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currently underway to construct two new teaching blocks at both Chanjuzi and Chilabezi schools to replace the current, outdated timber and clay buildings.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.