Dear all!
Our second newsletter of the season is all about the splendid professional photos taken by Patrick Bentley to showcase the "new Kafunta". Join us on a full tour of the property!
Or scroll further down to meet our new bush camp managers Stephan Joubert and David Pugh, and look at some stunning wildlife photos taken by our guests.
The "NEW" Kafunta River Lodge
When we say new we only mean new in style because the perfect location, the layout, the staff, the service and the overall experience is just the same! We’ve just given it a fresher look with an extended lounge and new walls and floors. These areal photos show the central area and the spacious deck englobing the pool and going all the way down to the dining decks.
The outside walls of the guest chalets were plastered with natural bush colours, for a much softer feel.
There is now plenty of seating in the bar and lounge area, with different but harmonious styles.
Local art and various items of decoration were sourced locally.
The hues are soft and welcoming.
The two Luxury Suiteshave new walls as well but it is their interior that should really blow you away.
They have a large sleeping area downstairs with a double bed, a sitting area and an extensive terrace, and the upstairs deck was partly closed in to include a comfortable lounge which can be turned into one or two additional beds to accommodate up to 4 guests in total.
There is a surprising sense of space and comfort.
Upstairs loft with day beds
Renovated bathroom
And upstairs loggia
We kept the stand-alone bathtub!
The eight Standard Chalets have new floors and new soft furnishing, providing more light into the room and a more pleasant atmosphere. The bathrooms were also upgraded.
The best news about this widespread and stylish renovation is that it won’t affect our pricing at all! Our 2020 rates are available online and even if there is a slight increase compared to this year, it is due to raising Zambian taxes and other levies rather than a greedy and premeditated escalation.
Our rates remain below average, offering enormous value for our main lodge as well as our remote bush camps while delivering a guest experience that rivals other properties in the Luangwa Valley charging, in cases, more than twice our rates.
No wonder we are often labelled as the best value safari company in Zambia!
Of course we want to thank Patrick Bentley for his stunning images.
Patrick is a world -acclaimed nature photographer, born and raised in Zambia who recently published a beautiful fine art book about the Luangwa Valley featuring a selection of his best black & white photos.
TIMELESSpresents images of the iconic wild animals of this valley, while contributing to their protection. A $20 donation per book sold goes straight to Conservation South Luangwa, therefore joining the efforts of preservation of this pristine area.
A word about the photographer…
Our Bush Camps are now open!
Warm welcome to our new Camp Managers
Dave Pugh Three Rivers Camp
Dave was born in Nairobi (Kenya) and grew up in the UK. From an early age he’s always been fascinated by the great outdoors and the natural world. At 27 he decided to leave his job as a Bar manager in London and to head to South Africa to take part in a wildlife research volunteer program.
It’s fair to say he’s never looked back! Enamored with the sights, sounds and life of the bush he knew he didn’t want to be anywhere else. After passing his Field Guide training, he worked in Botswana as camp manager and for the next 3 years explored east Africa, Kenya, Tanzania and Malawi before returning to South Africa where he set his own business for 5 years.
A keen wildlife photographer and sports enthusiast, Dave now spent over 10 years in Africa and the bush is the one place he’s felt most at home.
Stephan Joubert Island Bush Camp
Stephan was born and raised in the northern part of Kwazulu Natal (South Africa), and grew up on the family farm.
From a young age he appreciated the outdoors and respected what it has to offer. After studying tourism and psychology, he lived and worked in England for 5 years managing all sorts of major sporting and social events. He returned to South Africa to work in a large restaurant as a senior kitchen manager for several years, but longed for the outdoors, the peace and quiet, and the quality of life that only being in nature can offer. He switched to a boutique hotel in the Drakensberg on a nature reserve, where he was the General Manager.
For Stephan, being close to nature is the most important thing. He’ll happily tell you what his two most important life lessons are: to make time to stop and smell the roses (or whatever flower the bush has to offer!), and appreciate the moment you find yourself in. And secondly, when in doubt you must light the fire and have a braai.
Ready for some wildlife photos?
Courtney, our Hospitality Manager at Kafunta River Lodge, tries to jump on game drives when time allows, and I hope she will get many opportunities so that we can share her photos through the season.
I also have to sort through the first 2019 photos from our guests, so in the meantime I’m sharing some incredible photos taken by Benoit Feron who was with us for 10 nights last October and November leading a group of 6 amateur photographers . I’ve also asked Benoit a few questions about his safari.
Bonjour Benoit, tell us more about yourself! I am a Belgian photographer living in Brussels. I am a lawyer but photography is my second life, to which I devote more and more time and for which I travel regularly.
I lead groups for photography workshops, usually twice a year. I go to Kenya, Botswana and last year, for the first time, Zambia. This year I will add Namibia.
Was this your first time in South Luangwa? Yes, it was my first trip to South Luangwa. I booked through Eric LeGo of Let’s Go Travel (France), a regular of Kafunta Safaris and who told me a lot of good things about it.
What is your focus when you lead these groups, what are you after especially?
When leading groups, I try to teach people the basic principles of photography, which a lot of people do not know, as they work in full automatic mode. The goal is really to show them that by understanding what they do, they will fastly improve the quality of their shots.
Besides that, I try to share my passion for Africa and my knowledge of wildlife, to explain the way the different species conduct, I try to anticipate what will happen so that clients will the best of it… A lot of beginners are obsessed with cats, want to move quickly… I try to teach them patience and to show them that you need to slowly observe and understand the nature and the savannah and that, in doing that, you will see things that you would not catch if you moving all the time.
What was the best sighting or experience on this trip?
We had the chance to observe a pack of 21 wild dogs. They were sleepy however so some people, after a few minutes, wanted to leave. I encouraged them to wait (it is always a risk) and 30 minutes later, the dogs moved and we could follow them when they hunted (with success) a family of warthogs.
Do you think you will visit again?
Yes, certainly. The lodge is very beautiful and very well located, in front of this huge body of water full of wildlife. The scenery is spectacular.
You can learn more about Benoit on his website.
Make sure to send me your own photos taken while on safari with us, so that I can share them in our newsletters and social media. Without your photos our newsletters wouldn’t be so successful!
On this note, I hope June will bring plenty of great sightings and fun content to share with you next month.
Cheers for now!
Izzy
Kafunta Safaris
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
Kafunta Safaris
Mfuwe, South Luangwa, Zambia
