Thornicroft Lodge
Chalets and safari rooms · Luangwa riverbank, Mfuwe area · Zambian owned
A drawing, because nobody has sent us a photograph of Thornicroft Lodge yet. Send five and this page changes the same week.
Budget
In the GMA
Locally owned
A Zambian-owned riverside lodge that prices in kwacha and serves local visitors as much as international ones. Comfortable, friendly, and among the most affordable proper lodges on the river.
Why you'd pick it
- Locally owned and operated
- Children's play area, good for families
- Priced for the Zambian market
What the park charges on top
The rate above buys you a bed. South Luangwa National Park charges its own entry fee for every day you are inside. Here is what that adds up to.
- Park entry$25 if you are in an operator vehicle instead of self-driving.
- $30per person, per day
- VehicleUnder 3 tonnes, foreign registered.
- $15per vehicle, per day
Three nights means three days inside, so two adults sharing one vehicle pay $225 in park fees before anyone pays for a bed.
There is no single park fee here. On top of the gate fee, camps pass on vehicle fees, guide fees and bed levies, and what applies depends on whether the camp sits inside the national park or in the Game Management Area alongside it. Kafunta Safaris, who charge one combined figure covering the government levies, told us it comes to $60 per person per night at their two GMA camps and $90 at their camp inside the park. Treat that as the shape of it rather than a universal rate: the amounts move with each operator's lease.
The full fee schedule for South Luangwa National ParkRates
From about K3,960 per night. Bed and breakfast; activities extra. Prices quoted in kwacha, which tells you this lodge serves the domestic market too.
What the rate covers is not confirmed. We do not know yet whether meals, drinks and activities are included, so read this as the bed only.
Every figure on this page is in US dollars.
Indicative 2026 rates from operators' own rate cards, gathered July 2026. Rates change by season and year, so always confirm with the lodge. Park fees are extra almost everywhere: budget about $30 per person per day, plus vehicle fees.