Game Lodge and Camp

Welcome to our famous Camp in Luangwa National Park...

South Luangwa National Park , Zambia

NEGOTIABLE

4 500 000 USD

Agent: Cliff Jacobs - Managing Principal Estate Agent & CEO (Nat.Dpl.Hotel Man (UJ). M.P.R.E.)
Agent Cellphone: +27 (0) 84 413 1071 / +27 (0) 61 716 6951
Agent Office Number: +27 (0) 21 554 0283
Agent Email Address: cliff@exquisitehotelconsultants.com
Type: Game Lodge and Camp
Bedrooms: 40
Bathrooms: 40
Showers: 40
Parking: 0
Yield: 9.7%

Our Camp is on the border of the South Luangwa National Park, one of the last great wildlife wonders of the world. It is nine thousand square kilometers (3,475 square miles) of pristine wilderness and our Camp offers the perfect gateway. The South Luangwa NP has been visited by wildlife enthusiasts from all over the world since its creation in 1972. The Luangwa offers a safari experience unmatched by any other destination, allowing year round access, open game viewing vehicles, walking safaris and night game drives. However, due to the remoteness of the Park and the difficulties of operating so far from anywhere, the cost of a safari has been prohibitive to many people. Our Camp, the closest camp the main gate of the park, is now here and the Luangwa Valley and all of its magic is open to everyone!

Our safari guides are of the highest standard, having passed the challenging South Luangwa Guide Exam, and they are ready to show you the incredible diversity of Zambian mammals, both large and small, as well as our trees, birds, insects, tracks, spoor and even fish if you ask them to!!

Our owner (manager, expert at most things) has twenty five years of tour operating experience (jeepers – is it that long?!) and is more than happy to help you put together an itinerary that won’t cost you an arm and a leg and will be more fun than you can shake a stick at! Our Camp is designed for kids of all ages and the only thing we take seriously is your enjoyment…

At our Camp we pride ourselves on offering accommodation to rival the up-market lodges, at a fraction of the cost. Our South Luangwa accommodation options include cool and spacious Chalet Rooms, our unique Jackalberry Tree House, en suite Safari Tents with stunning views and the much talked about Crocodile Nest.

Crocodile Nest

Private deck, pool, safaris and dining. The chance to spoil yourselves and be spoiled.

Ideal for groups of 4 - 6 people.

Jackalberry Treehouse

Two bedroom treehouse with all the mod cons, but not many walls!

Great game viewing from your deck and your bed. A sleep on the wild side!

Safari Tents

Traditional "Africa under canvas" feel

Great views onto the Luangwa River or our own waterhole.

Chalets

Perfect for families. Enclosed verandah, thatch roofs and thick walls for cooler nights in the hotter month.

Walking and Driving Safari

Our Camp is the closest camp to the Mfuwe main gate, which provides access to the South Luangwa National Park. Our Camp conducts professionally-guided game viewing activities in the National Park, including morning drives, night drives and walking safaris.

All our safaris are led by a fully-qualified guide. And are we proud of them? Absolutely. Their professionalism and skills get you to the best sightings with the fewest number of humans around. We normally limit numbers to six guests per vehicle and our guides use their guiding skills, not their radios, to find the game. You might sit listening to the sounds of the bush, alone in the wilderness, when the guide hears an alarm call. What better way to find a leopard?

Th South Luangwa is one of the few parks in Africa to allow night drives, and the guides’ knowledge of animal behaviour really pays off after dark. Knowing where predators might hunt, which other predators might be around to take advantage and how to ensure we don’t interfere with the normal behaviour of these animals is crucial to your enjoyment.

For most of the year, depending on the weather, we are able to offer walking safaris. These are a fascinating, more detailed view of the park ecology and of the wildlife as well as a chance to dive more deeply into dung, or ultimately to track game on foot either using spoor or with a little help from birds and animals who “alarm” in the presence of predators. Walks usually last for three-four hours and are commonly taken in the morning when it’s cooler. We also offer a drive/walk combination of a 2-hour walk with a 2-hour drive.

Ever been on a Zambia safari? Here are some more details:

Our morning drives leave camp at 06h00 and last for at least four hours. Night drives depart at 16h00 and return at around 20h10 when the National Park is closed to all vehicles. For the drives we use a fully-equipped 4x4 Toyota Land Cruiser with radio so they are in contact with Flatdogs in case of emergency. Private self-drive vehicles may enter the Park from 06h00-18h00 daily.

Very popular in the winter months in particular and for guests staying with us for longer are our All Day Drives. We send you out with a picnic lunch, your Safari Guide and a ZAWA Scout, so you can stop and stretch your legs with some walking too. We do need a day’s warning to organise an all day activity and these are only available for a minimum of 4 guests.

Contact agent

Key features

The Camp is set on 33 hectares of riverine habitat one kilometer down river from the main entrance to the world-famous South Luangwa National Park (SLNP). It has an enormous amount of resident and passing wildlife and is bordered by a large conservation area. Its situation, with a kilometer of Luangwa River frontage, makes it a hugely attractive site and one that is unlikely to be rivaled, and to come on the market, any time soon.

Add to this the fact that the Camp is a successful and profitable business that has potential for expansion and development and this is an opportunity that should not be missed.

In 2015 & 2017 the Camp won the award for Best Value Safari Property in Africa at the London Safari Awards. Then backed that up with the 3rd place in the same award in 2019. Along with many others!

Overview

The Holding Company have a 99 year lease, starting in 2002, on the land on which we operate. We have an Investment License, a current Tourism Enterprise license and a Trading license that allows us to operate one of the most significant tourism businesses in the Easter Province of Zambia.

In the past five years alone we have hosted around 12,000 tourists on our current site. We now operate with ten safari tents, four chalets with two rooms in each plus two private safari houses. The unique Jackalberry Treehouse has two bedrooms and the incredible Crocodile Nest has a private pool, and spacious living areas. This gives us a capacity of 40 beds. We operate for 10 months of the year and in that period we achieve an average of around 55% occupancy. This is extremely impressive in the market we are in.

Our Camp has moved from a “back packer” and self-catering camp at its inception to the most successful player in the mid range, all inclusive, international safari market in Zambia. Not only do we attract a large proportion of our guests directly (around 60%) but we also sell many of those guests onward travel to other camps in Zambia adding to our revenue streams. Of the remaining 40% of guests they come from a diverse and growing range of specialist Tour Operators throughout the world who have come to like and trust the way our Camp looks after their guests.

We have a high proportion of return visitors and guests that are recommended to us by travelers who have already stayed at our Camp. Our marketing budget represents a fraction of one percent of our turnover as so many of our guests hear of us through other means. I think this speaks for itself in terms of the quality of the experience we give for the price charged. In short we offer the best value for money in the Industry. This is sustainable with the growing numbers of tourists that Zambia is expecting.

Financial Situation

The holding company is a limited Company with two shareholders who are both keen to offer this opportunity to others. Both have done well out of their investment and are keen to explore other avenues with their capital. There are no loans outstanding and the Company has generated enough revenues to operate, re-invest and pay dividends to shareholders in six of the last seven financial years.

Management

Currently the Company has four resident Directors, one of which is a shareholder and one of which is Zambian. The Directors are fully involved in the day to day running of the Company and are supported by a team of local senior managers who have been with the Company for many years. All Directors and Managers would be willing to stay on if ownership changed to take the Company to the next level. The Directors have forty years of experience in the safari industry between them, with thirty of those years having been spent at the Camp.

The Camp employs 78 Zambian Staff, many of whom have been with the Company for several years. Most have been trained in-house, have developed with the Company and are proud to be part of the successful team. This is an asset that cannot be valued.

This is not only an investment that is bound to increase in value but offers a realistic and attractive return on investment.

The Company has many features that make it an attractive acquisition.

In Summary