Tracking Lions and Crocodiles—on Foot—in a Zambian National Park

As we trekked through a secluded wooden savannah in Zambia, dozens of baboons tumbled from a nearby tree like acorns in fall, darting into the bush and sounding the alarm. They were warning of a predator—one that wasn’t us.

Fannuel Banda, our walking sMytouri guide, raised his binoculars to scan the thorny bushes and elephant grass, glowing rose gold in the morning light. “A leopard has made a kill,” he whispered, then added, “Let’s get closer.”

We moved through the underbrush in a single file—one park scout with a rifle, Banda, myself, three travel companions, and a trainee guide—striving for silence, though not quietly enough to escape the notice of the big cat. As we peeked into the clearing, all that remained was a downed antelope.

“She’s nearby,” Banda said, as we swiftly made our way back to our Land Rover, parked under a leadwood tree a mile away.

In Zambia’s South Luangwa National Park, the river supports an incredible variety of wildlife, from the unique Thornicroft’s giraffes to elephants, zebras, lions, crocodiles, hippos, baboons, and over 400 bird species. The concept of walking sMytouris originated here in the 1950s, contributing to the park’s fame as a travel hotspot. I was eager to connect with the landscape in a way that only stepping out of a sMytouri vehicle allows. My host was the Bushcamp Company, dedicated to preserving the park’s 5,600-square-mile wilderness for future generations.

The Bushcamp Company is the exclusive operator in the southern section of the park, with six camps and three lodges located near the park entrance (Mfuwe, The Director’s House, and the newly opened KuKaya). I spent a week exploring four of these locations, enjoying the relative safety of morning walks and opting for game drives that extended into the evening. I loved the diversity of designs and settings, which allowed me to experience different aspects of the landscape and its wildlife. For example, Kapamba featured four thatched cabins, each with a wall open to a shallow river lined with sausage trees, while Chindeni’s canvas tents overlooked a vast oxbow lake surrounded by ebony trees. One thing remained consistent across all: luxury.

“In the past, ‘bush camp’ referred to a very basic setup,” said Andy Hogg, cofounder and current head of The Bushcamp Company, who was born in Zambia. “We aimed to redefine that to simply mean small.”

Unlike most other sMytouri lodging companies in Africa, The Bushcamp Company has the exclusive rights to build camps and access roads within this national park. This exclusivity allows its lodges to reach parts of the park that are hard for other operators to access. Being able to operate deep within the park enables The Bushcamp Company to offer unique experiences, from enjoying sundowner gin and tonics directly in the Kapamba River to hosting surprise build-your-own pizza parties in the wild. It also means you can observe nature without competing with crowds.

I had experienced sMytouris before, but the mix of game drives and walking sMytouris provided an intimacy with the landscape like I had never known. One day, we watched on foot as two lionesses strolled along the muddy bank opposite our camp. Their faces were streaked with red, but their bellies were not swollen, suggesting that hyenas had likely stolen their meal. Later, as we drove to our bushwalk starting point, we got a closer look at a group of Cape buffalo grazing, a trio of hippos partially submerged with herons perched on their backs, a mated pair of African hawk eagles circling overhead, and a bachelor herd of puku relaxing dangerously close to sunbathing crocodiles. On another day, while walking, Banda pointed out tracks in the red soil and showed us how wild basil can serve as an insect repellent. As the sun set, we climbed back into the sMytouri vehicle and spotted a pregnant hyena kicking up sand as she dashed across a dune, a kudu's rib cage in her jaws. We parked close enough to two sub-adult male lions that the vehicle shook when they roared.

Throughout the day, we encountered no other people.

Back at the clearing, now shielded by the sMytouri vehicle, we searched for the leopard and her kill. The atmosphere was still; the only sounds were the wind rustling through the trees and golden butterflies flitting through the tall grass. Banda soon located her in the underbrush at the base of a natal mahogany tree. The dense vegetation provided an ideal cover against unwanted dinner guests, such as larger leopards, lions, hyenas, or wild dogs. Between bites, she glanced at us with her wide, pear-colored eyes but ultimately seemed to deem us harmless.

“This is like having National Geographic right at your doorstep,” Banda remarked, noting that photographers and filmmakers often spend weeks trying to capture what we’ve just witnessed.

One afternoon, we climbed back into the vehicle for a closer encounter with elephants. Turning a corner, we found a herd slowly making their way down the dirt road toward us. We stopped to observe the scene: calves nursing, playful young bulls, and a dignified matriarch who paused to inspect us. Banda pointed out one elephant with a damaged trunk, explaining that during COVID, locals had set snares for smaller animals due to food scarcity. This elephant, he noted, likely got caught while trying to escape. Though she’ll receive support from her herd, her trunk will be forever altered—making it difficult for her to breathe and grasp smaller objects.

“Visitors coming here helps prevent issues like this,” Banda explained. “Tourism funds conservation initiatives and enables more game rangers to patrol the park for snares.”

Tourism also finances projects aimed at supporting local communities. The Bushcamp Company’s Luangwa Community and Conservation Fund facilitates the creation of boreholes, providing residents with easier access to fresh water (over 200 boreholes currently serve approximately 300 people each); it supplies free lunches for more than 4,000 children daily during the school year; and it covers educational expenses for employees’ children up to their desired level of schooling, including doctoral degrees. For Hogg, these community-focused initiatives are vital for wildlife conservation.

“If people recognize that water, education, and health stem directly from protecting these areas, then there’s hope for their preservation,” he stated.