Chikoko Tree Camp
South Luangwa National Park
Accommodation
Chikoko Tree Camp is one of Remote Africa Safaris' Trails Camps. Three, two-storey reed houses face the dry Chikoko riverbed. The ground floor houses the shower, WC and a washbowl. A wooden ladder leads as if to an upper floor and the bedroom where one realises it is actually a tree house. Facing the river and open to the front and partly at the sides, the rooms offer comfortable, airy havens with uninterrupted views of the plains. They sit among a fantastic living canopy, bursting with symphonic song from the birds that it supports - the safari well and truly begins in the bedroom!
Location
Chikoko Tree Camp is situated in the northern part of South Luangwa National Park on the dry Crocodile River riverbed, just several hundred metres from the Luangwa River. Chikoko Tree Camp is often combined with
Tafika Camp and
Crocodile Camp.
Wildlife
Elephant, buffalo, kudu, puku, giraffe and impala are often encountered on the walks. A herd of buffalo swelling to some 1000 animals during the dry season lives in the area between Tafika and the Trails Camps. A herd of approximately 30 eland can often be found roaming close to the camp.
Activities
Walks with armed rangers are on offer - Chikoko Tree Camp is a walking safari destination only.
The transfer from Tafika Camp to the other Trails Camps, or a transfer between Trails Camps, is planned as a morning activity. Guests cross the nearby Luangwa River before embarking upon a relatively easy walk through the landscape while the guide explains interesting facts about the surrounding flora and fauna. The destination camp is reached around 10 am. A good hearty lunch is served around 12 before guests take a siesta. At 4 pm its up and off on an evening walk, which is somewhat shorter than the first to ensure that everybody is back at camp before nightfall. Lion, elephant, hippo and buffalo may be encountered on either of these walks.
Thornicroft's giraffe, Cookson's wildebeest and Crawshay's zebra are unique to South Luangwa National Park.
Good to know
There are no battery charging facilities, these must be brought from Tafika if needed.
