-catering cottages and chalets all on one site, it suits a mixed-age group, so confirm current child pricing when you book.
What does the rate at Kiambi Safari Lodge include?
On the rate card we found, dated 2024, full-board chalet stays of two nights include a complimentary sunset cruise, and stays of three nights or more add a half-day canoeing safari too. Rates include VAT, the tourism levy and service charge. Confirm current 2026 figures directly, since this rate card is two years old.
Can you self-drive to Kiambi Safari Lodge?
Yes. Kiambi is about a 3.5-hour drive from Lusaka, at the Zambezi and Kafue confluence, and the lodge is accessible year-round, subject to road conditions. Camping and self-catering cottages are both bookable for self-drivers alongside its chalets.
Does Kiambi Safari Lodge run multi-day canoe safaris?
Yes, and it is one of the few operators in the valley running its own multi-day canoe trips rather than reselling another company's. A shorter three-hour canoe excursion is included free on stays of three nights or more; longer overnight canoe safaris are offered as a separate activity.