Mvuu Lodge
Tented chalets and serviced campsites · Chiawa GMA, deep in the valley · Genesis Group, run by Lynne and Kelly Brannigan
Mid-range
Outside the gate
Owner/family-run
The obvious answer for anyone driving themselves. Seven private campsites with their own bathrooms, tented chalets for those who want a bed, and no national park entry fee as long as you stay on the game management area side. Long-established and run by owners who live here.
Pros and cons
Pros
- Seven private campsites, each with its own ablution block
- No national park fee if you stay on the GMA side
- Mid-range chalets or self-catering, whichever suits your budget
- Hosts the annual Tiger Cup fishing competition
- Directly opposite the Mana Pools World Heritage Site
Cons
- No fishing tackle for hire; bring your own
- $17.50 per person landing fee each way on non-Royal flights
- Booking needs 25 percent within 5 days or it cancels itself
- Exact green-season closing dates not published
What's here
- Self-catering
Arranged from the lodge:
- Boat trips
- Fishing
Read from Mvuu 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 Mvuu Lodge
From $465 pppn full board plus. 2026: $465 from April to June and in December, $560 from July to November. Camping is considerably cheaper and is booked separately. Conservation and tourism levies are added to the final invoice rather than shown in the rate. Booking is 25 percent within five days of the invoice or it cancels itself, with the balance due 30 days before arrival, and inside 30 days the whole amount is due at once. If you fly into Royal airstrip on anything other than Royal's own aircraft there is a $17.50 landing fee per person each way. They do not hire out fishing tackle, so bring your own. Told to us by Mvuu Lodge bookings, 1 September 2026.
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 Mvuu Lodge
Can you self-drive to Mvuu Lodge?
Yes, Mvuu is the obvious choice for anyone driving themselves in this valley, with seven private campsites, each with its own ablution block, alongside tented chalets if you want a made-up bed. It sits in the game management area, so no national park entry fee applies unless you cross into the park.
What does it cost to stay at Mvuu Lodge?
2026 rates run from $465 a person a night in April to June and in December, to $560 from July to November; camping is considerably cheaper and booked separately. Conservation and tourism levies are added to the final invoice rather than shown in the headline rate, which the lodge told us directly in September 2026.
How do you book Mvuu Lodge?
A 25 percent deposit is due within five days of the invoice or the booking cancels itself, with the balance due 30 days before arrival; inside 30 days the full amount is due at once. If you fly into Royal airstrip on anything other than Royal's own aircraft, there is also a $17.50 per person landing fee each way.
Do you need to bring your own fishing tackle to Mvuu Lodge?
Yes. Mvuu Lodge does not hire out fishing tackle, so anglers need to bring their own gear. The lodge hosts the annual Tiger Cup fishing competition and offers trophy and catch-and-release tiger fishing on the Zambezi.