Chiawa Camp
Chiawa Camp is a luxury tented lodge located on the confluence of the Chiawa and Zambezi Rivers in the western side of the Lower Zambezi National Park.
Chiawa Camp is a very established and well run property offering high levels of comfort and sophistication without losing its ‘bush feel’. Whilst not technically owner run on a daily basis, Chiawa and sister camp Old Mondoro are run as very individual properties by owner Grant Cummings who is often in camp, especially at Chiawa. The management and guiding team is strong, with long-standing guides, and the staff are friendly and well trained. Chiawa are great at the smaller touches such as river lunches and bush dinners which can really add to your experience. The accommodation is pretty luxurious, but not ‘over the top’ and will suit guests looking to combine a certain level of comfort with a traditional safari experience. With nine tents, spacious central areas and a lovely swimming pool, the camp is not quite as small as it could be, but it is such a well-run camp that it still feels very personal and exclusive.
Rooms
Chiawa accommodates 18 guests in eight superior accommodation tents, and one Safari Suite. Six of the tents face the Zambezi, and three (including the suite) overlook the seasonal Chiawa stream. The standard tents are built on raised wooden decks and are spacious and luxuriously furnished, with mosquito net covered beds, writing tables, easy chairs and a dressing area with luggage racks and hanging space. The en suite bathrooms (which include both inside and outside showers, double vanity, a roll top bath and toilet) are either behind the bedroom area, or to the side. To the fore of the tent is a spacious furnished verandah, each with a ‘bench-wallow’ which during the hot months serves as a shallow plunge pool, and during the cooler months becomes a comfortable outdoor seating area.
Situated at one end of the camp, the ‘Safari Suite’ comes at a supplement and is quite a bit larger and more private. It is located in an elevated position and boasts beautiful views. Built onto a reclaimed teak deck, and covered in thatch, there is a main bedroom with air conditioning, and bathroom connected internally to a lounge which can easily be converted into a second bedroom for children (with toilet). The Safari Suite enjoys its own large plunge pool and spacious verandah allowing for private dining if this is preferred.
Central Areas
The main reception areas include two thatch buildings overlooking the Zambezi, one of which houses a quiet reception area and sitting room (with a raised viewing balcony) and the other a lounge bar and dining room. Both lead out onto lawns that lead down to the Zambezi. There is a large swimming pool, sun deck with loungers and a small open air gym.
Facilities
Wi-Fi – Yes
Power for charging – Yes
Swimming pool – Yes
Habitat & Wildlife
The Lower Zambezi National Park follows the northern banks of the mighty Zambezi River and offers a wonderful mix of miombo, mopane and acacia woodland interspersed with open plains and thick riverine forest.
Along the river, hippo are everywhere, snorting away in their ‘pods’, whilst crocodiles bask in the shallows awaiting their next meal as animals come down to quench their thirst. Elephants are numerous too and can often be seen crossing channels in the Zambezi to reach islands where they can feed peacefully. Buffalo stir up the dust as they approach the river to drink, whilst kudu, eland, zebra, impala, bushbuck and waterbuck graze the sweet grasses or browse on the tasty albida pods. Lion and leopard are the main predators, with leopard incredibly successful in the park and seen very regularly. Wild dog roam through the area, whilst spotted hyaena and side-striped jackals are never far from the action. Night drives can reveal the nocturnal species such as honey badger, porcupine, genet, civet, aardvark and even pangolin. The birdlife is spectacular, with both waterfowl and woodland species in abundance. During the late dry season (late August onwards), both white fronted and carmine bee-eaters nest in the banks of the rivers providing a colourful spectacle.
Activities
Chiawa prides itself on the quality of its guides and offers a wide range of activities including game drives by open four wheel drive vehicles (late afternoon drives are extended after dark to include a night drive back to camp – Chiawa use non-evasive red filters on their spotlights), walks, canoeing, boating on the river and fishing. There is also the option to book a sleep out in the Star Bed Tower – an elevated platform situated just downstream from camp which includes a bed under a mosquito net, bathtub, wash basin and flushing toilet and a red-filtered flashlight for nocturnal wildlife viewing. This experience can be combined with a four course ‘floating dinner’ boat cruise before arriving at the star bed. During the daytime, the ground floor of the Star Bed Tower is kitted out as a photography hide and available for all guests to use at no extra charge.
Seasons
Chiawa Camp is open from May to late November each year, though game viewing will be best from July to October.
The main section of Chiawa has a child age restriction of 8 years, whilst at the Safari Suite this is reduced to 5 years (children aged 5-8 will not be allowed into the main section of the camp unless the camp is booked exclusively). Activities such as walking and canoeing are suitable for children 12 years and older. Chiawa Camp would be best suited to families with older kids who can make full use of the range of activities and enjoy the more adventurous aspect of the Lower Zambezi.
Chiawa Safaris use their ‘SEE three bottom lines’ principle to form the basis for sustainability within three areas; social, environmental and economic.
They consider the impact of their actions on people by employing locally and buying locally. They undertake educational outreach programmes on environmental awareness, supplying resources including uniforms and stationery for orphans and healthcare supplies to communities, providing HIV and AIDS counselling and testing for staff and the distribution of much needed medical kits. They visit communities distributing educational material on not littering or polluting the river. Each year Chiawa donates around 20 bed nights for charities to auction and raise funds for orphanages and children’s hospices amongst others.
Chiawa was the first safari camp to be granted tourism rights in the Lower Zambezi National Park in 1989 and since then they have been a leading voice in lobbying all levels of government and the private sector for improved conservation measures and more sustainable uses for the Lower Zambezi. A large portion of Chiawa Camp’s revenue and resources are reinvested into protecting the Lower Zambezi, including providing strategy, funding and logistical support for research programmes, anti-poaching and environmental education.
Chiawa Safaris partner with a number of local conservation organisations including Conservation Lower Zambezi in which Chiawa’s owners are active executive and board members.
The camps are built to the code of Environmental Council of Zambia and Zambia Wildlife Authority and in camp they work to reduce, reuse and recycle as much as possible. Solar plants were installed at Chiawa Camp and Old Mondoro in 2023 to enable them to go completely off-grid while strict rubbish control, eco-friendly guest amenities, and low energy LED light bulbs are used throughout camps.
Each of its camps are certified ‘Climate Positive’ which has been achieved through measuring and reducing their carbon emissions, and offsetting those which cannot be reduced (including the domestic flights of guests) through verified carbon credits investing in two forestry conservation programs in Zambia.
Chiawa is also a member of Pack for a Purpose, an initiative which allows guests with space in their suitcases to bring much needed items for donation to supported projects.
