TRAVELTRAVEL ++ LEISURE LEISURE / JANUARY 2017 / JANUARY 2017 8987
BUSINESS AND
LEISURE HOTELS
IN ZAMBIA
T
HE land of the legendary walking
safaris Zambezi, attracts tourists
to the Victoria Falls—the country’s
tallest tourist attraction. More than twice
as high as Niagara Falls, the Victoria
Falls is considered one of the ‘Seven
Natural Wonders of the World’. Zambia
is enormously rich in natural wealth,
sprawling as it does three national
parks—Kafue, South Luangwa, and
Lower Zambezi. Shumba means ‘lion’
and Shumba Camp is the undisputed
titan of all of Zambia’s tented camps,
for this one comes with four-poster beds
and under-the-heavens outdoor stalls
for showers. Your luxury tent never
runs out of water but Zambia’s Busanga
Plains do, in dry season. They’re then
inundated with starved antelope, stalked
by large lusty lions. And Shumba Camp
zooms you in on a view to a kill. It seems
so close, you could stick your hand outand touch the drama, but you’d better
not unless you want to be the lions’
supper. It’s much wiser then, to live to
relish dinner theatre over camp feasts
cooked on open fi res and served up in
natty dining, and viewing decks from
where you descry besides migrating
antelope and the predatory lions—wild
dogs, a lonesome cheetah, even hippo
families, fatly cluttering the watering
holes. Elephant lovers head to Chobe
National Park which boasts the world’s
largest concentration of elephants.
Stay on a private island, actually two,
for the Islands of Siankaba Lodge,
with only seven chalets, straddles
two profusely jungled islands in the
Zambezi River. Their restaurant is
fabulous. Gorge on! But not too much
for there’s only a footbridge linking you
to civilisation and you don’t want to
feed yourself to the crocs.Zambia’s main airport is
KENNETH KAUNDA
INTERNATIONAL
AIRPORT (LUN),
located 14 kilometres
from the capital city,
Lusaka. From Lusaka,
you can book charter
planes or simply drive
between reserves.
zambiatourism.comHOW TO
GET THEREZambia
ROYAL LIVINGSTONE
Live it up at the Royal Livingstone
whose 17 colonial-style thatch-roof
buildings laze along the scenic
banks of the Zambezi river near
Victoria Falls. They’ve Victorian-
style baths and beds big enough for
Queen Victoria herself.
royal-livingstone.anantara.comTAJ PAMODZI HOTEL (vivanta.tajhotels.com)
In the heart of the business and
government district of Lusaka, the five-
star Taj property boasts 193 rooms and
suites, five meeting rooms including a
boardroom with theatre-style setting.TONGABEZI LODGE (tongabezi.com)
A quiet property on the banks of the
Zambezi River, this lodge is great for
business meetings in an informal, creative
environment around a bonfire, or for team
building exercises in an inspiring settting.THE RIVER CLUB (theriverclubafrica.com)
With a board room and conference area in
place, The River Club is ideal for business
travellers and corporate groups. Once you
wind up your workshops and meetings, go
for a team-bonding excursion.PROTEA HOTEL BY MARRIOTT LIVINGSTONE (marriott.com)
Laidback luxury and top notch service
make this a popular choice for group
travels. The hotel is a short drive from the
Harry Mwanga Nkumbula International
Airport, and offers shuttle services too.KANYEMBA LODGE (kanyemba.com)
A haven for professionals looking for a
break from their hectic schedules. It
comprises six stone and thatch ‘rondavel’
chalets, each with a private deck, full
en-suite bathroom, and walk-in wardrobe.COURTESY OF ROYAL LIVINGSTONE
This and below: Zambia’s colonial style luxury
at the Royal Livingstone by Anantara.