Tusk & Mane’s (Classic Zambia) intention is to return to simplicity, back to the roots of the original safari. The owners - Kyle Branch and Luke Evans - both grew up in the African bush and wish to give guests an understanding of the pure safari experience of their childhoods. This is achieved by good guiding, simple but very functional and well thought-out fly camps and plenty of campfire story-telling.

Tusk & Mane operates two camps, Kutali and Chula. Each camp consists of 5 very airy and identical tents that are positioned far apart on the banks of the mighty Zambezi River. All tents have comfortable beds, en-suite bathrooms with traditional bucket showers, flush toilets and washbasins with mirrors. A simple bedouin-style tent with a large table and a well-stocked bar defines the main area.

Each camp is small and well-structured, which makes the safari experience very personal. At the end of the season the camp will be torn down, only to be rebuilt in April / May next year.

The camps are situated in Zambia’s Lower Zambezi National Park, which stretches 120 km along the Zambezi River and sits in the southeast of Zambia (4092 km²) opposite the Mana Pools National Park in Zimbabwe.

Both Kutali and Chula are located in the vicinity of Old Mondoro Camp, about a 15 minute boat ride apart. The camps are accessed by airplane from Lusaka to Jeki Airstrip. The flight is followed by a 30 to 40 minute drive in an open game drive vehicle to the respective camp. The camps are often referred to as beeing on an island, but in fact it is just a smaller channel that separates the "island" from the main land. Having said that, a boat transfer is required to access Chula, whereas the channel surrounding Kutali can be crossed by vehicle.

This small intimate camp is set on the dry Mushilashi River and has this area of the park pretty much to itself. Accommodation is in five fairly simple, Meru-style tents. Whilst the camp is comfortable enough the emphasis here is on the safari experience rather than the frills of camp.

The walk-in safari tents are a mix of back-to-nature charm and safari comfort. Each has an open-air ensuite bathroom (with hot water bucket showers and flushing loos), wooden-framed double or twin beds with crisp cotton linen, canvas safari chairs, fan, solar-powered lighting and a small charging station. Adjoining the tents an inviting outdoor lounge area with two recliners has been added to the rooms. As the camp is small and intimate, you will always receive a personalised holiday experience.

Nkonzi Camp is situated in the northern part of South Luangwa National Park on the dry Mushilashi River riverbed, far from the Luangwa River. The Mfuwe main gate is a 45-minute drive south, and Mfuwe International Airport is approximately 1.5 hours by road.

Mwamba Bush Camp by Shenton Safaris is often combined with its sister camp Kaingo Camp, and ideal for those looking for a small and intimate, no-frills camp. Four traditional reed houses with large open-air bathrooms sit on the dry Mwamba River riverbed and offer simple but homely accommodation.

Each chalet takes its name from the tree under which it is located: ‘Fig', ‘Ebony', ‘Sausage' and the newer 'Gardenia'. The chalets have a covered terrace to the front with seating and a sofa/day bed. Clean solar energy powers light in each room and in the hotter months the fan provides cooling.

The main building (Chitenge) is an open area surrounded by reed walls, with a lounge corner, the bar and a large table where dinner can be served under the stars. A larger lounge was built on a raised deck from where guests can enjoy the view of the usually dry riverbed.

Located just 50 m from camp, a hide looks out onto a small waterhole, which attracts a variety of wildlife. Another Shenton feature is the lookout situated atop a termite mound close to camp - perfect for a sundowner or intimate dinner.

Mwamba Bush Camp is situated in the northern part of South Luangwa National Park, on the edge of the dry Mwamba River riverbed and 20 minutes drive from the Luangwa River and Kaingo Camp. Vehicle transfer time from Mfuwe Airport is approximately 3 hours.

The area between Kaingo Camp and Mwamba Camp is spectacularly beautiful with a highly varied terrain that supports a huge variety of wildlife. Animals can be seen at the river, in the lagoons (Fish Eagle and Pelican lagoons being the largest), on the dry, sweeping plains (Lion Plain, for example) and in the ebony and mopane woodlands. Derek Shenton's father was a park ranger here and he has passed on a rich wealth of knowledge to his son.