Great location - friendly and welcoming staff - We were warmly welcomed here by the manager with cool, moist face towels, fresh orange juice...and a wild elephant. It got better, as the route to a muddy lagoon was... read more just outside our veranda so we constantly had elephants, giraffes, warthogs, mongeese, baboons, etc literally on our doorstep.
Room was very good with tastefully decorated bathroom.
Plentiful, excellent and varied meals served with HUGE portions.
Price includes 2 game drives a day. We did an evening drive and an early morning drive and that was enough for us with a 2 night stay. We chose to skip the 2nd drive on our second day and spent the afternoon in the swimming pool.
This is an alcohol free lodge, which is stated on the website, but we missed that bit, however you can discreetly drink your own in your room.
Shout out to Marisa the manager, Noah our game driver/guide and John who served us in the restaurant - exceptional, friendly, attentive and personal service throughout.

  We arrived at the lodge and were greeted by Borniface, the lodge manager. He was extremely welcoming and showed us around the lodge and rooms. We were also served a... read more delicious welcome drink. All the staff at Mopani are very helpful and go out of their way to make you feel as comfortable as possible.
We stayed in the lagoon facing rooms, and i must say they are spectacular! Beautiful, clean and spacious, and you can see many animals come to the lagoon to drink water. Such an amazing sight, just sitting from your room and viewing the animals, meters away from the room veranda.
We saw elephants, kudu, impalas, baboons, warthogs, girrafes and were also lucky enough to spot a lioness feeding on a buffalo at the lagoon!

We went for 3 game drives and a walking safari with our highly knowledgeable guide Mr Brian. He gave us a brief history about the park, animals and flora and fauna indigenous to south luangwa.
Highlights of our game drive was when we requested Mr Brian to see the Carmine bee eater birds. He went out of his way to show us the birds. Fabulous sighting! He knew exactly how to navigate the park and we sighted lions twice on the game drives. We were also lucky to spot the endangered African wilddogs. Such a rare sighting!

Coming on to the food, it was prepared freshly keeping in mind any dietary restrictions we mentioned. Hats off to the chef for preparing such delicious food everyday. I always looked forward to lunch and dinner as the food was just amazing!
Some snacks were also provided during the game drive, where we would stop inside the park at a safe location and eat with views of the beautiful trees and birds.

On the whole, i really had exceptional experience at mopani and it is luxury at its best! Affordable and great for Bush and Safari lovers!
Will definitely visit again soon👏

  A touch of luxury in the wild! - Nestled in the heart of south luangwa by the river. Even though the lodge is just a couple of minutes outside the park, it is surrounded by all the animals... read more of the national park.

Whilst at the lodge, we were frequently visited by elephants and giraffe! Often felt our entire game viewing experience could be done whilst sitting in the open plan dining area.

The rooms are beautifully made up and the aircon was a saviour in the peak of summer. Our family made full use of the pool which is the perfect size.

The staff at the lodge are absolutely amazing, always going the extra mile and above and beyond their duties to make us feel comfortable!

Having laundry inclusive was absolutely fantastic, especially with four kids! We have thoroughly enjoyed our experience at Mopani and would definitely return in the future.

  Amazing - The best place for families(if its brilliant for families then for couples must be better)... staff were very help to every need.... food was outstanding ....safari guide was very enthusiastic... read more and a experienced driver ...

Would strongly recommend for safari lovers

  Everything you need away from the concrete jungle, relaxation and comfort at its best 🙌 - You are greeted by amazing and friendly staff members who make your stay even more comfy and relaxed. The lodge and its location really complement each other and you get... read more a beautiful view of the river which brings many animals to see. I had a great time, wished I could have stayed longer but very grateful for the overall experience, it was time well spent.

  Great Service & Even better Safari Guides - My family and I stayed at the Mopani Safari Lodge. It’s located right on the river. We came during the early rainy season so the river was a bit dry.... read more However just perfect to see animal crossings.

We stayed in the very spacious chalets. Technically they could fit 5 people very comfortably. And if you are skinny couples maybe 11 people. But you pay per person so why not enjoy the extra space. The chalets were very well designed and carefully thought up while building.

The food here was excellent. They made us cooked to order food every day for lunch and dinner. Some in our party had special dietary restrictions and they were very accommodating to that as well.

Breakfast was basic. However if you plan to go on the early 6 am safari I would suggest skipping breakfast and just drinking water to hydrate.

The actual safari tour was great. We had Godfrey as our guide and he took us up close and personal to many of the wild animals we wanted to see. Robert was another guide and he was also really good. Together they make a great team and know how to spot and find the animals we want to see.

Over all the our stay at the lodge was excellent. We hope to see everyone again next year!

Just a side note for awareness. I have never seen a lion in the wild with a full mane, and probably never will due to people hunting them for wall pieces.

We have to stop hunting of big cats as well as other animals that we want to continue to see and let them play the course of nature.