Discover Zambia’s hidden gem

Zambezi Grande guests can choose from many adventures and experiences. Aside from the usual safari experiences, the lodge offers fishing excursions in the great Zambezi River. Guests have the opportunity to see and catch the Tiger Fish and Vundu.

After the safari expeditions, guests can also unwind on the pool deck. It has a photo-worthy infinity swimming pool that looks out onto the river. They can also enjoy a sundowner river cruise or dinner, under the stars on a private island. It’s also fun to simply pass time watching the wildlife from the lodge’s terrace.

Authentic Zambia design

Previously a Cape Dutch-style homestead on the river banks, Zambezi Grande was meticulously designed to celebrate a bygone safari era. Michele Throssell Interiors recreated a vintage lodge amidst breathtaking natural surroundings. The interiors reflect the warm tones of its verdant setting.

Zambezi Grande sleeps just 20 guests with two room categories: Luxury Rooms and Superior Suites. Each offers unobstructed views of the Zambian wilderness in total privacy.

The five Superior Suites enjoy unique riverfront locations. Meanwhile the Luxury Rooms are perched high up in the wilderness. These rooms boast private verandas and inviting interiors.

Similar to La Esperanza Granada in Spain, local artisans produced much of Zambezi Grande’s furniture. The pillows and other soft furnishings are also made especially for the lodge. All the rooms at Zambezi Grande have a handmade drinks cabinet curated explicitly for each guest. Usually these are stocked with South Africa’s finest wines, local Zambian gin, and homemade fresh juices.

Sustainability in Zambia

Zambezi Grande protects the local community and preserves the natural beauty of the Lower Zambezi Valley. The lodge offers a sustainable income for households in the region and inspires local youth.

Guests can join the lodge’s Chengetai Tree Project. Chengetai, which means “to keep” or “to preserve” in the local Gova language. This epitomises the project’s ethos. To participate, guests can purchase and plant trees in the Muguramano or Chijata villages.. By slowing deforestation and desertification, the Chengetai Tree Project encourages environmental regeneration.

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Of the four lodges, Bush Lodge is the one most suitable for family safari experiences.

GETTING TO SABI SABI

The Pilatus jet flew from Johannesburg to the air strip of the private game reserve. In a little over an hour, we’d landed and our ranger Michael was driving us to Bush Lodge.

I knew this routine quite well as I’d already been at Sabi Sabi two years ago. I still remember how we’d seen giraffe and zebra from the airstrip. And from that instant, I’d become enamored with the safari experience.

Sabi Sabi Game Reserve

SEEING THE BIG 5 IN SOUTH AFRICA

This time, we were even luckier. Within the first 15 minutes, we’d seen the Big 5. And this was such a shock to us that even Michael could not contain his surprise. “We can go home now,” I’d teased him; for spotting the Big 5 is the ultimate objective of most safari goers.

But, of course, we were here to stay. A group of us had flown to Africa to bring our children on their first safari; and for this special trip, I’d chosen two famous game reserves within the world-famous Kruger National Park because they offered excellent programs for children.

THE SABI SABI SAFARI EXPERIENCE

The Sabi Sabi Game Reserve is considered one of the best safari experiences in the world. Among its four lodgings, Bush Lodge is the only one that accepts young visitors.

Bush Lodge is a sprawling contemporary camp with spacious and well-designed public facilities. It also includes a 1920s-inspired living room and a covered terrace where you can watch animals approach a watering hole.

There’s also a child-friendly dining restaurant that serves buffet meals. If the weather is fine, dinner is outdoors in an enclosed area with a big bonfire in the middle.

As with Sabi Sabi’s more intimate adults-only camps, service is conducted flawlessly. Additionally, you can always expect that friendly South African vibe.

FAMILY SAFARI EXPERIENCES AT SABI SABI

However, for families on safari, the piece de resistance of Bush Lodge is a large compound named the Elefun Center. This is probably the most well-equipped and best-maintained children’s center in a safari camp.

Complete with coloring books and personalized materials, it functions as a school, a daycare, and a creative place for young travelers. And it definitely offers parents significant and much-needed “me” time.

It also has its own dedicated “school” building, a secure outdoor play area and a large playground. And its walls are filled with the happy scribbles and colorful hand prints of the young travelers from all over the world.

CHILDREN ON SAFARI IN AFRICA

There is also a Junior Tracker program for children from ages 4 to 8, and the Junior Ranger program for ages 9 to 12. Bushveld-themed educational and entertainment activities can include specially-planned children’s game drives, games, contests, and walks and talks on animals, bugs and birds, tracking, and map-reading.

Children can be dropped off after breakfast for a morning session, and then again after lunch for an afternoon session, to be picked up just in time for the late afternoon game drives.

WONDER WOMAN AT WORK

When we were there, the Elefun Center was manned by an energetic young lady who taught the children to swing on a zipline, decorate bags, make animals out of paper cups, and even how to spell correctly.

Single-handedly, she ticked off everything on the wish list of the kids and their parents, with a good balance of age-appropriate children’s games, outdoor fun, crafts and school lessons.

Wild animals at the game reserve

The Elefun Center enables an excellent balance of activities for families, including enough time for mom and dad to relax, enjoy a leisurely afternoon tea or a morning of spa treatments between meals and drives.

This is exactly what I did, taking advantage of several free mornings to sample the offerings at the spa of Bush Lodge just before sitting down to a long lunch of salads and kebabs with everyone.

It’s a testament to the game reserve’s success that everyone in our group wanted to do a re-run next year – including the parents.

With the Elefun Center as an anchor – or more accurately, as a lifeline – we all realized that a safari with children need not be stressful after all. There were long faces everywhere as we reluctantly said “See you again soon” – not goodbye – to our new friends at the wonderful Sabi Sabi Game Reserve.

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The main camp of the MalaMala Game Reserve is the grand dame of safari camps. It’s South Africa’s oldest and most historical private game reserve.

ABOUT THE MALAMALA GAME RESERVE IN SOUTH AFRICA

Michael Rattray, founder of MalaMala, begun the concept of a luxury safari experience ahead of everyone else by improving on a safari camp established in 1927 by his father’s friend. This was in the 1960s, at a time when most other camps were nothing but tents and bush. Little has changed at the MalaMala Game Reserve in the Sabi Sands over the past decades.

“We’ve kept this lounge pretty much as is,” explained Greg Baldwin, MalaMala’s head ranger and our host for our stay, as we walked past a cavernous room done up with leather chairs and animal skins.

He added, as we stopped to inspect faded black-and-white photos of the camp on the walls, “If you look at these, you’ll find that much of it is still very recognisable.”

Each group of guests at the MalaMala Game Reserve is assigned a ranger who takes care of every detail of the stay, including menus, activities and transfers. We were lucky to be assigned their best man. In fact, Greg is probably the best ranger I’ve had in the 20 safaris I’ve done in Africa.

Greg was a master planner and also a mean 4WD driver, a great storyteller and a walking encyclopedia on everything in the bush.

STEEPED IN NOSTALGIA

Indeed, the camp layout is almost the same, as are the original cone-shaped lodgings from the 1930s. The structures have been rebuilt and upgraded since then. But the rooms and suites at the main camp nevertheless have simple native-inspired furniture and a comfortable old-fashioned atmosphere.

The bougainvillea trees that line the pathways provide a delightful shock of pink, when in bloom, to an otherwise typical green-and-brown safari landscape. These trees were planted by an English aristocrat back in 1935.

Meanwhile, adjacent to the lounge is what is perhaps the camp’s most famous room. The MalaMala bar is cozy, lined with vintage photos and its centerpiece is a masculine wooden counter made shiny from use.

This bar counter has been there ever since anyone can remember. It’s the venue of perhaps a thousand stories. In fact, it still has the old score board on the wall on which safari goers used to tally their animal sightings for the day over rounds of drinks before dinner.

IMPORTANCE OF WATER SOURCES IN A SAFARI LODGE

However MalaMala is not only big on history but also literally in size. With over 13,000 hectares to its name, it is South Africa’s largest Big Five private game reserve. Also, it enjoys the enviable asset of having a major river (and watering hole) running across it. This practically ensures the significant presence of animals on its property.

SAFARI FOR KIDS: ACTIVITIES AT MALA MALA

In South Africa for a family holiday, we’d thus chosen MalaMala because of its history, its size and for its tailor-made safari programs for children. MalaMala even prepares tuckboxes with chocolate chip cookies, candy and milk for the children to take on their game drives.

The Mala Mala Game Reserve in South Africa

ANIMAL TRACKING

Tutorials on following and identifying various animals in the wild via their spoor markings.

SURVIVOR CHALLENGE

Hands-on lessons on basic survival skills including water sourcing, plant identification and food foraging.

“READ” THE BUSH

Junior rangers are taught the warning signs of dangerous animals, and first aid skills for emergency situations in the bush.

GAME WALK

Learning more about the different rocks, trees, birds and nests in the wild via walks around the camp escorted by an armed ranger.

JUNIOR CHEFS IN THE WILD

The host ranger prepares a bush breakfast that enables children to learn how to make fire and how to prepare a meal outdoors.

RADIO COMMUNICATION ON SAFARI

Children are taught the skills and etiquette of radio communication, as practiced on drives and out in the bush by the MalaMala rangers.

Read about family fun at the Sabi Sabi Game Reserve in South Africa

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