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| Dear ATC Readers,
July is already behind us, which means we are well into the second half of our 2017 season, it’s amazing how quickly it is all going.
Anke, Ron & Luke were here for a couple of weeks, while Luke was on school break. He has now only one semester to go and he will be finished with his secondary school level.
The Cowans brought with them some friends from Australia as well as Anke’s parents from Germany. Lots of fun for all! |
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| Anke & Jane |
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| Anke and her parents |
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| Luke and the Luangwa River |
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| Family & friends on a walk |
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| Three Rivers Camp |
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| As the novelty this year, Three Rivers Camp has been very busy, with new and return guests, travel agents and even fellow local safari operators such as Emma Robinson (Lion Camp) who came for a short visit, and great snapshots. |
| Three Rivers is the perfect camp to relax and absorb the surroundings. Stay in for sunset, which is really stunning there over the Luangwa River, and sleep in a bit later, especially out on the sleep out, to enjoy the sun rise. It makes for a nice change from the busy routine of safari. |
| Island Bush Camp |
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| Island Bush Camp remains a favorite for our guests, who enjoy the simplicity of the layout, and the genuine companionship of our camp manager Eugene and our dedicated staff. |
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| Eugene in one of the chalets |
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| and on the kitchen radio |
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| Chintu, the bush master Chef! |
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| Dining area |
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| Bush kitchen |
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| One of the chalets |
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| Kudos to Beard! |
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| Bush camps mean remote areas, and to get there we need roads. As we are the sole operator in that part of the National park, we have to rely on our own grading in order to provide smooth transfers and game drive loops. This is all done by our grader driver, Beard. It’s really hard work, sitting in the sun all day on that heavy machine, and Beard has been doing this since May! Big kudos and thank you to him. |
| Be our guests! Walter & Barbara Hörmann
Walter & Barbara visited us from Austria this past July for a total of 7 nights, combining all three properties. In their luggage (or I should say in the many shipping boxes) they also brought a LOT of supplies, both for the Mfuwe Junior Soccer League as well as for Project Luangwa.
For our football fans out there, Walter was a pro football player with selections in the Austrian national team. After his active career, he went on to coach national teams of Austria, Switzerland and Liechtenstein. Now he is a Sport Director in the Austrian sport department, lookout out for young talents. His support for our local football stars will go a long way (see below)!
Walter & Barbara were the perfect match for our "guests of the month" feature, and I hope that you will feel the emotion and energy coming from them while reading their interview. |
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Was this your first trip to Africa?
I (Barbara) was in Africa before: Botswana, Victoria Falls, Zimbabwe, Namibia,.. but the best, Luangwa, I wanted to do together with Walter for whom it is the first time in Africa. He did not have much time to travel in his active career as player or trainer since soccer is played almost all around the year- just two weeks off. |
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Why did you choose South Luangwa & Kafunta?
We wanted to get a glimpse of the real untouched africa , nature and animals, to get some quality time out and a real relaxation. I saw BBC blue planet, national geographic films and in Austria the documentary "Universum" and from time to time there were some reports and movies from / about Luangwa Valley.It was fascinating! Being here and seeing it all live we can honestly say that it is even better, much much better, than the best documentary on Tv!
We chose Kafunta because the first email contact (with Izzy) was great. Very fast , professional, friendly with a personal touch. She planted a seed in my dreams. Then i checked photos on the web, guest reviews, homepage,..everything was perfect. Final decision was the eco friendly philosophy and the supporting of project luangwa and the young boys in the soccer league which gave my husband the kick to choose exactly this lodge-Kafunta. |
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You experienced our three properties. What did you enjoy about each one?
All three lodges are really great and are different !
We are happy that we have been to all three and if we come again we will do all three again. Kafunta is luxury, best to start and end the safari, many animals , wonderful team, great healthy food, hot spring and pool are superb and so is watching of the animals near the magic Luangwa,.. postcard-sunsets,… time passes too fast here and we have to come back to enjoy the different places like the wildlife hide, the tree deck, the gym and the spa.
Island Bush camp has a super nice team, really -Eugene and his team are just great!!! Perfect sunsets, time to sit near the fire, listen to the hippos day and night, very good food (as in all the 3 lodges). We felt very comfortable and a bit like Robinson Crusoe (or should i say David Livingstone) if you know what i mean : basic adventurous romantic luxury !
The walking safari is a highlight and adrenaline. |
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Three river lodge is for us a piece of art!!! Such great design of a "tent"!!! The incredible luxury of having an indoor and outdoor shower, an indoor sleeping room as well as the possibility to sleep under the stars!!! Watching the stars and the milky way lying in a super comfortable bed even with a hot water bottle near the toes and listening to the roaring of the lion.
We will never forget these moments. There, we took time out from safaris and enjoyed the great architecture of our tented house!!! Incredible sunset at the riverbank!!! Less animals? No problem -this gives time to relax , read and enjoy the quietness and pureness!!! For a change we were not active – we sat still and the animals passed our house. |
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Which animals did you enjoy most?
We both enjoyed the hippos the most!!! They made us happy from the moment we woke up until when we went to sleep and also during our dreams. They were with us in all of the three lodges.
But of course we were also super impressed by lions and leopards, their elegance and royalty. It would not be a satisfying safari if we don’t see them, but Luangwa is satisfying and offers a PERFECT safari. |
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Was there anything that made you nervous in the African bush?
We never felt nervous at all. We had enough confidence and 100% trust in our super professional guides!!!
Walter had a bit of anxiety towards the animals before we left for Africa, not having experienced anything like it before, but all the fear was blown away as soon we arrived. Francis, a lovely gentleman, picked us up from the airport (our first contact with Kafunta staff), he did a super good job by giving us the first introduction about Mfuwe area, its people and scenery. |
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Thank you for bringing so much supplies/donations to the Mfuwe football league and also Project Luangwa! Tell us how this idea came to send sport supplies and why you wanted to support Mfuwe.
When we read that Kafunta was involved in soccer league and supporting project luangwa – this was the final click why we chose Kafunta. We felt connected with the Kafunta team by the same philosophy and spirit. We cannot change the whole world but we can do our part (for a better world) The children are our future . So we told ourselves if we go there we won’t come with empty hands. With Wilson, we found the perfect man concerning the soccer and Mfuwe football league. And so is Karen for Project Luangwa . I read and searched about it on the internet and I had a really good feeling. We can never do a charity successfully, if there is not someone on the other side we can trust! |
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Everything was perfect, everything arrived, everybody was happy and every cent from the charity reached its final destination!!!
Walter, he loves to see kids playing soccer, it makes him happy to look into their faces and see them smiling. It makes him happy if he shares his love for soccer!! We talk a lot about the afternoon we spent at the school’s football field.
Walter and Wilson were a perfect match, talking about soccer and watching the boys playing barefoot, on normal ground, no goal-net or lines, no fighting or arguing – just fair play and with full enthusiasm! It reminded Walter of his childhood , everything he wanted to do was playing soccer, nothing could stop him and he did it. All his life he played soccer or was trainer or sports director – until now. |
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| Walter & I also want thank the STEIR FUßBALLVERBAND , to STURM GRAZ , to SPAR and to all the customers from ETHNOTHEK SCHMUCK who gave donations!!! Without them it would not have been possible!
So now- we feel very attached to the Mfuwe-team, to the Allstars (Malambo United) , to the juniors and to the school kids and we have to come back!!! |
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Anything else you would like to share?
I recommend everybody to do a charity or donation how small or big it is , it doesn’t matter! You will look into happy eyes and you will never forget this moment!!!
This makes it to a win-win situation!!! The holiday is no longer just a holiday, it has got a certain bond and spirit, and so is Kafunta: it is the lodge with spirit on the riverbanks of the magic Luangwa, a bridge for tourists, locals and animals to meet
I dreamed about this place and it became reality,
a paradise on earth,
where human meets animals – in harmony and peace-
where nature is in balance and time stands still!!! |
| From all of us at Kafunta Safaris, Mfuwe Junior Football League and Project Luangwa – it is our turn to say thank you to Barbara and Walter. Living and working in the valley is not always easy, but guests like YOU make all the difference and give value to our work. |
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Just a side note on the Junior football league. There are currently 3 leagues covering the entire Luangwa Valley, from Kakumbi to Nsefu. 10 teams in Under 12-boys and 10 teams in Under 15-boys as well as 10 teams in Under 15-girls. The kids compete amongst themselves, and the best talents are selected to be part of the ALL STARS – Malambo United team, itself part of the Luangwa Safari League. This particular team plays in the larger province and in Lusaka, and the players are exposed to national and international games.
More recently Emmanuel Mphasi was selected to be a goal-keeper for the Under-17 Zambian National Team (Junior Chipolopolos)!!
You can imagine the future of boys like Emmanuel, going from playing barefoot on a dirt field in rural areas, to the stadiums of foreign countries, wearing the colours of their country.
Walter Hörmann (and the Austrian sport department) brought full competition uniforms, with the Malambo United logo for the entire team. Along with 30 training outfits, shoes and professional soccer balls like the kids have never seen before. |
| In the Spotlight – Stephan Tüngler
My apologies if you found this a bit long but I thought it was well worth the share!
Now onto more wildlife excitements with these few pictures from professional photographer Stephan Tüngler who visits us every year, along with the participants of his photographic workshop.
Stephan is taking bookings for next year already (June 2018), you can check his program here: In Afrika |
| From the Sky!
Before letting you go back to your busy day, I also wanted to say thank you to Mario Oltmann, who was a volunteer with us for the past month. Mario studies agriculture in Germany and was busy in the vegetable garden these past weeks. He was also a great help in general maintenance and workshop.
In his "toolbox", he had also brought a sophisticated drone and got us some excellent video footage of our camps seen from the sky. Below are just a few stills for you to enjoy, while we finish working on the video material. |
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| Three Rivers Camp & the Luangwa River |
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| Island Bush Camp |
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| Kafunta River Lodge |
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| Three Rivers camp & the Chindeni Hills in the background |
| Chat again in August!
I’m saving lots more for next month, I love this time of year when I have so much to cover that I’m running out of space!
And I know August will be busy too, so stay tuned for more.
Of course don’t forget to send me your favorite shots, they will find their place in one of our newsletters, or on social media.
Thank you !
Izzy
Kafunta Safaris |
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Kafunta Safaris, Box 83, Mfuwe, Zambia |
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