South Luangwa · elevated tented camp
PUKU RIDGE
eight elevated safari retreats on a private ridge
A camp that watches the whole valley
Set high on a ridge above the game-rich Kakumbi floodplain, Puku Ridge delivers award-winning architectural elegance and an unbroken connection to one of Africa's last great wildernesses.
Where the valley stirs below and the stars reign above.
The Lodge
A camp that watches the whole valley
Game viewing doesn't stop when the drive ends, it simply moves from the vehicle to your deck. Herds cross below at dusk, and the ridge just watches.
Here the floodplain is the theatre and your tent is the box seat Discover the story →
- Eightsafari retreats
- Star-bedsfor sleepouts
- 9,050km² national park
- Zambia's LeadingSafari Lodge, 2023–2025
Awards
World Travel Awards · Zambia's Leading Safari Lodge 2026
Rooted in experiences
Endless beauty
Every Safari Retreat is lifted above the Kakumbi floodplain, so the game viewing never really stops — it simply moves from the vehicle to your deck.
Intimately yours
It is the rhythm of this place that carries you — the slow arc of the sun, the hum of cicadas, the gentle pull of the river as it moves without urgency. Nothing asks this of you, and yet everything invites it.
Where the land is sacred
Lodge experiences
The floodplain does the work
Eight tents, lifted above the Kakumbi floodplain, Puku Ridge delivers award-winning architectural elegance and an unbroken connection to one of Africa's great wildernesses. Here the floodplain is the theatre and your tent is the box seat.
Lion, leopard, elephant, wild dog and hundreds of Puku antelope dwell on the doorstep. Private photographic hides at the camp waterhole bring Africa's finest walking safaris within reach.
Where the ridge is our primary feature
Every Safari Retreat is lifted above the Kakumbi floodplain, so the game viewing never really stops — it simply moves from the vehicle to your deck.
Lodge experiences → 
The Luangwa defines our rhythms and the life of our camp
We did not tame this land. We listened to it.
Puku Ridge sits lightly on the ridge above one of Africa's richest floodplains, where conservation is not a feature but the foundation. Days are paced to the arc of the sun and the movement of the herds below.
Lodge experiences →sleep with the valley stirring below
A night on the star-bed, above the Luangwa
Each Safari Retreat has its own star-bed. Have it made up after dinner and sleep out above the floodplain, with lion calling somewhere along the river and the Milky Way overhead.
Breakfast arrives on the deck as the valley wakes.
Discover more →Getting there
Access & Location
Mfuwe International Airport
Daily seasonal flights connect Kenneth Kaunda International Airport, Lusaka (LUN) to Mfuwe International Airport (MFU) in about 1 hour 10 minutes depending on routing. From June to October, direct flights also link Mfuwe International Airport and the Lower Zambezi (about 1 hour 30 minutes).
Your guide will meet you at Mfuwe International Airport for a 90-minute drive to the lodge in a closed Land Cruiser, 45 minutes through the village and town, and 45 minutes through South Luangwa National Park.
Flight schedules can change and transfer times are estimates.
Season
Open April to November. Peak wildlife viewing June to October.
South Luangwa National Park · Eastern Zambia
Awards & Recognition
Zambia's Leading Safari Lodge
2023 |2024 |2025 |2026
Puku Ridge has been recognised as Zambia's Leading Safari Lodge at the World Travel Awards for four consecutive years.
Set above the Kakumbi floodplain in South Luangwa, Puku Ridge brings together an exceptional wilderness setting, intimate design and a deeply considered safari experience.
This recognition reflects the place, the people and the experience that define Puku Ridge — from the guides who know the South Luangwa intimately to the team behind every detail of a stay.
Four consecutive years of recognition is a remarkable achievement. More importantly, it is a reflection of the consistency, care and commitment that goes into creating the Puku Ridge experience.
