Santa's Coming!

6 days till Christmas? Really? We'd love to hear what you're all wishing for this year!
Merry Christmas!!!

End of Season 2010 - A final say from the Lodge Manager

“Well, we have come to the end of yet another wonderful and memorable season here at LWL. I must say we have had a much improved season in comparison to last year so a big thanks to all who visited us. I do hope many of you keep in touch and that we will see you again in years to come. There have been some unforgettable moments such as guests turning up after cycling to us on push bikes! Jörg Völlm, bringing another group of wonderful guests to us, including our oldest visitor, Margaret. We have been able to welcome our largest number of Spanish and Swiss guests since the lodge has opened. We have had famous authors drop in and tell us a tale or two. We must extend a big thank you to our sponsors and directors who visited and supported us this year and lastly, I would like to acknowledge the self drivers and guided tours that passed by our campsite this year. We have had some real adventurers travelling through and it is always great to hear their stories.

So as I watch as the lodge is being packed away ready for the rains I would like to reflect on a special moment I wish to share with you all.

As many of you know this is my second full season here and I have been unlucky in spotting a full grown male lion here. There have been several times guests have returned from game activities telling me of a big male on the plains or a proud lion crossing the road with his pride in tow, however, up until recently I had never seen one.
It was the 24th October, Zambian Independence day and myself and the other managers were preparing a special supper to celebrate such a day. We were all chatting away contently when we were disturbed by some aggravated barking from baboons. This is not an uncommon occurrence, as they often announce the arrival of our resident male leopard, however, on this occasion, they were really “shouting”. A few moments later we were silenced by the unmistakable call of a male lion, just meters away from us in the thicket. We carefully and silently climbed on the kitchen surfaces looking for him….but….nothing. Then, he called again, this time closer still until the amazing creature emerged from the bushes in the car park just 20 meters or so from where we were stood. He stared at us for a while and then as calmly as he arrived he swaggered off. With a tear in my eye I realised that instead of me having to go out in search of my male lion, he had come to me instead!! What an incredible moment.
So from myself, Bjorn, Joe and Josie we wish all the Europeans a good winter and all the Zambian’s a good rainy season and harvest. We look forward to the season to come and see you all again some time!”

A big thank you to our most dedicated sponsor

This season we were happy to welcome back Charlene and Fabrice from Touroparc, France. This is their second visit to the project and we are grateful for their active and generous financial support of our conservation activities and protecting Luambe`s wildlife. Not only have they helped to expand our clubs this year by offering them the chance to sell some of their products in Europe, but this time they also brought with them donations in the form of children’s clothing and sun hats. We are happy to report that we have donated these items to a local orphan group run by a village church. The hats are so needed to protect the youngsters eyes from the extremely strong sun and the clothes will come in use when the cooler weather comes after the rains. These donations have given the orphans something to get excited about and they were very grateful on receiving the items. So from the orphans and all us on the ground out here, we say a big THANK YOU!!

Winner of the name the leopard competition

A huge thank you to all of you who entered the competition with potential names for our resident male leopard, we had some fantastic suggestions. We are pleased to announce that the winning name, chosen by the Directors and the managers here at Luangwa Wilderness Lodge is Chinshingwa. The name was suggested by Chris Swart who chose the name after stating “I feel an ideal name would be " Chinshingwa " meaning shadow in Bemba, You always know it is there and will always be wary of it subconsciously. It disappears as soon as the sun goes down and comes out with artificial light.” Thanks and well done to you Chris

Conservation Corner

The new Lapa at Luangwa Wilderness Lodge has proved to be a success with many guests appreciating the hard work that went in to designing and constructing the lapa. One feature that is also commented upon is Conservation Corner, where various items created by the local clubs and skilled local workers are displayed for sale. All of the items for sale are crafted by local residents, items such as woven baskets, local, Zambian style bottle openers, key rings and beaded doylies, made by the women’s club. Conservation Corner plays an important part in the overall conservation project here at Luangwa Wilderness Lodge, giving local workers an incentive to put their skills to good use and create items that can be sold to guests. We have recently received more items to display in the form of mini boats, modelled on the style of the boats used by local fishermen, and decorated egg cups. The most popular items this season have been the bottle openers, popular no doubt for their unique style and effectiveness, the Zambian style bottle opener is one item that no guest should be without!
We would like to extend a huge thank you to those guests that have purchased items from Conservation corner this season, all the proceeds have gone towards ensuring that the local clubs can continue to produce the traditional style items that we have for sale and continue to produce these items in the future. We hope to receive many more interesting and unique items in the near future.

Expansion of Hippo Pods

As the dry season begins to set in and the rivers slowly start to dry up here in Luambe, we have noticed a surge in the number of hippo pods slowly positioning themselves further down the river, in front of the lodge. When the season began we were fortunate to have two small pods that set up home in front of the lodge and many days were spent watching these pods interact and wallow in the river, and on the plus side the noise was kept to a minimum. Now that the more significant areas of the river have started to become shallow, we have found that the numerous pods have made a bee line for the stretch of river by Luangwa Wilderness Lodge, as the water stays relatively deep, well, deep enough to satisfy a hippo in any case. Each pod has grown in size and more pods have begun to relocate themselves in front of the lodge, which has ensured some very interesting viewing, with daily fights amongst the larger males and mothers carrying babies on their backs. You can always rely on the hippos to keep you entertained.
With the increase in numbers there has also been an increase in the noise levels, still, this is more of a joy rather than a burden. The hippos here in Luambe just love to communicate with each other! Even with this increase we are pleased to report that we have not had an increase in the number of midnight visitors to the lodge, there is of course one persistent hippo that finds the grass outside the manager’s houses irresistible, and frequently pays us a visit at 4am to graze. He is, however, the only hippo brave enough to face the manager’s wrath when we are woken at such an unsociable hour.

Margaret

This season, Luangwa Wilderness Lodge was pleased to welcome whom we believe to be our most prestigious guest to the lodge so far. Margaret Hoz who is 88 years old visited us at the beginning of this month as part of a larger group from Switzerland. Margaret was a joy to welcome and was full of enthusiasm for the landscape and animals, taking part in all of the game drive and bush brunch activities. A skilled potter and artist, Margaret demonstrated her talents by creating a beautiful water painting of elephants in one morning. We were all overwhelmed by Margaret’s zest for life and hope that when we reach 88 years old, we will still be visiting Africa and leading an active and energetic life such as Margaret is.

Scout Success!

We are pleased to announce, that the scouts have been on top form recently, through combined efforts by two different scout groups, they were successfully able to track and apprehend two poachers found to be operating within the park. The scouts’ re-kindled motivation comes after a donation of boots was made by the Luambe Conservation Project, through a grant from the NGO CCSC. Many donations have been made to the scouts this season, such as uniforms, rucksacks, hats, sleeping mats, mosquito nets and other items that will ensure the scouts can carry out their duties to the best of their abilities. We hope that with the proper equipment, the scouts will continue the good work and ensure that Luambe National Park stays poacher free.

Welcome to our New Guide!

This month Luangwa Wilderness Lodge is excited to welcome our new guide James to the lodge. James is a grade I guide who hails from Mfuwe, he has worked at many prestigious lodges such as Flatdogs, Kafunta and Norman Carr safaris as a successful guide and we are very pleased that he has decided to join us at Luangwa Wilderness Lodge. Being a Grade I guide also means that we are now able to offer walking safaris to future guests, thus expanding our range of activities. James has already proved himself to be very knowledgeable about the game and its’ surrounding habitat and has kindly demonstrated his skills to us managers on both a game drive and walking safari. We were very impressed by the range of information that James was able to offer and left each activity armed with facts and feeling more educated about our surroundings. We are looking forward to future guests taking full advantage of James’ knowledge and skills on either a game drive or walking safari.

Romance in the Air?

Sightings of our resident male leopard were sparse early this season. Fearing the worst we have consistently kept an eye out for him at the lodge watering hole hoping to catch a glimpse and confirm that he is still with us. We had almost given up hope when early one evening our night-watch man came to inform us that there were two lions on the road, very close to camp. We silently made our way to the car and set off up the road to find the lions, alas, there were no lions in sight. What we did find though was our resident male leopard with, what we believe to be, a female leopard in the thicket just outside the boundaries to the lodge. After watching them disappear into the bush we made our way to the watering hole, just in case, and were rewarded with the sight of our resident male quenching his thirst with the female lingering in the background. This sighting was exciting for two reasons, firstly that our resident male is well and still situated close to the lodge which has been the start of many more sightings this season. And secondly that this appears to be a mating pair who will stay in the area during their ‘courtship’, with frequent romantic outings to our water hole we hope!

Name the Leopard Competition

As our resident male leopard has been spotted more frequently this year, we at Luangwa Wilderness Lodge have formed quite an attachment to him. Unfortunately we are having difficulty deciding on an appropriate name for our friendly leopard. We therefore are requesting that readers try to come up with an imaginative and original name for our leopard, please send all entries to news@luangwawilderness.com. The winning name shall be announced in next month’s newsletter and on these pages. Be ready for a little surprise as well.

News from the Clubs

The gardening club has come on leaps and bounds this last month, providing fresh produce such as tomatoes, lettuce, cucumber, cabbage, green beans, carrots and papaya to the lodge, and to other lodges in the surrounding area. Passimo has been working hard to ensure that the garden is well maintained and we are hoping that guests will be eager to book a village tour to visit the clubs and see first hand the progress that is being made. We are looking forward to receiving many more items from Passimo and the other clubs that Luangwa Wilderness currently supports.

News from the Schools

Our conservation Manager Bjorn has been working closely with the two local schools that the Luangwa Wilderness conservation project supports to ensure that the students have suitable accommodation. Plans are currently underway to construct two new teaching blocks at both Chanjuzi and Chilabezi schools to replace the current, outdated timber and clay buildings. Bjorn has been working hard in conjunction with teachers from both schools to create a suitable plan and budget and we hope that construction of these new teaching blocks will soon be underway, once the planning stage has been finalized. We hope that with Bjorn’s continued hard work we will be able to confirm that construction has begun by the end of the current season.

Visitors in the Night: Large Lion sends the Baboons barking

Yet to be seen, over the last month we have been regularly visited by a VERY LARGE male lion! So far, we have only been able to identify him by his tracks, nevertheless, night after night he comes into the lodge, unnoticed and silent. Leaving no sign except barking baboons and his tracks, he has us all intrigued and we are waiting until our first sighting. Obviously shy, our night-watchmen have only caught him as he has been leaving so have not had a good look as yet. However, he has made himself at home slowly walking from the dining area, to the director’s area, through the maintenance yard and finally leaving via the staff compound. We are all interested to see the impact his presence has on our friendly resident leopard; however, we are pleased to say we are regularly seeing his tracks too!

Jolly Genet!

We have not only been visited by large mammals, but some smaller ones too. As a means of relaxing at the end of the day, the managers come together as the sun goes down and play cards or watch films. Spotted first by our volunteer, Josie, we have had the pleasure of a regular visit from an inquisitive genet. Without fail, every time it came to the managers going to bed, he would be waiting there watching what we were up to. We all got so used to each other that he eventually started to wander closer and closer to us while we sat watching him silently. Unfortunately, after about three weeks, all of a sudden he was gone. Fearing the worst we stopped looking for our “jolly genet”. However, I am happy to report, he is back! Everyday without fail we find his tracks left in the soft sand. He comes right up to the houses and even jumps onto the dining table to see what smells he finds there. We are just hoping that maybe one day, he will take the next step and come and join us for dinner!

South Africans flee from Football Fever

As football fever hit South Africa, most of the South African citizens embraced the hysteria with open arms. There were however, many who sought out a peaceful and more relaxing alternative in the form of a road trip through Zambia. Whereas South Africa reaped the benefits of avid football fans descending on the Country we at Luambe reaped the benefits of those wanting to get away from it all. We can boast the busiest season for campers so far and would like to thank all those South Africans who prefer rugby to football and came visiting us!!

Maintenance Manager strikes 76 days without a day off!

This month we would like to extend a big thank you to Joe who has battled relentlessly with blown inverters, noisy gear boxes, faulty fridges, general construction and maintenance and abstained from a day off since the beginning of the season! It is not too much of sacrifice for him as he loves his job, however, things were sent to test him after a run in with an elephant, numerous electric shocks, falling off moving vehicles and other lovely things. Thank you Joe, keep up the good work!!

Completion of the Lapa

June has seen the long awaited completion of the Lapa, after weeks of hard work by all staff the lapa is now an attractive space for guests to sit and relax, enjoy a drink or browse through the items displayed in the ‘conservation corner’ shop. Many guests have already complimented the design and layout of the new improved Lapa and have felt that it is the perfect setting to unwind after a day of safari.

Progression of Game Routes

After many days and long hours of slashing and grading by our maintenance manager Joe, conservation manager Bjorn and the staff, the game routes through the plains are now re-opened, finally after heavy flooding. Fires were set by ZAWA at the beginning of June to burn the long grass, thus opening up the plains to more accessible game drives and ensuring the encouraged re-growth of flora and fauna alike. Once the fires had subsided, the tractor was used to its full potential to carve out a route through the plains all the way up to elephant pools, ready for us to commence game drives through the area. So far game sightings include; elephant, hippo, hyena, eland, zebra, lion, leopard and we are hoping that as the season progresses so will the game sightings.

Volunteers home and away

This month we are excited to welcome Josie to the Lodge. She will be commencing a six month placement with us as an assistant lodge manager. Josie was the lucky candidate picked from many applicants due to her experience in similar fields and bubbly personality. We would also like to extend a big THANK YOU to Tony Moore. He volunteered his IT skills to design a new website. Although he is based in the UK and has never visited the project, he very generously took on the task and has produced a wonderful result.

News from the Clubs

As part of the lodge’s duty to the conservation project, managers from both the lodge and CCSC visit the clubs to discuss the season ahead. Any donated items are handed out at this time and also areas of improvement or progress are discussed. The clubs have the following news to report:

The Womens' Club:

The women are continuing to make doilies and host lunches for guests on village tours. They are also hoping to make new jewellery items to sell at the lodge after a generous donation of earring clasps from Claudia Behlert begin_of_the_skype_highlighting     end_of_the_skype_highlighting, one of the project directors. The new items should be on sale soon!

The Carpentry Club:

The carpentry club is now self sustaining and virtually independent of CCSC! We helped them with the donation of some new tyres in order for them to continue the use of the vehicle they sustain themselves. We have ordered a new table (due for delivery soon!) to act as a dining able in the managers area and we will be working with them to create a buffet area in our new lapa.

The Gardening Clubs:

We are looking forward to receiving our first batch of fruit and vegetables from the gardening clubs very soon. Passimo’s gardening club has received a selection of seeds to help get things started and will be bringing the first harvest sometime next month. Joseph’s club have started to make egg cups to sell and use at the lodge. These items can be seen along with the keyrings and clay pots he makes at the shop.

Chilubezi School:

Chilubezi School is looking forward to rebuilding at some point this year. With help from CCSC and the community, the school is hoping to build a brick and tin school block. We are pleased to announce that the students end of year exams were a success with many students performing above average.

Chocha School:

During the rainy season, Chocha built a brick assembly area outside the school building to serve as an area for the children to be grouped together for school meetings. The school raised the money for the bricks independently and the area looks very smart. The school has also implemented a new scheme in order to regularly gain chalk. Each pupil brings with them a very small amount of money. Once all the money is collected, it is enough to buy a box of chalk. The school has an agreement with local government school and shops for the purchase and delivery of the chalk from Lundazi. The students of Chocha also did very well in their end of year exams. Well done to all!

Staff Compound Holds Strong

One of our biggest tasks last year was the complete rebuilding of our staff compound. We demolished the entire thing and rebuilt it from scratch. Prior to last year after each rainy season the staff houses would be damaged and water could leak in through the roofs. The compound looked tired and tatty and it was definitely time for an overhaul! Following the same design as the houses in the village we rebuilt each and every member of staff’s house. After the frames were built the workers wives were invited in to clay and paint the houses and finish them off to a high standard! As the rainy season went on we heard many reports of the heavy rains. My heart sank at the thought of the brand new staff compound being washed away into the fast flowing Luangwa. With no contact with the lodge over the rains it could only be left to our imagination the kind of devastation that must have been underway. We arrived in camp for the first time on April 10th. We immediately marched straight to the staff compound expecting to see a pitiful sight of clay and rafters washed to the ground. However, I am pleased to report that, in fact, there was no damage whatsoever, even the paint was intact. It just goes to show that the village designs and craftsmanship for building houses has been honed over the years and sometimes natural materials are better than manmade!

Building Bridges

During the wet season (December through to March) the rain can do a lot of damage. This year, the rains were particularly heavy with some lodges sustaining serious damage from flooding. Here in Luambe we were lucky and only had water damage to our dining area which was scheduled for restyling this year anyway. However, each year the rivers and tributaries fill from the heavy rains and do not dry up until May/June time. This is not ideal for a lodge that opens at the beginning of May! It, therefore, becomes our duty to build bridges over the major river crossings so as to open our main road from the lodge to Mfuwe. If we did not do this we would have to divert and drive 13 hours to Mfuwe via Lundazi and Chipata! So, we joined forces with our nearest neighbour and together with plenty of man power and our Unimog, we have since opened up the road. Thank goodness! It is now a mere 5 hours to Mfuwe as opposed to 13.

Solar Success at Luangwa Wilderness!!

2009 proved to be the year the installation of our brand new and high tech solar power system was completed. The lodge is now fully able to run on solar energy including:

• All fridges
• Lighting
• All communication equipment, including satellite, office and radio
• Water pump
• All other electrical goods such as fans, chargers and some tools

The system runs on AC and DC with three separate systems running different areas of the lodge, with each operating as a back-up for the other systems. It took both experts from Germany and Tanzania two weeks to complete the momentous task, which included updating our old system and installing new components to expand the existing setup. We had to clear old dead trees in order to protect the new equipment and create room for it at the lodge which was a demanding feat on its own. Transport to the lodge proved to be one of the trickiest tasks with the equipment weighing in at over a tonne!! It is completely out of sight from clients and cuts out the noise issue from generators (which are also kept at the lodge as a back-up). However, many clients are so impressed, they ask to see the system and request a “behind the scenes” tour! We receive many positive comments about the fact a remote bush camp style lodge is able to offer recharging and communication capabilities! There are more than 30 panels and 36 batteries that complete the set up. The energy is stored in twelve 2v 1000amp batteries and other specialist solar cells. We are now all making the most of no generators and silent energy production!