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5.0
#1 of 11 campsites in South Luangwa National Park
Location
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Tripadvisor gives a Travellers’ Choice award to accommodations, attractions and restaurants that consistently earn great reviews from travellers and are ranked within the top 10% of properties on Tripadvisor.
Flatdogs Camp is a great value safari lodge in the South Luangwa. It's perfect for families, solo travellers, honeymooners and wildlife afficionados! The camp has a warm and friendly atmosphere, great wildlife, incredible guides, delicious food and a stunning location all at a ridiculously sensible price. Come and stay with us at a safari camp that doesn't take itself too seriously but seriously takes care of you, so you can enjoy the Luangwa Valley at its absolute best.
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Nestled amidst nature with breathtaking river views, Flatdogs Camp is lauded for its serene, rustic charm. Service at the camp is often highlighted as professional and attentive, ensuring a safe and memorable stay. While the camp offers a variety of praised amenities including comfortable lodgings and excellent dining options, it is worth noting that wildlife encounters such as baboons may occur.
Guests appreciate the spacious and immaculate rooms, and many find the camp to offer great value. The ambiance of the camp, enriched with cultural touches, contributes to a relaxed and exceptional experience.
Location
Picturesque
Atmosphere
Inviting
Rooms
Spacious
Value
Exceptional
Cleanliness
Spotless
Service
Attentive
Amenities
Outstanding
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Flatdogs camp is a beautiful location with great views of the Luangwa River and across to the National Park. It's an excellent safari camp in a natural environment with birds and some wildlife seen in camp. I felt completely safe and the staff were helpful, organised, extremely friendly and open to share their knowledge and experience. I can't rate the food highly enough - the choice is excellent, the timing is flexible and it was delicious! The camp has very experienced and enthusiastic guides who clearly love the park and get excited with the wildlife sightings. I travelled in the wet season and despite the rain and the rising water I felt looked after by the camp and the safaris were excellent with magnificent sightings of animals and birds. A wonderful experience!
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Date of stay: January 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Response from Adrian C, Owner at Flatdogs Camp
Responded 03 May 2020
Dear Alleyn, It was a real pleasure having you with us/not with us/with us at the start at what has turned out to be an interesting year. thanks for being such a sport when we flooded and we had to find you a bed for a night or two somewhere else. But it was great that you were able to carry on going on safari twice a day with Yotam regardless and what incredible sightings you had as you say. Maybe waking up on January 1st with the water lapping at our feet was a sign of things to come! Nature showing us how powerful it is! it was great to meet you and we are glad you had a great stay and hope you are safe and well back in the UK now. All the best Adrian, Jess and Paolo
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I have visited South Luangwa National Park in September 2021, and I'm so happy and lucky that I have chosen Flatdogs Camp.
The staff are so friendly, the food is very very delicious, you will enjoy every meal, and they have a variety of dishes and cuisones. The lodge itself is very beautiful, comfortable, very clean, big and you will find all what you need for example safe box, sanitizers, repellent, coffee etc...
The owners of the lodge Edd, Jessy and Paolo are amazing, they were always around to make sure that we are feeling very good and to fulfil all our needs, they were taking care of us all the time.
The guides are very knowledgeable, skilled and well trained.
The very good thing and it is a huge advantage for the guests, that the Lodge is so close to the national park, only 5 minutes and you are there, you will not waste time by going and coming back from the NP.
When it comes to the corona measures, you will feel 100% safe, sanitizers are everywhere, all the crew at the lodge are wearing masks and already got vaccinated, and the place is so clean.
I'm very very happy and satisfied, I recommend everyone who wants to visit South Luangwa National Park to come here, you will have a PERFECT experience and you will forget definitely the hard times with corona virus which we all went through last year.
Edd, jessy and Paolo, thank you from the bottom of my heart for this amazing experience and to let me enjoy every minute in your camp.
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Date of stay: September 2021Trip type: Travelled solo
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Response from Adrian Coley, Owner at Flatdogs Camp
Responded 10 Sept 2021
Hi Selah, You have said it all!!! Thank you. I am very pleased that you can come here and forget the difficult times we have all been through and that you feel safe when you are here and the (vaccinated) team looked after you so well. We have spent the last year putting in place protocols and training for our amazing team, ensuring that when guests do arrive they realise we are taking this seriously. Our staff have been incredible during this pandemic, understanding that their future lies with ours in tourism, and that the sacrifices we are making now will be worth it when things get back to normal. Having travellers like you making the effort to get to Zambia and the South Luangwa makes us all very happy as we see the light at the end of the tunnel We have managed to keep 64 staff on contract throughout this whole period, with flexibility being shown by both us as owners and them in the rest of the team. And it has made that team stronger. So we hope your message sends signals to other would be travellers that it is safe, and that they will have a fantastic time when they get here. Thanks again and it was a great pleasure to meet you as well. Enjoy the rest of your trip around Zambia and our neighbours and stay safe!!!!
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We returned to Flatdogs after a gap of six years, and it was better than ever. We had no 2 chalet, all to ourselves (basically an upgrade) and really appreciated the refurbished bathroom … and I think work had also been done on the roof, as bats no longer found their way through during the night!
The food here is probably the best of all the game lodges in Africa. There’s an extensive menu, whereas elsewhere, there’s no or little choice at all. And it’s all top notch. You have to be careful not to pile on the pounds as it’s all so delicious.
The staff are all wonderful, courteous and friendly, absolutely faultless. And if you’re on the full safari package, your laundry is done for free, which is a real bonus.
Our guide was Jonathan and we were lucky to have him, as we spotted Lucy the leopard, and he knew her habits so well, he knew where she was likely to go. We spent an utterly amazing 30 minutes watching her play with her cub, and then followed her from a distance as she went off hunting.
We also had great sightings of elephants, zebra, wild dogs, and an array of beautiful birds. We were very lucky, but also benefitted greatly from Jonathan’s expertise, and that of Yotan, who was our guide for our last game drive. I highly recommend them both.
If you’re after a good value safari holiday, it would be difficult to beat Flatdogs!!
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Date of stay: April 2022
Value
Cleanliness
Service
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Response from Adrian Coley, Owner at Flatdogs Camp
Responded 23 May 2022
Dear Janet, Thank for coming back and for the great review. It was great to see you again and its great to hear what a wonderful time you had. We have worked hard to continue to improve what we do, and to hear such great things about the food and the guides makes us very happy! Best food in African game lodges! Wow! Jonathan has developed into a great guide, and if I am correct I think he had to pass you over to Yotam as Jonathan was undertaking his walking guides exam, so continues to advance and learn. We hope you make it back here again sometime. thanks very much for the review and all the best Adrian
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We are regular guests at Flatdogs and visited over New Year 19/20. Whilst we knew it was the rainy season we were not prepared for the 72 hours of constant rain and the river rising 8meters in that time! During this time the staff and owners did everything they could to continue to make our stay special, we used the boat to go on game drives and when we eventually had to be evacuated because of the rising water they found us alternative accommodation towards Mfuwe, got all our luggage out - and us by boat - and continued with our game drives. Two of the pictures attached from the Croc Nest that show the difference 48 hours made.
The whole team looked after us in very difficult circumstances going well above the call of duty and showed just how caring and ingenious they could be in the face of the rising water! Our family will always remember the boat trips, including the last one evacuating us, and the dedication of everyone to continue to provide entertainment whilst making sure we were safe. Turns out the lions really liked the rain, which was great for sightings.
And we also had a magnificent New Years Eve the night before! We were expecting an early night, but the bar was great fun, our two sons drank those way through the cocktail list (another picture attached), Ade provided the music, Jess provided the champagne and despite the rain and the rising waters, in the words of Titanic ‘And the band played on’!
We will be back, although possibly not in January.... Thank you to everyone at Flatties, staff, hosts and owners, for looking after us so well.
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Date of stay: January 2020Trip type: Travelled with family
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Response from Adrian C, Owner at Flatdogs Camp
Responded 04 May 2020
You guys were amazing! Thanks for dealing with the trials and tribulations so well. It was all good fun really and now pales into insignificance in the face of what we are dealing with now! And the band is still paying. We hope you are still going to make it back over here in November and we very much look forward to it again! Hope Simon, Nick and Rebecca are all OK where-ever they are and you and Charles are coping OK All the best Ade, Jess and Paolo
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Gorgeous camp, fabulous location, well designed, beautiful rooms, excellent staff, delicious food... is there anything more to say?! Of course, the wildlife in camp (elephants, bushbuck, hippos, etc) made our stay even more special. The managers and staff all went out of their way to make us feel welcome and to speak to every guest as an individual.
I was particularly impressed with the clear efforts by management to be sensitive to the natural environment - something that some lodge owners in the area don't seem to care about. Notably, I applaud the the effort not to contribute artificial lighting and pollute the night time environment.
Well done Flatdogs Team, keep up the great work!
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Date of stay: August 2022
Value
Service
Sleep Quality
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Response from Adrian Coley, Owner at Flatdogs Camp
Responded 22 Sept 2022
Thanks very much. Nice of you to mention the special efforts we make to ensure our footprint is as small as possible (and our impact as big!!!) We are guests in this wild place an there are not too many places left in the world where the human impression does not detract from nature. Glad you loved the food and everything else. Please come back and check up on us again, to make sure we are not spoiling this wonderful place! Best wishes from the whole Flatdogs team
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We had the most amazing safari outings from this camp, the rangers are very knowledgeable about all animals, know the part inside out, know the behaviors of the animals and where they could be during the morning and evening safaris. They take the time to observe the animals, to explain also. We enjoyed being able to take the time when we encountered the animals instead of taking pictures and move on to the next one. All rangers are very respectful of the space of the animals and of each other and their customers. The camps is very well maintained, next to the river so in November , be ready to have the elephants walk next to your tent in search for ripe mango's in the villages. We enjoyed it very much.
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Date of stay: November 2021
Value
Service
Sleep Quality
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Response from Jessica Salmon, Owner at Flatdogs Camp
Responded 22 Apr 2022
Thank you so much for your review of Flatdogs Camp, we are so happy that you enjoyed such amazing safaris with our rangers, they are so good at what they do, helping to explain all the animal behaviours and finding you the best sightings with the animals well being in mind. We love the elephants in camp too! thanks so much again! Jess and Ade
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I was bringing a group of 6 people to Flatdogs for 5 nights and honestly I didnot expect too much. I was in several camps before in South Luangwa and wanted to give it a try as it is really good value but I was a bit afraid that it is too big and busy for my taste. Now I know that I found the camp I will stay again. It was that good. This started with our fabulous guide Yotam who is guiding for Flatdogs since 17 years. And this experience is so important. What really surprised me is that he never used the radio to get tipps from other guides as he does not like the cluster of cars around a sighting. He never approached the animals in an obstructing manner like so many of his colleagues do. He worked really hard from 6 am to 7 pm to give us the best experiences and succeeded every single time, not giving up when we all already starting to loose hope. The Luxury tents are wonderful and the location is great. You are visited day and nights by elephants, hippo, puku and monkeys. The sounds at night are just incredible. There is electricity 24 hours and you can drink any water from the tub - a BIG plus. Wifi has to be paid which is fair considering the good value of their offer. Now what really sets the camp apart: normally you have fixed meal times where everyone gets a set menu. Here it is the opposite: you have a restaurant style menu which offers so much to choose from you could stay two weeks before finishing it. You can order anything at any time - and this is a game changer as it allows people to have a big breakfast after game drive and skip lunch or have both or nothing but the excellent small breakfast at 5.30 and the tea time cake at 3.30 pm ... anyone is free to follow his or her specific diet and the choices for vegetarians are great - which is also an exception. But the best thing is: all meals are excellent, not once anyone was disappointed in 5 days, be it steaks, pasta, salads or Indian or African spiced dishes. The staff is wonderful, as everywhere in Zambia, and we missed the camp the moment we left it. Yes it is not small but due to the flexible retaurant concept you never feel it gets crowded. The spacing of the tents actually is bigger that in many other camps. The camp is very very well organized, and I know what I am talking about. Did I mention thats its the closest camp to the gate meaning you are the first one in ? And that there is an important elephant crossing point just opposite ? Highly recommeded, will go again.
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Date of stay: September 2023
Value
Location
Service
Trip type: Travelled on business
Room Tip:Go for the Luxury tents, they are pefect in every regard.
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Response from Adrian Coley, Owner at Flatdogs Camp
Responded 22 Oct 2023
Hi Stefan, Thanks for going into such detail! All the things you mention are what we concentrate on most. As owners we have over 60 years combined experience in the safari industry, have stayed at a lot of places and been to a lot of parks. You are spot on. We are affordable to not just the super wealthy, but maintain the feel of a small personal camp through good management and unique offerings such as the a la carte menu. We look after our team members as we know they are our biggest asset and by doing so have some of the best guides in Africa, supported by a team in camp who genuinely have your enjoyment at heart. We are very proud of our team and it is great to see such hi praise from such a well travelled person. . I hope anyone reading this will give us the same chance you did. Like you, many who come here not quite sure of what they will find, return back time and time again once they have experienced Flatdogs. We hope we will see you again in the not too distant future. Thanks again for the wonderful review and for bringing your group to Flatdogs Ade
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Flatdogs in a unique place that offers different amenities that other camps do not and they do so at a price point that is less than some of the higher end luxury camps. They have an al a cart menu at their restaurant that offers a variety of foods meeting every dietary restriction. They have a wonderful pool down by the river that is a great spot to hang in the afternoon in between game drives. Of course the wildlife is fantastic and our guide Geoffrey was superb. But perhaps our favorite part of our visit were the people. Adrian and Jess, along with Paolo, are wonderful hosts who make a huge effort to connect with the guests. We had great conversations with them about local conservation efforts and the future of the country under the new presidency. I highly recommend you add Flatdogs to your itinerary when planning your visit to South Luangwa. They offer a different kind of experience that you won't find at our other camps and the price is right.
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Date of stay: August 2021
Rooms
Cleanliness
Service
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Response from Jessica Salmon, Owner at Flatdogs Camp
Responded 14 Sept 2021
Thank you so much for sharing this with everyone, we are delighted that you loved the camp and that our style of doing things suited you so well! Geoffrey is an incredible guide who loves sharing his encyclopedic knowledge with our guests! We really hope we might see you back here again one day!
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We booked our complete itinerary for the Zambian part of our trip direct with Jess at Flatdogs. She could not have been more helpful , every stage of our trip worked like clockwork from arrival at Mfuwe airport to departure. Our first stop was with Jess, Ade and the team, we stayed in their Crocs Nest, oh my!!!! What a truly wonderful place to spend 5 days. The accommodation is so spacious and comfortable; it was lovely to have the central lounge and dining area to sit and relax in, that is if we could pull ourselves away from the pool and outside terrace. Every day around lunchtime we were joined by elephants calming eating the pods fallen from the tree by the pool, they were SO close! In no time at all several hours had passed and we hadn't moved! The view too is superb and after the night time game drive we sat by the boma enjoying a G&T and listening to the sounds of the animals nearby. In the morning a light breakfast is served at the main area before the morning drive. On our return we often went back to Crocs Nest to order brunch via the radio. It was really nice to sit out by the pool and enjoy a meal watching the animals coming and going, beware though the baboons are cheeky and will have their eye on your plates! Afternoon tea preceded another game drive which continued until after dark. The range of wildlife we saw at night was amazing, how the spotter saw a small green chameleon up in a tree is unbelievable! It was also great to see leopards regularly, day and night. The food arrangement (no set meal times, order what you want when you want it) worked really well for us. Everything we ordered was excellent, my niece commented 'nachos unreal, halloumi amazing, duck so good, best leek and potato soup I've ever had', she was a very happy young lady! Staying at the Crocs nest you have a private jeep and guide who is with you for your whole stay, he collects you from the nest in the morning, ferries you to/fro between game drives and then delivers you home at night. In addition the nest has a houseman called Kennedy who is there to help at anytime. He looks after the nest, keeps an eye out for animals and reported back what was in the area each time we returned, prepares the nighttime boma, organises the laundry, he is just the most helpful person. Jess kindly arranged for us to visit the local school one afternoon, it is certainly worth the short trip into town. Being a family of teachers we were very interested to see the school site, hear how the school operated and how Project Luangwa (supported by Flatdogs) work to allow children from different backgrounds access to a good education. I can honestly say that the staff team at Flatdogs are all amazing. Thanks SO MUCH Jess/Ade and everyone else in the team for making our stay with you so memorable.
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Date of stay: August 2022
Location
Cleanliness
Service
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Response from Adrian Coley, Owner at Flatdogs Camp
Responded 22 Sept 2022
Thank you for the detailed and incredible review. It was great to meet you all and for Jess to reconnect after all these years! Thanks for going out to see the projects we support and to see the difference that tourism and particularly Flatdogs Camp is making in this rural area of Zambia. next time you are in Zambia, Jess can put a different trip together. Thanks again, there is not much to say after the rave review above! Flatdogs Team!
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I was here on a brief one-night, pit stop stay. This camp is considered a solid, mid market option, although they certainly have different levels of accommodations so you can go up and down as your wallet allows.
It is very comfortable, and the pool area is quite amazing and I said this even as a non-pool person. There are lots of bush bucks wandering around the property. The tents look out to the river. Hippo gruntings provide the lullaby.
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Date of stay: October 2021
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Response from Adrian Coley, Owner at Flatdogs Camp
Responded 06 Nov 2021
Thanks a lot for taking the time to do a review. As you say, there are many different accommodation options for people to choose from which makes us a favourite place for many different types of traveller. Our a la carte restaurant with its extensive and changing menus also allows total flexibility of what and when to eat, which suits so many of the modern day safari goers. Sorry you didnt stay longer but hope that this little taster will be enough to get you back for longer next time. All the best and thanks again for the review Adrian
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Hello there!
When abouts are you planning your honeymoon for? The best season here in Zambia is from June until the end of October when the game viewing is best. We are based in the South Luangwa National Park which is not on your list of places to visit, but which definitely has the best game viewing of anywhere in the country. We have some really romantic accommodation here at Flatdogs Camp including our Jackalberry Treehouse if you are feeling wild?! please do email me if you have any other questions? Thanks so much! Jess
Thank you for your message, so sorry for the delay, we only just saw this... apologies! I have checked space and can see that we have the following availabiity; 1 x triple luxury safari tent for In 29 June out 02 July, the Croc's nest for In 24 June out 05 July, the Jackalberry Treehouse for In 01 July out 07 July, or 2 x luxury safari tents for In 01 July out 09 July. All options have different rates for 3 of you - if you can email us please, I can send you more detailed information? Email is on our website, I can't include the address here, so sorry. Kindest regards,
Jess
We had plenty of sightings for elephants, giraffes, hippos, and zebras. There were some good encounters with leopards, buffalo and hyenas. We only had one lion sighting but we also briefly saw an Aardvark which was extremely lucky and most rare.
Hi there Gordon,
As Miney831 has pointed out we have different packages including different things. We can include all game viewing and food or you can just book the room and add them on when you are here. The inclusive package is great value and ensures you are given priority when we are planning safari activities. So if you plan to do most safari activities then that would probably be best. But drop us a line on info@flatdogscamp and Jess will get back to you with different options.
All the best and thanks for your interest in Flatdogs. Sorry it took a while to answer this.
Adrian
There are more places to choose from in the South Luangwa National Park area.
PRICE RANGE
R 2,137 - R 2,943 (Based on Average Rates for a Standard Room)
ALSO KNOWN AS
flatdogs camp hotel south luangwa national park
LOCATION
ZambiaSouth Luangwa National Park
NUMBER OF ROOMS
13
Prices are provided by our partners, and reflect average nightly room rates, including taxes and fees that are fixed, known to our partners, and due at time of booking. Please see our partners for more details.
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