Below is an example itinerary for the Zambia Wildlife Photography Tour 2026. The focus is on maximising time in the field with flexibility built in,  ensuring we can adapt to the best light, sightings, and photographic opportunities. The schedule allows plenty of time for rest, image review, and one-to-one guidance from Calvin Kotze.

Each day includes a morning and afternoon game drive, with options for all-day safaris to reach remote areas of the park. Between activities, you can relax on your veranda overlooking the floodplain, enjoy the pool or natural hot tub, or spend time photographing from the lodge’s hide. Calvin will be available daily for 1:1 tuition, helping refine your camera settings, composition, and editing workflow. Evenings are spent sharing stories, enjoying excellent food, and soaking in the sounds of the Luangwa night.

Day 1

PM: Meet at Wild Dogs Lodge in Lusaka for welcome talk and Calvin will host an orientation session on the week ahead and offer advice on camera setups for the park’s diverse conditions

Day 2

AM: Take your domestic flight to Mfuwe, gateway to South Luangwa National Park. You’ll be met on arrival for a scenic drive to Kafunta River Lodge, arriving in time for lunch and a warm welcome.

PM: After settling in, you will enjoy your first afternoon game drive through riverine woodland and open plains as the sun dips low, with the chance to photograph elephants, giraffes, and your first Luangwa sunset.

Day 3

AM: A dawn departure for your first full game drive. The early light brings the valley to life - impala leaping across dusted tracks, fish eagles calling over the river, and perhaps a leopard returning from a night’s hunt.

PM: After lunch and a short rest, head out again for a golden-hour drive. This area is prime lion country, with prides often seen along the Luangwa River’s edge. As dusk falls, the spotlight comes on for your first night drive, revealing civets, genets, owls, and hunting leopards.

Day 4

AM: A relaxed morning drive exploring mopane woodland and seasonal lagoons alive with hippos, storks, and bee-eaters. You may encounter Thornicroft’s giraffe - a subspecies found only in this valley.

PM: Spend time in the lodge’s photographic hide, where elephants, puku, and baboons often pass just metres away. This is a perfect opportunity to experiment with low angles and reflections as the light softens across the floodplain.

Day 5

AM: A morning drive following the Luangwa River’s winding channels. Keep an eye out for buffalo herds kicking up dust and crowned cranes feeding in the shallows.

PM: Enjoy an all-day safari, venturing deeper into the park with a picnic lunch beneath the shade of an ebony grove. Out here, encounters with wild dog and leopard are frequent, and the landscape opens into wide plains framed by ancient baobabs, perfect for classic African compositions.

Day 6

AM: A slower morning with time to edit images, followed by a walk around camp or optional hide session.

PM: Afternoon game drive focusing on bird photography - rollers, storks, egrets, and kingfishers flash vibrant colours against the golden grasses. Sunset often brings elephants crossing the river, creating silhouettes in the dust.

Day 7

AM: Morning game drive through ebony forest and oxbow lagoons. This is an excellent area for spotting leopards in trees and pods of hippo yawning in the morning mist.

PM: Night drive to photograph nocturnal life — leopard, spotted hyena, porcupine, and perhaps a rarely seen honey badger.

Day 8

AM: Early start to catch the soft light on the Luangwa River. Watch carmine bee-eaters darting from the banks and crocodiles basking on sandbars.

PM: Afternoon session at the hide, with opportunities to photograph elephants and antelope gathering to drink, often joined by marabou storks and pelicans.

Day 9

AM: A dawn game drive into new areas of the park, where wild dogs sometimes hunt on the open plains.

PM: All-day drive, venturing further upriver. Lunch in the field under shade trees, followed by afternoon light filtering through dust as buffalo and giraffe move across the valley floor, a highlight for dramatic backlit images.

Day 10

AM: Final morning drive, a chance to revisit favourite spots or search for species you’ve yet to capture before your transfer to Mfuwe Airport for the flight back to Lusaka and onward connections. Depart with memory cards full and stories to last a lifetime.