Lisa Hoffner

Elephants disco in Lower Zambezi National Park

We sat quietly, quiet enough to hear the pinches of dust one of our scouts used to test the direction of the wind. He carried an old Mauser rifle, there for insurance but almost never needed. Finally, he gestured it was time to leave. We crawled away, leaving the lioness unaware she'd been spied upon.

Such unobtrusive, walk-in encounters are the signature activity of the camps scattered along the Luangwa River. Although most of the camps also offer driving safaris (especially at night, when foot travel through the bush is a bad idea), the drives aren't nearly as intimate. When you pull up in a Land Rover, the animals know you're coming. What the night drives do offer are compelling and even eerie glimpses in the guide's spotlight: a crocodile laying eggs on the riverbank; a hunting civet (it looks a bit like the love child of a raccoon and a junkyard dog); a pennant-winged nightjar—a whippoorwill-like bird with 20-inch-long wing feathers—fluttering up in the beam like a kite shivering in a high wind.

The basic layout of the camps I visited in South Luangwa National Park—Chibembe, Tafika, and Chinzombo—was the same: a luxurious base lodge with one or more satellite camps. At Chinzombo, guests are driven to the outlying camps; but Chibembe's are situated where there are no tracks at all, so you walk to each (four to five miles) while your luggage is carried ahead by porters. Mornings and afternoons are devoted to six-mile loop hikes with a guide, an armed scout, and a porter who carries the makings for tea in a box on his head.

Along the Luangwa, the Africa I had daydreamed about while reading H. Rider Haggard as a boy came alive. We walked for hours in the warm sun of the African spring, and in the near distance saw impalas, zebras, a few elephants, wildebeests, and giraffes, as well as the ever-present vervet monkeys catching air between branches. Overhead, gray louries, called "go-away birds," really did croak Go-way! Go-way!

From Chibembe Camp it's a 30-minute flight upriver to Mwaleshi, one of only two camps in the 1,800-square-mile North Luangwa National Park. Rod and Guz, a young couple who are typical of the hosts I enjoyed in every camp, met us on arrival. Gracious, outgoing, awesomely well-versed in natural history, the two lead an itinerant life, managing wilderness camps during the dry season and guiding trips down the Luangwa River during the wet. We tracked lions in the morning, elephants in the afternoon, and one day climbed part of the 4,600-foot Muchinga Escarpment to a waterfall with a deep swimming hole that, Rod assured us, only occasionally conceals a hippo.

I brought back a nice souvenir from Mwaleshi, a plaster cast I made from the footprint of a large male lion. It took the entire pound of plaster powder I'd brought with me (normally sufficient for three or four impressions of Arizona cougar tracks). I didn't have to go far to find the print. It was in the mud in front of my shower.

Walks (and drives and canoe trips) on the wild side The Republic of Zambia, named for the Zambezi River, lies just beneath the seventh southern parallel and boasts 19 national parks. Its dry season runs from May until October, and July through October is considered the best time to visit. In September and October, animals are easier to find because they congregate around the last remaining water holes; however, it can be stiflingly hot (90-plus Fahrenheit). WHAT TO PACK: Keep it light. One bag, plus a carry-on, as space is extremely limited in the Cessnas that fly to the camps. All camps have daily laundry service, so you can get by with a change or two of clothes. White clothing is verboten on game walks (it spooks some animals and sends them running). BEFORE YOU GO: You'll need hepatitis and typhus shots, and you'll need to take malaria prophylactics while there. The Centers for Disease Control (800-311-3455) recommends Lariam (mefloquine hydrochloride). Consult your doctor. The best malaria prevention, of course, is to avoid being bitten by mosquitoes. GETTING THERE: South African Airways (800-722-9675) has flights from Atlanta to Johannesburg (from $1299 round trip), connecting from there to Lusaka, Zambia's capital. Beyond Lusaka you'll be flying in smaller aircraft. OUTFITTERS: Africa Calls (505-982-1976; safari@africacalls.com) is a great resource, as is the Association of Professional Safari Guides (800-251-7255; http://www.safariguides.com). Tongabezi Expeditions (011-260-3-323235; http://www.tongabezi.com) runs Tongabezi Lodge ($250-$375 per person per night, depending on the season). Chilongozi Safaris ($250; 260-1-265814; http://www.chilongozi.com) has three camps. Chinzombo Safaris ($260; 260-1-225076) operates a lodge and two bush camps. Taita Falcon Lodge (260-3-321850) starts at $120. All quoted prices include meals. —J.H.