Puku Ridge, a small tented camp perched above the Kakumbi Plain in South Luangwa National Park, has again taken the World Travel Awards title of Zambia's Leading Safari Lodge — its fourth win in a row. For anyone weighing a safari in a country that often plays second fiddle to Kenya or Botswana, that kind of repeat recognition is worth a closer look.
The lodge is intimate by design: just eight permanent tented suites, each with its own private plunge pool, an indoor-outdoor shower and a broad deck facing the plain below. Because the camp sits inside a wildlife concentration zone, the views from that deck aren't just scenery — animals pass through regularly, so you can watch the plain come alive before you've even set out on a drive.
What sets Puku Ridge apart, according to its operators, is the combination of setting and flexibility. Game drives with expert guides are the backbone, but guests can also book walking safaris — South Luangwa is famous as the birthplace of the walking safari — and dedicated photography expeditions targeting lions, leopards and elephants. Leopard sightings in particular are a strong draw here, with the park's riverine habitat among the best in Africa for them.
The camp is run by Chiawa Safaris and is one of four properties in the Zambia Luxury Lodge Collection. It was built to sit lightly in its environment, running entirely on solar power. The wider portfolio is handy to know if you're plotting a longer Zambian loop: Chichele Presidential is also in South Luangwa, Lolebezi sits in the Lower Zambezi, and Lolelunga Private Reserve covers a remote corner of the country's northwest — so you could realistically string together two or three very different landscapes in one trip.
Jennifer Beattie, director of Sales & Marketing for the collection, credited the win to the team's focus on letting guests experience the wilderness at their own pace rather than on a rigid schedule. That low-key, unscripted approach is largely what Zambia's safari scene is known for among repeat Africa travellers.
Who is this for? Travellers who want a small-camp safari with real guiding quality, who like the idea of walking rather than only driving, and who'd rather skip the crowds of the better-marketed parks. Zambia rewards that mindset — and an award-winning camp on a ridge above a busy game plain is a solid anchor point for a first visit.
