Comprising just three stilted tree houses for a maximum of 6 guests, and located on the banks of the Luangwa River, Chamilandu is undoubtedly one of the most exclusive and picturesque of the Zambian walking safari bush camps.
Overview
Shaded by ebony trees, and boasting sweeping views of the river and beyond, Chamilandu is surrounded by a wealth of habitats, including riverine forest, woodland, oxbow lake and floodplain, which in turn attract a huge diversity of wildlife to the vicinity, and sometimes your doorstep! Crawshay’s zebra, impala, puku, waterbuck, kudu and even leopard are regularly seen.
Food & service
The main lodge building is enclosed on three sides by a short reed wall, and topped off with a high thatched roof, where fruit bats like to roost. Comprising a lounge, bar, small library and dining area, it’s spacious, comfortable and well-run. A campfire nearby is often the focus for breakfast, and later in the day becomes the gathering place for pre-dinner drinks and swapping travellers’ tales. Both the food and service are first class.
Rooms
Open from July to November, the thatched roof tree houses are the highlight of Chamilandu Camp. Raised on timber platforms, about 2 metres off the ground, each one is open-fronted, affording impressive vistas from the private deck and your bedroom too. Two of the tree houses have queen-sized twin beds, one has a king-sized double bed, and all come with an en-suite bathroom, which is also open-fronted and includes a flush toilet and large open shower (with the luxury of hot water), and with the bonus of more great views.
Activities
Chamilandu Camp also has its own hide, which overlooks one of the 7 nearby ox-bow lagoons, where guests can watch the abundance of wildlife, take afternoon tea or laze away the afternoon in a hammock. As with other bush camps, walking safaris are the focus here, but day and night wildlife drives are also on offer.
Impact
Conservation
Chamilandu Camp works both with the South Luangwa Conservation Society (SLCS) & North Luangwa Conservation Project (NLCP) to ensure that conservation efforts continue in the area. Individual educational and conservation programmes in the community are also run as part of a more sustained push for the preservation of the South Luangwa National Park.
To ensure the long term future of these essential projects the camp has introduced to their rates a donation of $10 per person per night to the ‘Luangwa Conservation & Community Fund’. The funds from this are then split evenly between conservation and community projects.
Community
The camp provides help to two local schools; Chiwawatala Basic School in Mfuwe and Chilongozi School in a remote area close to the camp. Since support began, the progress of the schools has been remarkable. With generous donations it has allowed for the sponsorship of pupils, teachers’ salaries to be covered, the construction of classrooms and staff houses, and provided the necessary means for the school children to have outings into the park on wildlife drives.