Move alongside antelope, impala, baboon, and rare African Pitta birds inside Zambia’s South Luangwa National Park, a game reserve turned environmental haven that nineteenth-century Scottish explorer David Livingstone called “impossible to describe [in] its luxuriance.” On CW Adventure’s nine-day Zambia Classic walking safari (from $5,498 per person; cwadventure.com), you can hike up to four hours a day with a local guide, often trekking within yards of the wildlife (the guard is armed, in the rare event that an animal tries to charge). Game drives in open-sided Land Rovers are available for the fainter of heart, but for optimal viewing, you’ll travel by foot, jeep, and puddle jumper between three different Luangwa camps. At the remote Kapamba Bushcamp, watch for herds of elephant, lion, and buffalo from the comfort of your private stone plunge-pool or thatched-roof hut. (Request hut No. 1 for the best views and most privacy.) While you’re staying at the tented Zungulila Bushcamp, chefs will grill your fresh bream on a traditional African braai, or barbecue, as elephants drink from nearby springs. Even after-dark drives between camps turn up wildlife spottings, including night apes and bug-eyed galagos.
The thrill-o-meter: Modestly madcap.