We recommend that you bring a hat with good brim, UV Sunglasses, high SPF Sun-cream, mosquito repellent, binoculars, camera, camera battery charger (we use UK 3-pin plugs), any medicines you may need including anti-malarial prophylaxis, all favourite toiletries as there’s not much available here, comfortable walking shoes or trainers, swimming costume, shorts, T shirts in bush colours – greens and browns are best (royal blues, black and white are the worst for attracting attention both from tsetse flies and from animals!) No need for dressing up out here, comfortable is the way to be! If you have a kikoi or sarong-type wrap, these are ideal for relaxing in at the pool or during the heat of the day. Bring a good book to read or a diary to write during the middle of the days, or else you can sit by the pool and look out for animals and birds to while away the time between drives.
From around the middle of November until the end of March, there is the chance that it will rain here. Rainfall has been recorded in every single month of the year, however these “summer months” (as they are known here) are when the most rain falls. Temperatures range from 31-35 max, down to around 20-23 min at night.
This can be a buggy time of year so repellent is definitely recommended and for the evenings, you might want a pair of long trousers as added protection against insects. Perhaps bring a lightweight waterproof jacket like a kagoule. Even though we provide waterproof ponchos on our game drives, you might like a fitted jacket to keep you dry, and then you can lay the poncho over your legs/binos/cameras etc. Ziplock plastic bags are useful as they are both dust- and waterproof so you can store items like bird books or cameras if it rains while you’re on a drive.
The winter months start sometime in May and it typically stays pretty (relatively!) cool in the evenings and at night until around the middle of September. Temperatures during the heat of the day reach an average of 28-32 degrees, falling to an absolute minimum of around 11 or 12 degrees at night.
From the end of August until the first rains come in around the middle of November, you’ll find it’s warming up in the Luangwa! By the end of September, temperatures reach an average of 36-38 degrees in the middle of the day and fall to an average of around 18-20 at night. After this time until the rains come, then temperatures can rise to a maximum of around 42 degrees, only falling to around 26 degrees at night. We do not have air-conditioning at Flatdogs camp but do offer electric fans in all our accommodations to help keep you cooler.
