Kaingu Safari Lodge is located in a remote and wild area of Zambia, on the banks of the Kafue River. Although you most certainly feel like you are in the Kafue National Park, Kaingu is actually situated in the Namwala Game Management Area (GMA) on a breath taking stretch of the Kafue River, approximately 400 kilometres north of the world famous Victoria Falls. The Lodge can be accessed by either road transfers (which take 4 ½ hours from Lusaka) or a 7-8 hour drive from Livingstone. The alternative would be to charter a flight to the nearby Chunga Airstrip, which is only an hour from the lodge. Daily excursions to the Kafue National Park are made via a scenic boat transfer, which only takes 10 minutes and offers guests the perfect opportunity to view the abundant bird-life, including Pel’s Fishing owls, on their way.
Kaingu prides itself on being “built with minimal impact to the environment and run by the owners in an eco and socially sustainable manner.” The main entertainment area consists of a thatched building with a bar and 2 lounge areas overlooking the deck nestled in amongst the trees on the river bank. There is a curio shop near the reception area.
Kaingu Safari Lodge has 3 different types of accommodation:
- 6 x en-suite tented chalets (3 x double & 3 x twin)
- 1 x en-suite family house (1 x double, 1 x twin; all en-suite; extra beds available)
- 3 x private camping sites
Tented Chalets
All of these Meru-style tents are raised on wooden decks on the banks of the river. Each en-suite with bathroom, indoor shower, toilet, basin and an open-air shower. The “Honeymoon-tent” also has an outside bath. Water is heated by individual gas boilers or solar geysers. The tents have additional thatching over the tented roof to provide extra cooling, as well as to blend in with the bush. There are gauze screen entrances/doors and windows and mosquito netting over the beds. Next to the double or twin beds there are solar powered bedside tables with lights and solar fans but there are no charging stations in the rooms – this can be done at the main lodge entertainment area. The water is not safe to drink out of the taps, so a flask with filtered drinking water is provided in each room, with top ups available from the bar.
Family House (Fin Foot)
The family house named “Fin foot” after one of the local water birds, is located to the far right of the lodge, offering families or groups a bit more privacy and space. Fin foot consists of 2 bedrooms (one queen and one twin room), both with en-suite bathrooms and outside shower. There is a central open plan lounge area with small kitchenette, dining is usually done on the private deck overlooking the river. Like the Tented Chalets, Fin Foot has additional thatching over the tented roof to provide extra cooling, as well as gauze screen entrances/doors and windows and mosquito netting over the beds. The water here is heated by individual gas geysers, and like the tented chalets, drinking water will be provided as it’s not safe to drink from the taps.
Camping
Kaingu also has three well shaded private camp sites available along the river front. Sites 1 & 2 are situated quite close to the lodge and near the start of the small rapids in the river. Although the 2 sites are close to one another, they are still private and each site has its own shower and toilet block as well as washing-up areas and a thatched shelter. Hot water is supplied by donkey boiler and a camp-site attendant looks after the hot water, supplies firewood and removes trash. Firewood is included in the daily rate. The 3rd camp-site is located considerably further away, below the rapids (about 650m) and is therefore popular for those who want extra privacy. Please note there are no power charging points at any of the camp sites.
**Tonga Tree Basket
Kaingu offers this unique seasonal night time outing for guests that want to experience something very different. Constructed from local Muchinga, these platforms are set up in the trees on a certain part of the river, away from the lodge, giving you an out of this world experience being in touch with nature. You can either be left on your own, have a guide stay nearby, or have a small group of up to 6 people. FYI there is a “bucket” toilet in the “basket room” as well as an ash-pit drum toilet on the bank.
What stands out at Kiangu is that this is an owner run lodge which provides special attention to detail. For example, each of the rooms has been decorated individually, and is therefore completely different to the one next door, giving each guest their own distinctive experience and memories.
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