Tusk & Mane’s intention is to return to simplicity, back to the roots of the original safari. The owners - Kyle Branch and Luke Evans - both grew up in the African bush and wish to give guests an understanding of the pure safari experience of their childhoods. This is achieved by good guiding, simple but very functional and well thought-out fly camps and plenty of campfire story-telling.

Tusk & Mane operates two camps, Kutali and Chula. Each camp consists of 5 very airy and identical tents that are positioned far apart on the banks of the mighty Zambezi River. All tents have comfortable beds, en-suite bathrooms with traditional bucket showers, flush toilets and washbasins with mirrors. A simple bedouin-style tent with a large table and a well-stocked bar defines the main area.

Each camp is small and well-structured, which makes the safari experience very personal. At the end of the season the camp will be torn down, only to be rebuilt in April / May next year.

The camps are situated in Zambia’s Lower Zambezi National Park, which stretches 120 km along the Zambezi River and sits in the southeast of Zambia (4092 km²) opposite the Mana Pools National Park in Zimbabwe.

Both Kutali and Chula are located in the vicinity of Old Mondoro Camp, about a 15 minute boat ride apart. The camps are accessed by airplane from Lusaka to Jeki Airstrip. The flight is followed by a 30 to 40 minute drive in an open game drive vehicle to the respective camp. The camps are often referred to as beeing on an island, but in fact it is just a smaller channel that separates the "island" from the main land. Having said that, a boat transfer is required to access Chula, whereas the channel surrounding Kutali can be crossed by vehicle.

This small intimate camp is set on the dry Mushilashi River and has this area of the Park pretty much to itself. Accommodation is in four fairly simple, Meru-style tents. Whilst the camp is comfortable enough the emphasis here is on the safari experience rather than the frills of camp.

The walk-in safari tents are a mix of back-to-nature charm and safari comfort. Each has an open-air ensuite bathroom (with hot water bucket showers and flushing loos), wooden-framed double or twin beds with crisp cotton linen, canvas safari chairs, fan, solar-powered lighting and a small charging station. There are only four of them accommodating a maximum of eight guests at any one time so you will always receive a personalised holiday experience.

Next to the river are several sofas, shaded by the trees and positioned perfectly to keep an eye on the comings and goings around camp. Often everyone congregates here for early morning tea and coffee around the fire and pre- and post-dinner drinks.

Nkonzi Camp is situated in the northern part of South Luangwa National Park on the dry Mushilashi River riverbed, far from the Luangwa River. The Mfuwe main gate is a 45-minute drive south, and Mfuwe International Airport is approximately 1.5 hours by road.

Mwamba Bush Camp by Shenton Safaris is often combined with its sister camp Kaingo Camp, and ideal for those looking for a small and intimate, no-frills camp. Three traditional reed houses with large open-air bathrooms sit on the dry Mwamba River riverbed and offer simple but homely accommodation.

The chalets are equipped with a kind of skylight (protected by a mosquito net) inviting guests to lay back and gaze at the stars. Each chalet has a small canopy with two chairs and a table, and takes its name from the tree under which it is located: ‘Fig', ‘Ebony' and ‘Sausage'. There is no main building as such; the bar is open-air and the lounge consists of several chairs and a table on an area surrounded by reeds.

Located just 50 m from camp, a hide looks out onto a small waterhole, which attracts a variety of wildlife.

- Images of Mwamba Hide

Another idiosyncratic Shenton feature is the lookout situated atop a termite mound in the camp - perfect for a sundowner or intimate dinner.

Mwamba Bush Camp is situated in the northern part of South Luangwa National Park, on the edge of the dry Mwamba River riverbed and 20 minutes drive from the Luangwa River and Kaingo Camp. Vehicle transfer time from Mfuwe Airport is approximately 3 hours.

The area between Kaingo Camp and Mwamba Camp is spectacularly beautiful with a highly varied terrain that supports a huge variety of wildlife. Animals can be seen at the river, in the lagoons (Fish Eagle and Pelican lagoons being the largest), on the dry, sweeping plains (Lion Plain, for example) and in the ebony and mopane woodlands. Derek Shenton's father was a park ranger here and he has passed on a rich wealth of knowledge to his son.