INDABA 2001

It looks like we are set for another great season – Chiawa has reopened in style and is looking fabulous. The new super-large tents are up, and the bathrooms and the interior furnishings have been touched up. The verandas have also been spiced up with a nook added for space and style. 

Although Chiawa’s accommodations were great before, they are stunning now. See the new photo’s soon to be posted on our website www.chiawa.com. The pathways were also moved behind the tents – much better. And the tents aren’t the only improvements…but more on that later.

I spent the off-season overseas marketing while Dave & Jenny held the fort in Lusaka, Jenny on the computer and Dave overseeing the task of all the maintenance on Chiawa’s huge fleet of 4x4’s, motor boats and canoes, which are all now in perfect condition. Ian & Alice have been in Rio & Cheltenham, and return to Chiawa in early June.

We are pleased to welcome a few new faces to Chiawa this year. First to arrive were Jaco & Reinette Visagie from South Africa. They had helped set up and run Entabeni Lodge in the Northern Transvaal for the past 3 years before opting for the alluring wilderness of the Lower Zambezi. Jaco was Head Ranger there and was responsible for the employment, training and evaluation of all guides, before being promoted to Head Warden and made responsible for all translocations of wildlife into the reserve. With a degree in Nature Conservation, Jaco has been responsible for translocations of the Big 5, Cheetah, Painted Dog, and various antelope – he brings a wealth of first-hand experience with him. His charming wife Reinette is an accomplished Chef and has introduced exciting improvements and additions to Chiawa’s renowned cuisine. She has also added her own touches in the décor of the lounge and tents. They are a delightful and competent couple, and we feel they will have a great future at Chiawa.

For those of you who have visited Matusadona and Mana Pools, or Elsa’s Kopje in 2000, you might well have come across the unforgettable Dean McGregor. Dean comes with 15 years of guiding experience and a Professional Guides License from Zimbabwe. He has canoed the length of the Zambezi from source to coast and is very familiar with the Lower Zambezi area. Competent, likeable and entertaining, Dean will be a great asset to Chiawa’s already formidable guiding team, be it in a canoe, on foot or in a vehicle. Expect to see more impromptu canoe/walk or drive/walk combinations at Chiawa this year, such as those so popular in Mana Pools. Of course along with Dean and Jaco, we still have Boaz Chizuwa – one of Zambia’s most experienced guides, and myself, Grant Cumings. So there you have it, Chiawa’s unbeatable team keeps getting stronger and stronger, 4 guides with combined experience in excess of 50 years – plenty of campfire stories there!

Another cause for celebration, or excuse for a party, is my brother Kevin is getting married on June 2^nd. Regrettably he has opted for Scotland rather than Chiawa as the venue so I will be away for a couple of weeks. Fortunately I have been spared the ‘privilege’ of wearing a kilt. Speaking of weddings, Chris & Gill, our first clients of the season, were fortunate enough to have been allocated our Honeymoon Suite per chance, and upon stepping inside Chris popped the question! He claimed that he’d been considering proposing for some time but on seeing our Honeymoon Suite, he couldn’t resist. A Honeymoon Suite that prompts Honeymoons – can’t get much more romantic than that.

The lion prides seem to have weathered the wet season well. Tag’s group are all present and accounted for plus they have a 3-month-old male cub that had not been born by the time we had closed down last November. We’ll assume that the black-maned Stumpy is the proud father, who has already been seen this year looking as magnificent as ever. Stumpette’s (we still don’t know what bit her tail off) pride is also in great shape – however Junior, the oldest male cub, appears to have been chased off to seek his fortune. This happens to all male lions at about 3 years – Dad or the resident male of the pride sends the young males off before they reach maturity, which prevents in breeding.

Well, we are dealing with exceptionally high water levels again - a bit of a nuisance for us, but great for the environment. This bodes well for great canoeing and birding, as well as for the vegetation. Should be another great season for Chiawa Camp – the ultimate safari adventure.

Till next time,

Grant