Key Takeaways
- Old Mondoro is the small, wild sister camp to Chiawa, about an hour downstream on the Zambezi
- Just five screened reed-and-canvas chalets with open-air bathrooms and stone splash tubs
- Owned by the pioneering Cumings family — the same guiding pedigree as Chiawa
- Renowned for exceptional walking safaris and quiet canoeing on the Zambezi
- Unfenced and gloriously remote; guests are escorted through camp after dark
- Ideal for couples, walkers and second-time safari-goers who want raw immersion
First Impressions: Back to the Wild
If Chiawa is the Lower Zambezi's storied flagship, Old Mondoro is its wild heart. An hour downstream, deeper into the national park, this tiny camp is a deliberate step back towards the essentials of safari — no swimming pool, no fuss, just five reed-and-canvas chalets tucked beneath a grove of winter-thorn trees on the riverbank. The name means 'old lion' in the local tongue, and lions do indeed pad through the surrounding bush; the camp is entirely unfenced, and guests are escorted to and from their rooms after dark.
The feeling here is one of glorious, low-key immersion. You are genuinely in the wilderness, with the Zambezi sliding past and the escarpment glowing blue in the distance, and yet the comfort — proper beds, hot water, cold drinks, excellent food — is quietly assured. For travellers who found their first, larger safari a touch too polished, Old Mondoro is the antidote: raw, intimate and deeply, memorably real.
The Chalets: Reed, Canvas and Open Sky
Old Mondoro's five chalets are a lesson in doing more with less. Each is a screened structure of reed and canvas, open to the sounds and breezes of the bush, with a comfortable bed under a mosquito net, a writing desk and an open-air bathroom complete with a stone splash tub for cooling off in the heat of the day. Falling asleep to the grunt of hippo and the whoop of hyena, with the stars pressing close through the mesh, is the whole point.
This is comfortable, but it is not a place for those who need air-conditioning and marble bathrooms — and that is precisely its charm. The chalets are private and well spaced along the river, the service is warm and attentive, and the sense of being immersed in nature rather than insulated from it is complete. In the middle of the day the camp falls quiet, and the riverbank becomes a private theatre of drinking elephant and basking crocodile.
The Wildlife: On Foot and by Canoe
Old Mondoro's remote position deep in the park means wildlife is both abundant and wonderfully undisturbed. Elephant and buffalo move through the winter-thorns; leopard hunt the shadows; and the resident lions — the camp's namesake — are seen with real regularity. The Zambezi and its lagoons are alive with hippo, crocodile and a dazzling cast of birds, while the valley's painted wild dogs range widely through the area.
Where Old Mondoro truly excels is on foot and on the water. The guiding here is among the best in Zambia, and walking safaris focus on the small details as much as the big game — the tracks, the birdsong, the medicinal plants and the sheer thrill of being on the ground in big-game country. Canoeing the quiet channels brings you eye-to-eye with hippo and elephant in a way no vehicle ever could. For the wider picture, see our South Luangwa safari guide and our roundup of the best Zambia safari lodges.
Dining, Service and Rhythm
For such a small, remote camp, the food is a genuine pleasure — honest, generous, home-style cooking served communally around a single table or privately on your deck, with the day's activities setting the pace. Breakfasts follow the dawn walk; long lunches drift into the afternoon siesta; and dinners are candlelit affairs under a sky thick with stars, the fire crackling and the river close by in the dark.
The team is small, skilled and endlessly warm, and with only five chalets they quickly feel like friends. There is no rush here and no timetable beyond the natural rhythm of the bush — which is exactly why guests fall so hard for the place. It is the sort of camp that recalibrates you, sending you home slower, quieter and a little in love with the Zambezi.
Who Is Old Mondoro For?
Old Mondoro suits the traveller who wants raw, authentic immersion over polish and facilities. It is ideal for couples and honeymooners who value seclusion over spa treatments, for keen walkers and canoeists, and for second- or third-time safari-goers who have done the classic circuits and now crave something wilder and more intimate. Photographers love the light and the up-close encounters on foot and by canoe.
It is not the right choice for very young children or for anyone who needs air-conditioning, a pool and constant connectivity. But paired with the comforts of Chiawa upstream — or with a few nights in South Luangwa — Old Mondoro delivers one of the purest, most memorable safari experiences in all of Zambia.
Recommended Safari Packages
- Zambezi Safari Experience (4 Days) — the classic Lower Zambezi introduction
- Mana Pools Walking & Canoe Safari (5 Days) — a walking and canoe wilderness
- Wild Dogs & Leopards, Zambia (4 Days) — a predator-focused escape
Getting There and Booking
Old Mondoro is reached by a short flight from Lusaka to Jeki or Royal airstrip, followed by a game-drive and boat transfer deeper into the park. Many guests combine it with a few nights at Chiawa, moving from the flagship to the wild heart of the valley in a single, seamless journey. Rates peak from July to October; the shoulder months offer lovely light and better value, and the camp closes during the green-season rains.
Beyond Africa Safaris arranges every detail of your stay at Old Mondoro — the light-aircraft flights, the finest suites and the ideal pairings across the Lower Zambezi, South Luangwa and Victoria Falls — as one seamless, tailor-made journey.
