Time + Tide Chongwe Camp
Classic tented camp · Chiawa GMA, at the Chongwe and Zambezi confluence · Time + Tide
High-end
Outside the gate
Safari company
Right on the Chongwe confluence, so you are a few minutes from the park gate without paying in-park rates. Older guides list this as an independent camp: it is not, chongwe.com redirects to Time + Tide, and the three Chongwe properties are all run by that group.
Pros and cons
Pros
- At the Chongwe confluence, minutes from the park gate
- One of the few genuinely family-friendly camps in the valley
- Children of all ages welcome, with twin tent configurations
- Rate includes meals, standard drinks, transfers and two activities a day
- Open 1 April to 15 November each year
Cons
- Transfers from Jeki airport are not included
- $100 per person per night added when you enter the park
- Spa treatments and premium drinks cost extra
- No self-drive route published; reached via Royal airstrip
What's here
- Swimming pool
- Wi-Fi
- Bar
- En-suite bathrooms
- Solar or 24h power
- Spa or massage
- Laundry
Arranged from the lodge:
- Game drives
- Boat trips
- Guided walks
- Fishing
Read from Time + Tide Chongwe 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 Time + Tide Chongwe Camp
From $810 pppn. 2026 and 2027: $810 green season, $990 safari season, plus $100 per person per night in fees when you enter the park.
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 Time + Tide Chongwe Camp
Is Time + Tide Chongwe Camp good for families?
Yes. Chongwe Camp welcomes children of all ages and is one of the few genuinely family-friendly camps in the valley, with eight tents in double or twin configurations. Ask the camp which activities suit your children's ages, since game drives, walks and cultural visits are not broken down by age on the site.
What does the rate at Chongwe Camp include?
Rates from $810 a person a night cover accommodation, all meals, standard drinks, airport transfers except from Jeki, local inter-camp transfers, laundry and two daily activities such as game drives, walking safaris or seasonal boat cruises. Premium drinks, spa treatments and gratuities cost extra, and a $100 per person per night fee applies once you enter the park.
Can you self-drive to Chongwe Camp?
No self-drive route is published. Chongwe Camp is reached via Royal airstrip, about a 20-minute drive from camp, with local transfers included in the rate except from Jeki airport. Contact the camp directly if you are arriving by road.
When is Chongwe Camp open?
Chongwe Camp runs from 1 April to 15 November each year, the same window as most of the valley's park-side camps. Confirm current dates before booking, since the rains can shift them from year to year.