Bridge Camp & Feira: The First Two Days on the Road

This is the second post in our Luangwa Valley traverse series. Start from the beginning if you haven’t read the full overview yet.

Day One: As Far As You Can Drive

Guests usually fly into Lusaka in the afternoon. From there, the road drops through the Chongwe escarpment — a scenic run of switchbacks and valley views that marks the start of the descent into the Luangwa Valley. It’s a striking way to begin the trip, and a good early reminder of just how much elevation this route covers before day one is even done.

Bridge Camp, right on the border with Mozambique, is as far as you can drive on day one. So that’s where the first night lands.

Day Two: The Detour to Feira

Day two is the better half of this stretch. It’s an excursion out to Feira, Zambia’s oldest recorded European settlement. Portuguese traders founded it in the early 1700s, right where the Luangwa River meets the Zambezi. This spot also sits close to where Zambia, Zimbabwe, and Mozambique all meet on the map.

Long before this was a safari destination, it was a trading post — and, like other confluence towns along this stretch of the Zambezi, a market for ivory, copper, and slaves. It’s a sobering piece of history to stand in the middle of, not just a scenic stop. (More on Feira’s history)

After the excursion, guests head back to Bridge Camp for a second night before continuing on toward Lundazi.

Not Every Day Is About Wildlife

Not every leg of a valley traverse is about the animals. Some of it is about the road, and about what’s worth stopping for along it. Next in this series: the flat farmland between Nyimba and Chipata, a punishing 50km of dried-up cotton clay, and a genuinely strange overnight stop — Lundazi Castle.

Cheers, Daniel