Zambia (1): Day Nineteen : Kafunta Bush Camp to Chichele Lodge

We left camp at 7.00 a.m., reluctant to leave such an idyllic spot, and headed back to the Kafunta main lodge, and then on to the nearby Chichele Presidential Lodge, after crossing back into the Park by pontoon, observing an abundance of wildlife along the way, the best sighting perhaps being a young elephant feeding from its mother (camera icon).

Chichele Lodge is approached from an open plain, and is situated in a superb location at the top of a hill. It was once the personal retreat of Zambian President Kenneth Kaunda, and has since been carefully restored to maintain its original grand colonial mansion style (camera icon).

It houses 10 elegant Victorian style bedrooms, each air-conditioned and with its own private terrace from which to view the game-rich valley and flood plain below. These luxurious bedrooms are impeccably furnished, with four-poster beds, seating area and polished floors (camera icon).

The bathroom has a shower, twin wash basins and a ball & claw bathtub, a welcome surprise in the middle of the Zambian bush. Elegant dining facilities, and an infinity pool complete the experience (camera icon).

Chichele was once stayed in, many years ago, by Queen Elizabeth and the Duke of Edinburgh, and one can only dream that one's own room is the same one occupied by the royal couple.

The time after lunch was simply spent out on the lodge's magnificent terrace and in the pool. From here it was possible to gaze out onto a huge plain down below, and to observe the developing pattern of wildlife movements. Nothing dramatic, like a lion kill, just the slowly unfolding progress of a herd of impala, and the steady feeding of a couple of elephants.

During an early evening game drive, we observed a lone vulture presiding over a hollowed out buffalo carcass (camera icon), lions feeding on a recent kill (camera icon), and, then, after sundowners, continued on an excellent night drive, spotting a bush baby, genet, civet and, just before returning to our base, achieving a marvellous leopard sighting (camera icon).

In fact on our transit to Chichele, and during our stay there, there was very little that we didn’t see: the whole area is just teeming with game - wild Africa at its finest..

Providing the tour operator has the nous to advise the lodge in advance, they will usually lay on a special celebration if it is a guest's birthday. This can range from a special champagne sundowner, which Chichele actually laid on for a guest while we were staying there ourselves, to a display of singing or dancing by a local troupe.

One evening, at a camp in Zambia’s Lower Zambezi National Park, it was announced that it was one young lady’s birthday, and a large cylindrical chocolate cake, beautifully iced, about five inches in diameter, was solemnly brought in, and she was invited to cut it.

In practice it wasn't all that easy, principally because it turned out to be a large dried-out elephant dropping – although beautifully iced, as we have said. She was then provided with a genuine cake, although somebody else had to be persuaded to cut it for her.

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