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April 2000

  Another season has begun at Chiawa Camp and it certainly has started on an interesting note. You will have heard about the flood conditions in southern Africa earlier this year - and the Zambezi Valley was no exception. 

 

 

Lake Kariba had its highest recorded water levels since 1980, which resulted in them having to open 3 floodgates - the first time in 20 years! The river level rose over 2 metres and almost flooded our tent platforms. 

 

 

 

Clive & Chris rushed in (by boat!) to start evacuating staff & equipment however fortunately the river stopped rising and no harm was done. And to think we sometimes get asked why we don’t operate in the wet season! The camp is now looking wonderfully green and operations are back to normal. We have posted this newsletter along with some interesting photos of the flood on our website.

As a result of the high water, the lagoons and channels such as Chifungulu & Waterbuck Island, have all been flushed clear of water hyacinth, which will make for fantastic hippo, croc and bird watching. Water hyacinth blocks light to the water and therefore prevents other vegetation from growing, which in turn prevents fish and waterfowl from feeding. With greatly reduced hyacinth cover we can expect to see increased visits from waterfowl, hopefully even pelicans again. The flood has also deposited fertile topsoil and vegetation, which will give rise to new growth. These phenomena have not been seen in the Lower Zambezi Valley for 20 years so visitors this year will certainly be privileged! From an environmental standpoint, the Park is in the best shape we've seen it.

We have the same super team returning to Chiawa again this year. Alice and Ian (a.k.a. Zambezi) White, our genial hosts are back in mid-May, while everyone else is already in place for our mid-April opening. Boaz Chizuwa and Clive Faux who are all Zambian born and have spent most of their lives in the bush, will be showing you the magic of the area, while Chris DeVine will continue to be our camp ops manager and to also guide. James Tembo and Tryford Chiawa will be your trackers and fishing guides. Tracey Howle, our Chef is back with even more recipes to delight your palates. I expect to be in camp most of the time guiding and overseeing day-to-day operations. 

We're continuing to make subtle improvements to Chiawa. 

 

Our honeymoon suite with a new, larger tent is absolutely stunning, 

 

 

 

 

 

 

especially the view from the generous bath, complete with brass fittings. 

 

 

 

 

The wooden railings on all the tents' verandas are now enclosed with reed - this maintains the view but adds more privacy. A new fireplace, and an extended alfresco dining area add to the atmosphere of the social area of Chiawa, and a discreet plunge pool made of natural stone is an extra luxury this year. Two new pontoon boats for game viewing and fishing have been added to the fleet which will replace the smaller speedboats we used in the past, making for a more comfortable river experience. A brand new Toyota Land Cruiser game-viewing vehicle has also been bought - we now have 5 vehicles available at Chiawa, which even further reduces the likelihood of breakdowns or vehicle shortages. All in all, an even better experience than ever awaits.

Bookings are looking great this year, indeed we are already having difficulty placing new enquiries for the August-October period. However there is space available May thru' July...please check with Jenny.

Getting to and from Chiawa is as easy as ever. Not only are we continuing to offer our popular road & river transfers between Camp and Kariba/Lusaka, but also there are scheduled flights into Jeki making access to Lusaka, Livingstone & Mfuwe cheaper than ever. Details and costs are on our rate sheets or again, contact Jenny.

The visa story continues. In the interim, until a clear formal policy regarding visa-waivers can be obtained from the authorities, we recommend that visitors carry cash in the event that immigration officials do not issue a waiver. Having a printed itinerary and vouchers on-hand is likely to increase the odds of having a visa waiver issued as the decision is ultimately left to the border official.

momba1Momba the ground hornbill continues to bless us with her (yes, she's a she!) presence. As hungry and mischievous as ever, her most recent 'big' action involved flying over to the Park boundary where she devoured eggs and chicks belonging to the game scouts. Take a look at her page (under "Conservation") on the website for her most recent antics and pictures.

Till next time,

Grant

  Previous Newsletter

 December 2002       September 2002        July 2002    

December 2001      August 2001          May 2001

              November 2000       April 2000

             August '99

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