Robin Pope Safaris

Robin Pope Safaris is strongly associated with South Luangwa National Park, where it operates six small lodges, camps and villas, as well as mobile walking safaris and bush camping aimed at active and adventurous safarigoers. It owns a stunning lodge in Mosi-Oa-Tunya National Park, perched on the bank of the Zambezi, so close to Victoria Falls you can see the spray above the river. Other itineraries take in more off-the-beaten-track national parks such as Kafue, North Luangwa and Liuwa Plain, while the remote Bangweulu Swamp is a favourite with birdwatchers hoping to see the magnificent but localised marsh-dwelling shoebill.

Robin Pope Safaris has played a key role in Malawi’s 21st-century renaissance as a top-notch safari destination. It operates the only upmarket lodge in Majete Wildlife Reserve, which now hosts all the Big Five (black rhino, leopard, lion, elephant, buffalo) along with a wealth of antelope. Its camp in Liwonde National Park overlooks a stretch of the Shire River famed for its prolific birdlife and thriving populations of hippo, crocodile and elephant. Robin Pope Safaris runs trips into other Malawian highlights, notable Nyika National Park, Nkhotakota Game Reserve, Thyolo Forest of and of course the sensationally scenic ‘Lake of Stars’ for which the country is named.

Conservation and community care are both enshrined in Robin Pope’s holistic approach to responsible tourism. It is the founder of the Luangwa Safari Association Medical Fund, which helps provides healthcare to more than 20,000 people living in the Luangwa Valley, as well as Project Luangwa, which administers an educational fund allowing local schoolchildren the benefit of smaller classes and better-qualified teachers.

Robin Pope Safaris has played an important financial role in supporting the anti-poaching activities of the South Luangwa Conservation Society and in the reintroduction of Big Five species such as lion and black rhino into Malawi.