Baines' River Camp

What do you love most about the Zambezi?
The Lower Zambezi is an area which is still very wild and untouched. We are extremely proud that there are no fences between our National Park, the Game Management Area, and our local communities. The wildlife is free to roam and explore - as it was meant to be! With the Zambezi escarpment framing the valley, birdlife in abundance, and the most jaw dropping sunsets you have ever seen, the Lower Zambezi and the mighty Zambezi River are a force to be reckoned with! Combining water and land-based safari activities, there is so much more to experience in this unique wilderness area. On the banks of the Zambezi River is Baines’ River Camp and we want to take you on an adventure of a lifetime.

What makes it a special place for paddling - and what makes paddling African rivers so special to you?
This is without a doubt the most relaxing and most popular safari activity we offer. Seeing the elephants come down to the water to drink or watching as a sleeping hippo pops his head up from under the water, there is so much to take in and experience whilst quietly drifting down the channel. Becoming one with nature has never felt so invigorating!

Tell us the story of how you ended up in Zambia. What drew you there? What has made your passion for these places so enduring?
Born in Lusaka, our head guide, Leonard Kalio, has exciting stories of visiting his grandmother when he was a child. His grandmother lived in the Chiawa area or the Chiawa Chiefdom in the Lower Zambezi. During the school holidays, Leonard would beg his mother to let him go to the river and stay with his grandmother.

Launching their dugout canoes into the river, Leonard and his cousins would spend days on end drifting down the Zambezi and paddling back up river again. Unbeknown to Leonard, these innocent, childish games that they played would be the defining moments of his life and would

What is the first place that comes to mind where you would love to drink it along the route on one of your paddling safaris? Why there?
We recommend that this activity is reserved for the afternoons. The trip itself takes approximately 2 hours. Drifting downstream and mostly eastwards, you will have the sun behind you, offering you better game-viewing and photographic opportunities. We offer our guests a drink at the end of the channel (where the channel joins back into the Zambezi River). Our guides use this as an opportunity to engage with the guests and hear what they saw whilst canoeing and discuss their favourite moments. But the fun doesn’t stop after the canoe trip is over….. Our coxswains will whisk you up river and take you to an island in the middle of the Zambezi. Leaving your shoes on the boat, you can feel the warm Zambezi sand under your feet whilst watching the sun go down behind the mountains, all the while sipping away on an ice cold drink.

What wildlife is Zambia and the Zambezi known for? Is there anything in particular people travel to see? What do you recommend guests to this area should be on the lookout for?
We are very privileged to have massive herds of elephants in this area. However, last year we saw record-breaking numbers of leopards and we were fortunate enough to see two new leopard cubs too. The game-viewing experience that we offer in the Lower Zambezi is uncontrived. Prides of lions sleeping under the trees with bulging bellies, hyena lurking near a kill waiting for their chance to scavenge from the carcass, wild dogs, zebras, kudu, impala, waterbuck, the list goes on and on – there is so much to see and appreciate.

What time of year is best for game-viewing? When is the rainy season? When is it unbearably hot? What is the average summer high and winter low temperatures?
Although our summers are extremely hot (from August to November our temperatures range between 35-48 degrees Celsius), game-viewing and fishing are at their best! With the temperatures rising during these months, the water in the mountains dries up and all the

What are your clients' greatest fears on a paddling safari and what information/advice can you give them to avert those fears?
For first-timers, the fear of the unknown and the reality that we are in a wildlife area surrounded by wild animals can make them feel slightly hesitant to commit to an afternoon of canoeing. Our guides and paddlers are extremely experienced and fully-qualified. They would never put their own lives, or our guests' lives, in any unnecessary danger. Our guests' safety is always our number one priority!! In our experience, for first-timers, this slow and tranquil activity, combined with the close proximity to the water and the wild, offers them the chance to become one with nature. Those who might have been apprehensive at first soon find themselves lost in the beauty of the channel. Their minds quickly change and canoeing becomes their favourite safari activity.