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OVERVIEW ON LUNGA RIVER LODGE IN KAFUE

Lunga River Lodge lies on the banks of this river and has six spacious thatched rooms with en-suite shower and bathroom and private decks that provide breathtaking views over its deep blue waters. Lunga River is one of the three main arteries of the Kafue and is characterized by a thin, but lush ribbon of riverine woodland flanking its waters. This river is unique and offers a thoroughly different atmosphere to many other major river systems within south-central Africa. Activities at Lunga focus on the river from which the camp takes its name, with the opportunity to explore this fantastic system by boat, on foot along its banks, or by vehicle in the fringing woodlands and dambos (open, grassy areas). Hippo, crocodile, elephant and leopard are present, while impala, puku and wildebeest are common. A small population of the unusual tree hyrax is resident in the camp at Lunga, their calls echoing through the night. A visit here is an ideal and logical combination with the camps in Busanga Plains. At 22 500 square kilometers, Kafue National Park is one of the largest National Parks in Africa. It is fed by three rivers, the Lufupa in the north-west and the Lunga and Kafue in the north-east. The Lufupa River floods in the summer, creating a large floodplain delta system that attracts thousands of waterbirds. The Lunga and Kafue rivers are wide and slow-flowing, banded by riverine forest.

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Accommodation, Facilities & Amenities At Lunga River Lodge

There is a bar with sundeck suspended over the river, a ‘termite mound-top’ eating area, reading room and boma-enclosed pool.
Electricity is supplied by a small diesel generator which runs for a short period of the day while guests are out on activities. The energy is stored in a bank of batteries and this provides for lighting in the evening.

EcoTourism & Community Involvement Specifics

Employment opportunities have been the first step in this process; initially in construction as more than 150 casual laborers from remote surrounding villages helped to build the new camp, and then later in the open camps where upwards of 130 men and women are permanently employed in ecotourism positions. With permanent employment has come training and skills development. Rural income is such that those employed in the 5-month construction period earned more than 8 times the annual average income for rural Zambians. Lunga River Lodge in Kafue employ game scouts seconded by the Zambian Wildlife Authority who are based at the camps and conduct anti-poaching patrols from these bases year round. Further projects are on the cards with the next major focus being education. Children in the Wilderness (Zambia) hosted its first group of school children in 2007. Lunga River Lodge, have pioneered the use of innovative energy-saving systems, which are being used as a model to lower the environmental footprint across the entire portfolio of Wilderness Safaris camps in all regions.