Extraordinary Africa>Zambia>Kafue>Shumba
Beautiful Shumba is one of Zambia’s most luxurious safari camps, with vast airy rooms and a sense of serious remoteness.
What’s Shumba really like?
You feel special from the moment you arrive at Shumba, whizzing in from the airstrip by helicopter. The whole camp is raised up on stilts above the Busanga floodplain, meaning that you have phenomenal views from almost everywhere in camp. And so do the lions, who occasionally find the seats around the firepit far more comfortable than lying on the ground!
The buildings at Shumba are long and low wooden structures with plenty of spots to perch with a book, a bar serving cold G & Ts and a pool that looked enticing, but was too chilly to test out when we visited. Boardwalks lead from here to the six vast rooms, one of which is set up as a family suite. There’s plenty of space to stretch out in, both indoor and outdoor showers, and a small deck where you can enjoy the views or a little late night stargazing. In all, we found this a stylish and very comfortable camp, and we were touched by the friendliness of the staff when we visited.
What can I do at Shumba?
Game drives are the main activity from Shumba when we visited we had good sightings of predators -cheetahs are a particular highlight here- however it would be fair to say we probably didn’t see the same volume of animals as we have elsewhere in Zambia. Birding was really excellent and a great treat of this part of Kafue are the hot air balloon safaris– generally available from August-October. Depending on how long you are staying for there may be an extra charge for this. Earlier on in the season, while the flood waters are still high, it’s also possible to do mokoro trips through the floodplains- a wonderfully gentle way to explore and notice the smaller side of life.
Giving back at Shumba:
The owners of Shumba help to provide financial and logistical support for game rangers and anti-poaching operations in Kafue, as well as backing the Kafue Lion Project. The camp attempts to minimise energy use by using solar panels alongside generators.
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