Who and What is Classic Zambia Safaris – Five Years On

In 2020, two long-established Zambian safari operations — Jeffery & McKeith Safaris in the Kafue National Park and Tusk & Mane Safaris in the Lower Zambezi — came together with a shared vision. That merger marked the beginning of Classic Zambia Safaris.

Five years on, much has changed — and much has stayed exactly the same.

Classic Zambia Safaris remains proudly owner-run and Zambian-based. We are not a representation company, a corporate group, or a marketing collective. We are a hands-on safari operator, with Directors still actively involved in day-to-day operations — from reservations to guiding in the field. That closeness to our camps, our teams, and our guests continues to define who we are.

Today, we operate five camps across all three of Zambia’s premier game-viewing regions — the Kafue, the Lower Zambezi, and the Luangwa Valley — supported by a Lusaka office and a dedicated operations team. Over the past five years, our Zambian workforce has grown to more than 130 local staff members, many of whom have progressed internally into senior guiding, management, and specialist roles.

Our guest-favourite camps in the Lower Zambezi and Kafue have not stood still either. We continue to invest in what truly matters, without changing the atmosphere and essence of the bush camps we personally built and curated. From bathroom upgrades at Kutali, to the addition of fans in rooms at Musekese and Ntemwa, it’s often the small details that go a long way. We don’t believe in resting on our laurels, and guest feedback plays an important role in how we continue to refine the experience.

In 2025, we opened Kutandala Camp in North Luangwa National Park — our first camp opened entirely under the Classic Zambia Safaris name, and the first new camp in North Luangwa for several decades. Looking ahead, 2026 will see the opening of Lwenge River Camp, an exciting new exclusive-use focused camp on the banks of the Kafue River in the famed Musekese sector of the park.

Conservation remains central to everything we do. Alongside our continued support of Conservation Lower Zambezi, our close ties with Musekese Conservation — founded in 2017 by myself and Phil Jeffery — remain a cornerstone of our identity. In 2025, Musekese Conservation was honoured with the Chairman’s Award at the Tourism Excellence Awards, recognising the organisation’s impact and its strong, positive relationship with tourism.

At its heart, Classic Zambia Safaris is about exceptional guiding, personal attention, and immersive, out-of-the-tent experiences. With over 60 years of combined experience in the Zambian safari industry, our passion is unchanged: to deliver authentic, meaningful safaris — thoughtfully run, deeply connected to place, and unmistakably Zambian.