Proflight, Mfuwe, the connections and the charters
Flights to South Luangwa National Park: the Mfuwe route, priced and dated
South Luangwa has something most remote African parks lack: a scheduled flight that runs all year. Proflight Zambia flies Lusaka to Mfuwe in 70 minutes. This page sets out the 2027 timetable month by month, what a seat costs, how the long-haul and Malawi connections work, what the charters charge and when the road is the better answer, all checked on 3 October 2026 against the airlines, the airport operator, the charter companies and the camps' own travel pages.
If you only want the answer
Proflight Zambia runs the scheduled service: Lusaka to Mfuwe (MFU) in 1 hour 10 minutes, every month of the year. Its 2027 timetable has five flights a week in January and February, rising to sixteen a week from June to August, with up to three departures a day. On 3 October 2026 Proflight's own site showed return fares from US$373 including taxes, and Flatdogs Camp, which sells Proflight seats, lists the full one-way fare at US$307. From Livingstone you change planes in Lusaka; from Lilongwe, Nyasa Express sells seats on light aircraft. Every camp collects from Mfuwe, between 35 minutes and almost five hours away by road.
The short answer: who flies, how long, how often, what it costs
Proflight Zambia flies Lusaka (LUN) to Mfuwe International Airport (MFU) every month of the year, in 1 hour 10 minutes. Mfuwe is a proper airport rather than a bush strip, with a 2.2 km runway and immigration on site, and every camp in the valley collects from it.
Proflight's 2027 timetable has five flights a week in January and February and sixteen a week from June to August, with up to three a day. Expect to pay around US$307 one way at the full fare. Long-haul travellers connect in Lusaka, Victoria Falls visitors change planes there too, and from Malawi Nyasa Express sells seats out of Lilongwe.
Lusaka to Mfuwe with Proflight: the timetable by month
Proflight has three departures from Lusaka: P0 800 at 06:45, P0 804 at 10:35 and P0 808 at 16:35, landing at 07:55, 11:45 and 17:45. The return flights, P0 801, P0 805 and P0 809, leave Mfuwe at 08:30, 12:20 and 18:20 on the same days. The table is the 2027 timetable published on 21 September 2026, the one that matters for next year's dry season.
The rest of 2026 differs. Until 31 October there are two flights a day, at 10:35 and 16:35; November has nine a week, including a 06:55 on Fridays and Sundays; from 1 December to 3 January there are seven. Proflight adds early flights for groups in September and October and warns that ad hoc changes can happen at any time.
The fleet is 50-seat Bombardier CRJ-200 jets and 29-seat Jetstream 41 turboprops, and Proflight does not say which type flies which departure. Why June to October fills first is on our best time to visit page.
| Months (2027) | 06:45, P0 800 | 10:35, P0 804 | 16:35, P0 808 | Flights a week |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| January to February | Fri | Wed, Sat, Sun | Mon | 5 |
| March | Fri | Tue, Thu, Sun | Mon, Sat | 6 |
| April | Fri | Tue, Wed, Thu, Sun | Mon, Sat | 7 |
| May | Mon, Fri | Tue, Wed, Thu, Fri, Sun | Mon, Tue, Sat, Sun | 11 |
| June to August | Mon, Fri, Sun | Daily | Daily except Fri | 16 |
| September to October | Extra flights for groups | Daily | Daily except Fri | 13, plus extras |
| November | Fri | Tue, Wed, Thu, Fri, Sun | Mon, Sat, Sun | 9 |
| December | Fri | Tue, Wed, Thu, Sun | Mon, Sat | 7 |
Source: Proflight Zambia, Maun, Mfuwe and Livingstone Routes 2027 (version of 21 September 2026), checked 3 October 2026. Local times; every departure takes 1 h 10.
What the flight costs, and how to book it
Proflight publishes sample fares, not a fare table. On 3 October 2026 its Mfuwe page showed returns from US$373 for Lusaka to Mfuwe and US$314 for Mfuwe to Lusaka, per adult with taxes, based on the previous week's bookings for travel within 90 days. One-way prices sit behind a security check in the booking engine, so we could not read one for a given date; Flatdogs Camp, a Proflight agent, lists the full fare at US$307 out and US$305 back.
Cheap seats are limited. ZIP fares appear on selected flights within the next 21 days, Firecracker fares are the next tier, and fares tend to rise as the date approaches. Proflight's flash-fare page for the route still exists but showed no fare on 3 October 2026. Children aged 2 to 17 get 25% off most fares booked online.
Book online: tickets issued at a Proflight office cost an extra ZMW 350 or US$15. Firecracker fares are non-refundable and cost US$30 per flight to change, Classic is 50% refundable and Flexible fully refundable. Proflight has been cashless since 1 November 2025, so pay by card or mobile money; the one exception is its head-office sales desk in Lusaka, which still takes cash.
There is no published booking window for July to October, but the 10:35 and 16:35 are the flights that meet long-haul arrivals and the low fare classes go first, so book the flight when you confirm the camp. The whole trip is priced on our costs page.
Getting to Lusaka from abroad, and the same-day connection
Every international route runs through Kenneth Kaunda International Airport in Lusaka. Confirmed on the airlines' own sites on 3 October 2026: Emirates from Dubai (EK 713, daily, landing 14:35), Qatar Airways from Doha, Ethiopian from Addis Ababa, Kenya Airways from Nairobi, Turkish Airlines from Istanbul, and Airlink and South African Airways from Johannesburg. Proflight flies Johannesburg to Lusaka twice daily too.
Proflight's minimum connection from another airline's international arrival to its domestic flight is 1 hour 20 minutes; Royal Air Charters advises 90. Proflight's 2027 planning sheet has Emirates landing at 14:35 (14:20 from November to March) and Ethiopian at 13:10, both in time for the 16:35, while Qatar's morning arrival on Wednesdays, Fridays and Sundays makes the 10:35.
The catch is the days. Outside June to October the 16:35 runs only one to four days a week, so otherwise a long-haul arrival means a night in Lusaka, and anything landing after about 15:15 misses it anyway. Going home, the 18:20 from Mfuwe lands about two hours before Emirates leaves at 21:35, but Ethiopian's 14:25 departure in the 2027 sheet is under the minimum after the 12:20.
Book one ticket if you can. Proflight sells through fares with Emirates, Ethiopian, Kenya Airways, Qatar Airways, South African Airways and Turkish Airlines, among others, and rebooks you if its delay costs you the international flight; on separate tickets it accepts no liability. Kafunta Safaris adds that in Lusaka you collect your bags and check them in again.
From Livingstone and Victoria Falls, and the three-park circuit
There is no direct flight. Proflight sells Livingstone to Mfuwe as a connection through Lusaka on paired flight numbers such as P0 705/808, and in October 2026 it runs daily: the Tuesday 08:40 reaches Mfuwe at 11:45, the 12:20 and 14:15 departures at 17:45. Flatdogs Camp lists the full fare at US$494 one way. Proflight's network includes Livingstone but not Victoria Falls airport in Zimbabwe, so cross to Livingstone first.
The classic circuit adds the Lower Zambezi. From June to October Procharter, which operates Proflight's Lower Zambezi flights, links Mfuwe and Jeki airstrip directly every day: out of Mfuwe at 10:45, landing at 12:15, or out of Jeki at 08:35, landing at 10:05. In May and from 1 to 15 November the trip goes via Lusaka, and the schedule ends on 15 November.
Proflight's booking engine takes multi-city bookings, so all three can sit on one reservation, though it publishes no fare for the Mfuwe to Jeki leg. If you are choosing between the parks, read South Luangwa or Lower Zambezi.
From Lilongwe and Malawi: Nyasa Express or the road
Nyasa Express, a Malawian charter airline, sells seats on light aircraft between Lilongwe and Mfuwe. It publishes no timetable or flight time; camps quote the hop at 35 minutes to an hour, and the Bushcamp Company calls the service seasonal. Flatdogs Camp lists the seat at US$437 plus US$40 airport tax, minimum two passengers.
Mfuwe is a port of entry, so you clear Zambian immigration on arrival. Nyasa Express does not publish a clear baggage allowance online; the camps that use it say 10 to 15 kg in soft bags, and the airline's conditions warn that weather can delay or cancel flights from October to April, at the passenger's cost.
By road it is five to six hours on tar, according to Track and Trail River Camp. The Mchinji border, Mwami on the Zambian side, is just over an hour from Lilongwe; drivers need police clearance in Lilongwe, then Zambian insurance and carbon tax at the border, paid in kwacha. From Chipata the last 123 km take about two hours.
Charters and the bush airstrips
Almost every camp is reached from Mfuwe by road, so charters are the exception. Beyond Mfuwe itself two strips matter: Mwanya, also called Lukuzi, Remote Africa Safaris' private airstrip in the north, 10 to 15 minutes from Tafika Camp, and the Bushcamp Company's private strip near Kapamba Bushcamp in the south.
Remote Africa's own four-seat Cessna 210, RASair, flies Mfuwe to Mwanya in 15 minutes instead of a road transfer of about an hour and a half. From Mwanya it quotes 20 minutes to Kapamba, 30 to Mwaleshi in North Luangwa and 1 hour 30 to Jeki in the Lower Zambezi.
Charter operators include Procharter, which flies Proflight's Lower Zambezi services; Royal Air Charters, with a 12-seat Cessna Grand Caravan and a 50-seat Embraer ERJ 145; and Sky Trails, whose light aircraft seat two to five. Sky Trails' 2026 rack rates list Mfuwe from US$3,040 one way for the whole plane, with returns and waiting time quoted separately. Even full, a five-seater works out at about US$600 a head against a US$307 Proflight seat, so a charter from Lusaka earns its cost only when time is very short or the camp is hours from Mfuwe.
Arriving at Mfuwe Airport: immigration, cash and the drive to camp
Mfuwe International opened in the mid-1970s and became a port of entry in 1995; the Zambia Airports Corporation says it serves more than twenty lodges and campsites. Arriving from Lusaka you have already cleared immigration, so you collect your bags and walk out. UK, US, Canadian, Australian, South African and EU passport holders, among many others, need no visa, but air arrivals must hold a return ticket.
Wildlife Camp reports two banks at the airport, open on weekdays and on the first and last Saturday of the month. Bring the US dollars you need anyway, in new notes, since Remote Africa warns that Zambian banks refuse older ones. Park fees are on our entry fees page and the village on our Mfuwe page.
Every lodge meets the flight, but book the transfer in advance; some camps charge for it. If your camp is three hours or more away, ask which flight it wants you on, because the 17:45 arrival leaves little daylight. If you are delayed, tell the camp: Proflight's bill of rights promises refreshments where possible after two hours, and after six a refund, free rebooking or voucher, plus a hotel if it runs overnight. Every camp is on our lodges page.
| Area | Example camps | Road time from Mfuwe Airport |
|---|---|---|
| Mfuwe gate area | Flatdogs, Track and Trail | About 35 min |
| Just inside the gate | Mfuwe Lodge | 45 min |
| Nsefu Sector | Zikomo, Nsefu Camp | 45 min; 1 h 15 |
| Southern bush camps | Kuyenda, Chindeni | 45 min, then 75 min to 2.5 h |
| Kapamba, deep south | Kapamba, Zungulila | 45 min, then 3.5 to 4 h |
| Far north | Tafika | 1.5 to 2 h, or a 15 min flight and 15 min drive |
Times as published by each operator, checked 3 October 2026. Southern times run via Mfuwe Lodge, where the Bushcamp Company breaks the journey.
Baggage rules: Proflight, interline tickets and light aircraft
Limits drop sharply once you leave the scheduled network, so pack for the smallest aircraft on your itinerary. These are each operator's own rules, checked on 3 October 2026.
- Proflight domestic: 23 kg checked per person in any number of bags, none over 32 kg; 30 kg if the ticket includes a Proflight international flight.
- Proflight hand baggage: 5 kg, and on domestic flights no larger than 30 x 25 x 15 cm, since it goes under the seat in front.
- Tickets issued by Emirates, Ethiopian, Kenya Airways, Qatar Airways, South African Airways, RwandAir, Turkish Airlines or Air Tanzania keep that airline's checked allowance on the Proflight leg, though bags may follow on the next flight when payload is tight.
- Excess on Proflight: 15 kg for ZMW 1,000 bought online on domestic routes, or ZMW 100 per kg at the airport, carried on standby and paid by card or mobile money.
- Items longer than 1.5 metres need clearing with Proflight reservations 48 hours ahead.
- Light aircraft: Royal Air Charters allows 15 kg in a soft bag, RASair 15 kg plus 5 kg hand luggage including cameras, Nyasa Express 15 kg in total. Flatdogs Camp puts the range at 10 to 15 kg.
- Proflight's rules do not mention soft bags, but the Bushcamp Company strongly recommends them and every light-aircraft operator above insists on them.
- Proflight says its airports have no baggage storage apart from Johannesburg, so a hard suitcase cannot be parked in Lusaka during a charter.
Fly or drive: the honest comparison
The road is no longer the ordeal old guidebooks describe. Track and Trail River Camp puts Lusaka to Mfuwe at nine to ten hours on tar, and the Zambia Tourism Agency calls the last 123 km from Chipata a good road of about two hours. Fuel is sold at Petauke, Chipata and Mfuwe's Oasis station, though Wildlife Camp notes that the Mfuwe pump runs dry now and then.
Time is the real argument. Flying turns a full day each way into 70 minutes, which on a one-week trip buys back two park days for about US$307 a seat each way, and the Bushcamp Company says most of its guests fly.
Driving wins for campers and self-drivers, who need the vehicle anyway, for travellers from Malawi, who swap the Nyasa Express fare for a five to six hour drive, and for anyone already touring eastern Zambia by road. Avoid the dirt shortcut from Petauke unless it is the dry season and you have two 4x4s; Wildlife Camp says it takes about six hours longer than the tar. The road route is on our getting there page.
Flying in the green season
The flights do not stop in the rains; they thin out. Proflight's 2027 timetable keeps five flights a week in January and February, six in March and seven in April, and Flatdogs Camp notes that green-season flights aim to connect with the long-haul arrivals in Lusaka.
Around the scheduled flight, more changes. The direct Mfuwe to Lower Zambezi link runs only from June to October, Nyasa Express warns of weather delays from October to April, and the Zambia Tourism Agency says rain can disrupt charters from November to April. Nsefu Camp opens for a limited period in the Emerald Season and is then reachable only by boat.
Which camps stay open, and what the rains do to prices and wildlife, is on our green season page. The Bushcamp Company describes itself as one of the few operators open all year inside the park.
Questions people ask about flights to South Luangwa
Is there an airport in South Luangwa? Yes: Mfuwe International Airport (MFU), which serves the whole park, with a 2.2 km runway, immigration and Proflight flights from Lusaka all year. Camps near the main gate are 35 to 45 minutes away.
How long is the flight from Lusaka to Mfuwe? One hour and ten minutes on every Proflight departure. Some lodge fact sheets still say an hour and a half; the airline's timetable says 70 minutes.
How much does it cost to fly to South Luangwa? Flatdogs Camp lists the full Proflight fare at US$307 one way, and on 3 October 2026 Proflight showed returns from US$373 with taxes. A charter starts around US$3,040 one way for the whole plane.
Can you fly from Livingstone to South Luangwa? Yes, changing planes in Lusaka on one Proflight booking. It runs daily in October 2026, takes 3 to 5.5 hours and costs US$494 one way at the full fare.
Can you fly from Lilongwe to Mfuwe? Yes, on Nyasa Express seat-rate flights at US$437 plus US$40 tax per person, minimum two, according to Flatdogs Camp. There is no published timetable, so book through your camp or the airline.
Can you fly from Johannesburg to Mfuwe? Not directly. Fly to Lusaka with Airlink, South African Airways or Proflight; Proflight's 12:00 from Johannesburg lands at 14:00, in time for the 16:35 to Mfuwe on the days it runs.
Do flights to Mfuwe run in the rainy season? Yes. Proflight flies all year, with five flights a week in January and February 2027 against sixteen in the June to August peak.
How far is Mfuwe Airport from the lodges? About 35 minutes for camps around the main gate, and four hours or more for the deep southern bush camps. In the far north, Remote Africa replaces a road transfer of about an hour and a half with a 15-minute flight.
Something this page does not answer?
Schedules here are thin and change by season. If the dates you want are not covered, ask.
Ask us. We answer questions about the park itself, and we can usually tell you which camps work on one route and who to write to. If what you want is a trip someone else arranges, we will say so and hand you to an operator we know, and we earn a commission if that becomes a booking.
Nothing on this site sits behind the form. Every figure we have is already on the page.
Sources
- Proflight Zambia, flights to Mfuwe: timetable and sample return fares (checked 3 Oct 2026)
- Proflight Zambia, Lusaka to Mfuwe flash-fare page, empty (checked 3 Oct 2026)
- Proflight Zambia, Maun, Mfuwe and Livingstone Routes 2027, version 21 Sep 2026 (checked 3 Oct 2026)
- Proflight Zambia, full timetable issued 21 Sep 2026 (checked 3 Oct 2026)
- Proflight Zambia, Lower Zambezi 2026 and 2027 schedules (checked 3 Oct 2026)
- Proflight Zambia, baggage allowances and excess fees (checked 3 Oct 2026)
- Proflight Zambia, connecting flights and minimum connection times (checked 3 Oct 2026)
- Proflight Zambia, fare information, fare rules and through fares (checked 3 Oct 2026)
- Proflight Zambia, how to book (checked 3 Oct 2026)
- Proflight Zambia, passenger bill of rights (checked 3 Oct 2026)
- Proflight Zambia, cashless payments from 1 November 2025 (checked 3 Oct 2026)
- Zambia Airports Corporation, Mfuwe International Airport (checked 3 Oct 2026)
- Zambia Department of Immigration, nationals who do not require a visa (checked 3 Oct 2026)
- Zambia Tourism Agency, South Luangwa National Park: getting there (checked 3 Oct 2026)
- Zambia Tourism Agency, air charter and flights (checked 3 Oct 2026)
- Emirates, Dubai to Lusaka flight schedule (checked 3 Oct 2026)
- Qatar Airways, flights from Doha to Lusaka (checked 3 Oct 2026)
- Ethiopian Airlines, flights to Lusaka (checked 3 Oct 2026)
- Kenya Airways, Nairobi to Lusaka (checked 3 Oct 2026)
- Turkish Airlines, flights to Zambia (checked 3 Oct 2026)
- Airlink, destinations including Lusaka (checked 3 Oct 2026)
- South African Airways, Johannesburg to Lusaka (checked 3 Oct 2026)
- Nyasa Express, destinations and terms of carriage (checked 3 Oct 2026)
- Remote Africa Safaris, camp access, RASair and flight tips (checked 3 Oct 2026)
- The Bushcamp Company, travel information and transfer times (checked 3 Oct 2026)
- Robin Pope Safaris, Nsefu Camp fact sheet (checked 3 Oct 2026)
- Flatdogs Camp, getting here: fares, Nyasa Express and road directions (checked 3 Oct 2026)
- Flatdogs Camp, FAQ: light-aircraft baggage (checked 3 Oct 2026)
- Track and Trail River Camp, FAQ: flight and road times (checked 3 Oct 2026)
- Wildlife Camp, general information: banks, fuel and roads (checked 3 Oct 2026)
- Kafunta Safaris, Zambia planning guide (checked 3 Oct 2026)
- Zikomo Safari Camp (checked 3 Oct 2026)
- Sky Trails Zambia, 2026 charter rates and fleet (checked 3 Oct 2026)
- Royal Air Charters, aircraft and FAQ (checked 3 Oct 2026)