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After a very comfortable flight with British Airways into Lusuka and connecting on to Royal by scheduled light aircraft I arrived at Chongwe River House.
The house is set on the banks of the Chongwe River only five minutes by canoe to the Lower Zambezi River this stunning and unique private property affords fabulous views over the peaceful river with views leading over to the nearby mountainous escarpment. The property is exquisitely designed to afford guests a luxurious stay whilst retaining the rustic feel of a safari house.
Chongwe River House is a private four bedroomed house which is perfectly suited to family groups. On entering the house, the main room has low bridges over flowing water. From this room you look out over the deck and pool to the river and mountains beyond. All the furniture in the sitting room has been carved from a single huge fallen winterthorn tree, as if it has fallen across the room. Beautifully soft coloured pebbles from the Chongwe River have been embedded in the ceilings.
I tried my hand at Tiger Fishing and found it to be very good fun! Our hosts also took us on a leisurely three hour canoe trip down the beautiful Zambezi. I thought I would be nervous of the Hippos but the excellent guides are so skilled I felt totally relaxed and the views of birds and game as you cruise down the river are something I will never forget.
As we made our way by speedboat to Chiawa Camp, the first thing which strikes you is the beauty of the camp location and it’s instant “kerb appeal”. This remote camp is family owned and run by the Cumings family. Chiawa translates to “place of rest” and the staff here are skilled in making each guest feel special.
We enjoyed excellent game sightings at the camp including three Leopards on our first night game drive. Manager Grant treated us all to an experience I will never forget when his deft tracking led us to encounter a female leopard in the heat of the morning completely surrounded and harassed by a troop of Baboons. The leopard kept her cool and was submissive, only finally nearly loosing her temper with one baboon after a two hour standoff. I was terrified the leopard would be torn apart as it is not unusual for troops of baboons to corner and kill leopards so when she finally saw an opening and escaped un-hurt we all cheered with relief.
Our encounter with the leopard is actually characteristic of a typical stay at Chiawa in terms of the unexpected. Guests here will certainly leave with memories of a lifetime. The camp is full of surprises and treats for visitors and I couldn’t possibly spoil the surprise for you by revealing them all but a three night stay here is a must!
The camp serves excellent food, which includes champagne bush breakfasts, outdoor barbecues under the stars and lunch or private dinners on a specially adapted riverboat. There is a pool, spacious lounge with upstairs viewing deck.
One of the principal attractions of Chiawa is the wide range of game viewing activities that can be enjoyed. The highly expert guides will take you walking with an armed scout and tracking animals on foot through the bush learning a huge amount about the flora and fauna as you go. You might like to spend the latter part of the afternoon paddling a stable canoe on the Zambezi watching animals coming down to drink and interact by the water’s edge. Chiawa’s open-topped vehicles would also take you further afield and at night a spotlight is used to see nocturnal creatures such as civet, porcupine and leopard on the prowl. Anyone who wants to try their hands at tiger fishing might catch a fish up to 20lbs and be assured of a good fight! A strict catch-and-release policy is observed.
Immediately as I entered the camp I felt my heart rate slow and shoulders drop. Here the pace of life is relaxed and we you have the opportunity to explore this beautiful wilderness at leisure. After an invigorating afternoon walk we convened around the camp fire overlooking the lagoon and dinner was cooked over the fire in a traditional Poetjie. We discussing bushcraft and enjoyed stories of Zambia and animal encounters and as night drew in I thoroughly enjoyed gazing at the stars with our host and guide Debs Tittle with only the sounds of the bush around us.
I spent the night sleeping in a large tent which had surprisingly comfortable beds consisting of foam mattress on the floor with duvet and feather pillows. There is a shared bucket shower and long drop w.c. Lighting is provided by paraffin lamps and torches.
This was a wonderful and eye-opening experience which left me feeling totally in touch with the Luangwa environment and all it has to offer. The thrill of walking alongside a giraffe or creeping past a heard of buffalo is unforgettable. We even encountered a pride of 20 female lions which of course ran away from us on sight and a small group of senior male buffalos who seemed so relaxed in our presence it was amazing! Debs knows the local animals as if they were her friends and a bush camping experience is a must for any visit to the South Luangwa. There is a good variety of walking and camping experiences available in the South Luangwa which are suited to different levels of interest and fitness. But for those wishing to take an “introduction” into walking with game I can assure you this is nothing like the “roughing it” and “hiking” experience I expected, it was relaxing, amazing and inspiring and I can’t wait to do it again.
The surrounding area of grassland and bush supports a wide variety of animals and 466 species of birds, which can be seen on foot and by open vehicle by day and night. Predator spotting is a speciality at Tena Tena and most guests enjoy good sightings of lion, leopard, hyena and jackal. A large colony of Carmine Bee Eaters has located itself near to the camp for the previous few years which affords guests wonderful sightings of these beautiful birds only a short walk away and it was a privilege to be able to see the birds up close on foot.
I very much enjoyed my stay at Tena Tena. The hosts and guides were faultless and the camp has a sophisticated exclusive feel which makes it perfect for a romantic get-away. The game viewing and food was also of an excellent standard. I loved the fact that the bars were made out of canoes allowing them to float in case of flood!Read about honeymoon safaris to Africa
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