Hippo Lodge
Stone-and-thatch chalets and safari tents, self-catering possible · East bank of the Kafue River, northern sector · David and Elke Chivers
A drawing, because nobody has sent us a photograph of Hippo Lodge yet. Send five and this page changes the same week.
Mid-range
Inside the park
Owner/family-run
A rustic independent lodge that wears its history: the stone in the walls came from Zambia's oldest copper mine nearby. Walks go out with African Parks rangers, and the self-catering houses make it one of the very few in-park addresses you can do on a modest budget. David and Elke Chivers bought the lodge in November 2024 and told us so themselves. Two things to plan around: the lodge takes no cards at all, so bring cash in dollars, euros, sterling or kwacha, and a booking needs 50 percent down with the balance 30 days before you arrive. Book through hippolodgezambia.com; the old hippolodge.com domain is now a parked sale page.
Why you'd pick it
- A geothermal hot spring about a kilometre from camp
- Chalets built from stone salvaged from the old Hippo Mine
- Self-catering houses inside a national park, with park fees already in the rate
- Fully solar, no Wi-Fi, drives on both banks
What's here
Arranged from the lodge:
- Game drives
- Boat trips
- Guided walks
- Birding
- Fishing
Read from Hippo Lodge's own website in July 2026. Anything not listed we could not confirm, which is not the same as it being absent.
What the activities cost
Game drives, river safaris and boat cruises are already inside the Deluxe and Ultra packages, and self-catering guests get one game drive per person per day. Walking safaris and night drives run seasonally and are not offered in the green season. What is priced separately is the boat hire, and the fishing you do from it.
| Activity | Detail | Per person |
|---|---|---|
| Boat hire, Sun-tracker | With a coxswain. Half day $120, full day $200. 20 litres of fuel included | $120 |
| Boat hire, Kingfisher | With a coxswain. Half day $95, full day $150. 20 litres of fuel included | $95 |
| Extra boat fuel | Beyond the 20 litres that come with the hire | ZMK 50 per litre |
| Road transfer, Lusaka to the lodge | One way per person, 4.5 to 6 hours with stops, refreshments included | $140 |
- Fishing licences are not included and are paid in camp. The lodge has no fishing tackle to lend or hire.
- Fishing is strictly catch and release.
- There are no card facilities. Cash only, in dollars, euros, sterling or kwacha.
- Children under 16 are taken by special arrangement only.
From Hippo Lodge's own 2026 and 2027 rate sheets and self-catering information sheet, sent to us by the lodge on 2 September 2026.
What the park charges on top
The rate above buys you a bed. Kafue National Park charges its own entry fee for every day you are inside. Here is what that adds up to.
- Park entryThere is no self-drive surcharge here.
- $20per person, per day
- VehicleForeign-registered vehicle under 3 tonnes.
- $15per vehicle, per day
Three nights means three days inside, so two adults sharing one vehicle pay $165 in park fees before anyone pays for a bed.
The full fee schedule for Kafue National ParkRates
From $120 pppn self-catering. Three ways to stay, all per person per night. Self-catering in Stony House (up to six) or Mukango House (up to four) is $120 excluding 16 percent VAT, and it already covers park fees, bed levies, a kitchen assistant, firewood and gas, and one game drive per person per day; charcoal, ice, the bar, the daily vehicle charge, fishing licences and extra activities are not in it. The 2027 Hippo Deluxe package is $300 including VAT for a chalet, meals, snacks and one activity a day, with park fees, bed levies and the bar on top. Hippo Ultra is $440 including VAT and is the only genuinely all-in option: two activities a day, park fees, bed levies and the bar are all inside it. There is no single supplement on any of them. The 2026 published rate for a chalet is $380 per person per day excluding VAT for international guests and $260 for residents and citizens, covering meals, snacks, soft drinks and two activities a day, with park fees, bed levies and alcohol charged separately. From Hippo Lodge's own 2026 and 2027 rate sheets, sent to us by the lodge on 2 September 2026.
It depends which package you book. This camp sells more than one basis, from self-catering up to fully inclusive. The rates note says what each one covers.
Every figure on this page is in US dollars.
Indicative 2026 rates from operators' own rate cards and published tariffs, gathered July 2026. Many Kafue camps quote on enquiry only. Watch two things when comparing: whether park fees are included (Mayukuyuku and Konkamoya include them, most others do not), and conservation levies of $30 to $40 a night at some camps. A caution on older guides: Lufupa River Camp, Lufupa Tented Camp, Leopard Lodge and Puku Pan all appear closed or dormant, Mukambi Plains Camp is simply the old name of Busanga Plains Camp, and the Jeffery & McKeith brand merged into Classic Zambia Safaris. We list none of them as live options.