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A Happy New Year to you all and welcome to the Classic Zambia New Year’s Newsletter with updates on the season past, latest news, updates and plans for the 2024 season ahead!
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| What does a Classic Zambia safari look like? (A Short Introduction Video) |
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The 2023 Safari Season Recap
We firstly wanted to take this opportunity to wish everyone a very Happy New Year and best wishes for 2024 – where on earth did 2023 go?!
The 2023 season was our best ever, welcoming more guests to our camps than ever before. Whilst camps opened in May (Ntemwa-Busanga in July) we began before this with the behind-the-scenes work of staff training (including guides and chefs) and vehicle and boat servicing, to name just a few of the ‘off-season’ jobs. Notably some small camp specific upgrades were carried out before we opened too, including upgrades to our own staff accommodation (including female-only accommodation at our Kafue camps) and a brand-new suite of guest chalets at Ntemwa-Busanga Camp! |
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With a lot of fun in between, the 2023 season ended with a huge rain storm in the Zambezi Valley, annoyingly only a few days before we were set to close our ‘dry season’ bush camps down there! With good humour and hard work it was a storm to remember with just shy of 100mm of rain in a few short and wet hours.
Musekese Camp on the Kafue always stays open a little later than most Zambian camps, with 2023 seeing us stay open into early December for a truly memorable and sightings-rich last group of the year (wild dog, leopard, lions, etc.!).
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We now, very proudly, employ over 92 folk! Did you know we have two of Zambia’s very rare female safari guides at CZ? Guiding is very important to us, we invest heavily in this and we are very proud of our team, all the way from our top-notch trainees, to our regionally recognized elite level walking and canoe guides.
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We look forward to welcoming you and your guests before too long. Space in 2024 is tight but notable gaps still exist in October. Of course 2025 and onwards still has good availability, oh and we are set to announce some exciting news soon, in time for the 2025 season…
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Notable Other 2023 News and Tidbits –
– Ty went to the USA and Canada for a month-long marketing roadshow
– Luke welcomed agents to the first ever Zambian Zeitgeist Event with VossDMC in Austria at the stunning Hotel Tirolerhof
– Owner Kyle Branch carried out an extensive internal guide training program for our team of Pro Guides
– A brand new menu was established, directed by Chef Nick – fully locally sourced ingredients, salad-centric menu at all CZ camps!
– A selection of owner-run Zambian safari companies joined forces and headed North to the UK on the ‘Zambia Reconnect Roadshow’ in December with the aim of extolling the virtues of Zambia as a destination and covering, passionately how to sell it, and why…
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| In December Tyrone headed to Emboo River Camp in Kenya’s Masai Mara on a sustainability familiarization trip. Emboo River are a world-leader in genuine eco-conscious safari and travel. We are committed at CZ to improve and innovate too and increasing our knowledge and linkages with industry-leaders such as Emboo shows our commitment to the cause. |
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What’s new for 2024?
– A new hide at Musekese Camp (and a first for the Kafue NP!). Applications were accepted for the creation of a sunken photographic hide at the famed Kamasot Plains Pool. Stay tuned for a rare opportunity for close-up encounters with rarities such as Sable, Roan and Honey Badger! |
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| – The announcement of the very first CZ Camp in the Luangwa Valley! We are very excited by this, but not wanting to give too much away just yet as we cross the t’s and dot the i’s. Stay tuned for more info during the coming months… |
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| – A brand new bespoke (Zambian) made Two-story pontoon boat for the Kafue River at Musekese Camp |
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| – A Director-Guided ‘Photographic Fortnight’ at Ntemwa-Busanga Camp! A unique opportunity from mid-September to mid-October every booking will have Ty, Phil or Kyle guiding ALL guests in camp. Contact us for more details on this… |
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| – Social Media Content Project – 2024 will see CZ embark on a more personal journey through the characters, camps and wildlife of our special camps and locations and sharing this all with you online – please do follow us on the major platforms (links below) |
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Our Classic Zambian Safari Camps
We currently have four bush camps located in two of the country’s main wildlife destinations with one new camp due to be open for the 2025 season!
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| Musekese Camp, Kafue National Park |
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| Ntemwa-Busanga Camp, Kafue National Park (Busanga Plains) |
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| Kutali Camp, Lower Zambezi National Park |
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| Chula Island Camp, Lower Zambezi National Park |
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2024 Safari Rates
Our 2024 rates are out, with 2025 rates soon to follow!
We are excited to announce our specials for 2024! If you’re planning a trip to the Lower Zambezi, be sure to take advantage of our ‘Tusk and Mane Experience,’ where you can stay six nights for the price of five at either Kutali or Chula Island Camp. And for those interested in exploring the beauty of Kafue National Park, our ‘Northern Explorer’ package offers eight nights for the price of seven, split between Musekese and Ntemwa-Busanga Camps.
We also have a range of combo packages available that allow you to experience the best of both the Kafue and Lower Zambezi. Our 6, 8, 10, and 12 night packages offer a range of accommodations and activities, and include discounts on longer stays. |
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Agent Info
Here is the link to our brand new Marketing and Media Folder. Notable features include some very helpful fact sheets of each camp (opening periods, camp layout, points-of-interest, etc.) and some wonderful short videos and imagery.
We also now have live availability through our Res Request reservations portal – click here to check space!
Should you need additional help with marketing material, sales tools, or itinerary recommendations, don’t hesitate to contact Mikki, Tyrone or Luke on info@classiczambiasafaris.com |
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Thanks for reading this newsletter and for supporting us here in Zambia! Our love and best wishes to you all for the year ahead (from left: Tyrone, Phil, Luke, Duncan, Kyle)
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| Musekese Conservation was founded by our company as part of our commitment to conservation, and with every bed night we set aside USD40 that goes directly to the cause – simply by visiting you are making an enormous difference. 2023 was a very busy year for the project as we continued to provide a high level of support to the Greater Kafue Landscape; this came in the form of anti-poaching and law enforcement, research and monitoring, fire prevention, training and women’s empowerment amongst other activities. The project also warmly welcomed several new team members who came through our intern program.
Much of the work done has been in partnership with organizations including African Parks, Game Rangers International, Panthera and the Zambia Carnivore Programme. We look forward to strengthening these working relationships into 2024 and beyond.
If you would like to be added to our conservation newsletter mailing list for more detailed information on the year’s activities please email us here. |
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| Guests of ours from Musekese Camp on a visit to the Musekese Conservation Base Camp – a true highlight of any stay with us! |
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