The Mukambi Lodge

The Mukambi Lodge is under the management of Edjan and Robyn van der Heide, both are Dutch. And the view from the bar is making a large downpayment of the bill. From the bar, there’s merely a stone’s throw to the Kafue River. On the other side, the national park begins. It’s one of the largest parks in the world. 22,500 square kilometers. It’s about half the size of Holland.

Some parks have more in common with a zoo than with what would be called a safari. Not here. The size of the park makes it less crowded and many of the animals are still very shy and… wild. Elephants usually give the strange noisy four-wheeled things a tired glance and not much more. Here a bull wanting to protect its herd makes numerous mock charges.

So, is this good? Perhaps you never like to disturbe any animal, but this is way more interesting than cruising around in a park where everything is served on a silver plate and you feel blasé after the second tribe of lions. Another bonus with the Kafue park is the fact that it’s open all year, which is not anything to take for granted in a country where the emerald season makes roads impossible to drive on. The best season to go is during the European fall.

The Mukambi is not a posh lodge. Don’t get this wrong, it’s not of low standard. It’s clean and functioning but you don’t get (and you don’t pay) for any luxury amenities. All the chalets have a shower with water heated by solar cells.

It’s the proximity to Lusaka that makes the lodge a potential location, especially if you don’t want to take a domestic flight.

Email: bimm@microlink.zm