Norman Carr Safaris and Chongwe Safaris collect the accolades

 

The 2014 Safari Awards were announced recently, and Nornman Carr and Chongwe Safaris in Zambia were placed in 5 of the 18 categories, winning 3 of them. Overall Zambia performed well in the awards, highlighting the country as the region's rising star.

Winner - Best New Property in Africa – Chinzombo, Norman Carr Safaris
Winner - Best Guiding Team in Africa – Norman Carr Safaris
Winner - Best Walking Safari in Africa – Norman Carr Safaris
Highly Commended – Best Safari House in Africa – Chongwe River House
Highly Commended – Best Value Safari in Africa – Chongwe River Camp

Congratulations to all. Running safaris takes a huge company-wide effort, and on top of incredible locations and fabulous wildlife, it’s the team in camp which really brings the whole experience to life; from the gardeners to the guides.

Zambezi Traveller Directory:
Norman Carr Safaris
Chongwe Safaris

 

Kiambi Safari Special

Kiambi Safaris, Kariba & Middle Zambezi, Zambia

From 1st December to the 28th of February below.

Luxury air-conditioned chalets:
K560 per person per night sharing
K690 per person per night single
K370 per child per night for Children between 5 and 15.

Children 4 years and below visit for free.

Luxury thatched en-suite chalet:
K560 per person per night sharing
K690 per person per night single
K370 per child per night for Children between 5 and 15.

Children 4 years and below visit for free.

Rates quoted include 3 Meals per person per day that is breakfast, lunch and dinner from the clients day of arrival . There is a complimentary sunset cruise included in a two nights visit with us. Kindly note that for a three or more nights visit a complimentary sunset cruise as well as a three hour canoe excursion is included.

Zambezi Traveller Directory
Kiambi Safaris

Royal Zambezi during the green season

Experience the luxury of The Royal Zambezi during the green season - 4 nights for the price of 3

The Royal Zambezi Lodge is just half an hour flight from Lusaka or a short boat trip from Gwabi, situated on the mighty Zambezi River. It is a magical escape that offers the ultimate in comfort and luxury, at the same time as getting you up close with nature. Where luxury meets the wild.

The green season is a beautiful time to visit the lower Zambezi, the land is lush with plains covered in grasses and the foliage full and green. It’s a time when animals can make the most of abundant food to give birth to their young and the area is its most colourful.

For a limited time only we are offering 4 nights at the lodge for the price of 3 for bookings between 03 Jan to 30 March 2014. Please contact our reservations team today and quote "Zambezi Traveller".

New appointments at Bumi Hills

Home-Coming For Dardley Tafuruka and Catherine Norton

The Bumi team are delighted to welcome both Dardley and Catherine back to the fold. Zimbabwe-born and grown, they both in fact started out at Bumi and in the Kariba area, and have both been out of the country for many years enhancing their skills and learning to really understand the needs of foreign and regional clients.

Dardley Tafuruka, who is a Professional guide, and who has been in the industry for 20 years, who states “leadership, teamwork, training and communications” as vital to him, is a larger than life effervescent personality who creates an immediate impact when he walks into the room. He is well-spoken, and incredibly knowledgeable about wildlife. His passion and knowledge of wildlife and all creatures great and small, and the ability to relate to people from all over the world has been further enhanced in the other countries where he has worked for the past few years (such as Tanzania, Botswana - including the Delta - and Zambia)

Catherine Norton also started her career working at Bumi and in the Kariba area in the early 1980s – and also after being out of the country for several years, and having worked in the hospitality industry for many years, has returned home to Bumi! Catherine is a Food and Beverage specialist and is a personality of her own, she is witty and creative and this comes through in the choice of menus and cuisine creations and displays that come forth from the kitchen. Despite being a real lady (having attended Cheltenham Finishing School!) really knows how to get stuck in and ensure that that despite operating out of a kitchen miles from any shops and town, in the heart of the bush, delicious meals are produced and clients constantly marvel at what is produced and presented to them.

Both Dardley and Catherine are delighted to be home after many years, and we are delighted to have them and all the new ideas and skills they bring!

Zambezi Traveller Directory:
Bumi Hills Safari Lodge

A conflict of interests

Full extended version of an article from the latest Zambezi Traveller.

Lower Zambezi National Park is one of Africa’s most valuable and beautiful wildlife areas and a top ranking global tourist destination. This flagship park generates the third highest park revenues in Zambia through the wildlife/tourism industry, one of Zambia’s top three economic sectors. However, the future of the Park and its wildlife is uncertain.

In March 2011 a Large Scale Mining Licence for an area (245 km2 ) within the National Park, known as Kangaluwi. The 25 year licence was issued to Mwembeshi Resources Ltd, a subsidiary of an Australian listed company, Zambezi Resources Ltd. 

Zambian law requires submission and approval of an Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) before a licence is granted, but in this case the licence was granted first, on the condition an EIS was subsequently undertaken, an unusual step for such a contentious development in a nationally protected area.

Mwembeshi Resources subsequently submitted an EIS to the Zambia Environmental Management Agency. This was rejected by the Zambia Environmental Management Agency (ZEMA) in August 2012 after a series of public hearings, consultations, opposition and petitions by various stakeholders (Mining in Park thrown out ZT, December 2012).

In November 2012 Mwembeshi Resources made an appeal to the Minister of Lands, Natural Resources and Environmental Protection, the Hon Wilbur Simussa, MP. To date the Minister has not made an appeal decision.

In May industry media reported that the developer had provided additional information on the EIS to the Minister, which to date has not been made available to the public or stakeholders. Despite the absence of the appeal decision, Zambezi Resources has launched a $15 million recapitalization, apparently confident that the project will be approved.

In response to recent calls online and in national media from conservationists to petition against this development, the Minister has stated that “everyone can rest assured that there will be no shortcuts and no compromise with environmental standards whether the mine goes ahead or not”. He said the government was encouraging debate on how to handle the conflict between conservation and exploitation of natural resources. “Can mining and management of a game reserve be done at the same time in the same place? As pressure increases for the exploitation and extraction of minerals and other resources, we need to settle this question, especially that the conflict exists not only in the Lower Zambezi National Park but in other protected areas of Zambia where there are abundant minerals and other resources”. Simuusa also stated while government admitted that two fundamental requirements were overlooked when the mining licence was originally issued to the developers of the proposed mine, these matters were being addressed.

According to studies conducted by Zambezi Resources, the open-cast mining operation, which will have an operational footprint of 12.5 km2, will produce about 14,000 tonnes of copper concentrate per year over an initial 15 year period, as well as smaller amounts of gold, and the proposal also includes the option of developing local smelting and refining facilities.

Conservationists, NGOs and tour operators argue that allowing mining in the Lower Zambezi National Park will negatively affect the wider Park and set a dangerous precedent. An internationally important protected area intended to preserve critical ecological processes will be irreversibly damaged in return for short-term economic gain, as will the Park’s tourism industry and Zambia’s conservation reputation.

While the role of mining in Zambia’s national and local economic development is understood, concerned conservationists argue that mining should not be allowed in protected and ecologically sensitive areas such as the Lower Zambezi. As a unique and world-renowned ecosystem with immense long-term financial and ecological value to Zambia, the area deserves the highest level of protection for future generations.

Read more about the region in our destination guide:
Kariba & Middle Zambezi

Did you know you can download a pdf version of the current, and past issues, of the Zambezi Traveller online:
Zambezi Traveller Downloads