Chaminuka Game Reserve—A European Man’s Dream in Africa!
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Some of the best things in life happen by pure chance.
Before visiting Chaminuka Game Reserve, I was utterly unaware of its existence. I had never heard of this place before and I did not know what to expect from it.
Perhaps not knowing it was a blessing in disguise since I did not have any expectations.
Hence Chaminuka Game Reserve was revealed to us in its pristine form, untainted by reviews and bad publicity. It was up to me to form my opinion about what I saw and experienced there.
We had initially planned to go to Lusaka National Park but fate had it otherwise.
On Monday, March 10th, as we were about to set off, my husband had an unexpected call from a Zambian colleague. The latter recommended Chaminuka Game Reserve and we quickly changed our plans. I am glad we did because what we saw there blew our minds!
Hurriedly, we called the reserve and promptly made arrangements to visit it. We took the day trip which comprised many activities ranging from cheese and wine tasting, buffet lunch, boat cruise, bush walk and horse riding.
The package cost us 1,850 Kwachas each which is about 130 US dollars in total. We thought that it was a fair deal considering the number of activities that were available! They even offered to pick us up in Lusaka and drive us back after we were done for a fee, of course. We declined this offer because we had already booked a driver who drove us there safe and sound.
The reserve lies about 42 km away from Lusaka, the capital city of Zambia. If you are at the Kenneth Kaunda International Airport, you just need to cover half the distance to reach the lodge. The last 13 km of the road is untarmacked and this makes for an uncomfortable bumpy ride. It took us about 1 and 1/2 hours to get there from the heart of Lusaka.
Eventually, we reached our destination! As we made our way to the reception, the image of a Japanese lady all dressed in white drew our attention. We also saw a safari car coming back from one of its expeditions. We thought that this was the perfect teaser for what was about to come!
The staff at the reception were very professional and tech-savvy. They quickly organised the day activities for us. We paid the fees by credit card. Soon, we were on our way to partake in our first activity: wine and cheese tasting.
We drove to their farm where they produce the cheese on site. There, we were impressed by both the organisation and the way the Chaminuka Game Reserve staff knew their stuff. We also saw many domestic animals such as chickens, goats, sheep and cows.
We were given samples of young and aged cheese in a ceremonial way during the cheese tasting. It was surreal to sit in this grotte-like structure and savour feta, goat, gouda, cheddar, halloumi and mozzarella cheese, just to mention a few. This really felt like a luxurious experience since we were just the two of us.
The cherry on the cake was when we tasted two different types of coffee, caffeinated and decaffeinated. It was truly a pleasant experience that we recommend to everyone. By the way, the cheese and coffee are sold in the Kaposhi Shop which you see on your way to the Chaminuka Game Reserve.
During this wine tasting, we learnt more about the founder of this place: Andrew Sardanis, an immigrant from Cyprus. A few Google searches taught me more about this Cypriot. He had been a fierce fighter for Zambian independence from colonial powers and had played key roles in successive independent governments in Zambia.
Chaminuka Lodge had been his private retreat before he established it as a game reserve in 1979. Sardanis died in 2021 at the age of 89 and is survived by his wife Danae, children and grandchildren. We actually saw Danae quietly having lunch at the lodge.
The employees we talked to seemed to have a profound respect for the Sardanis couple. Most of the workers were young men and lived on the premises, far from their homes. They seemed to be self-motivated and knew what they were doing and did their job with unfeigned pride. It was inspirational to see them carry the dream of Andrew Sardanis and his Chaminuka Game Reserve.
I wondered what Andrew Sardanis’s influence had been like on these men and women. They seemed to share his dream. They were living relics of one’s man’s desire to create something new from scratch and see it rise to maturity. From what I saw, it was easy to see how Sardanis had been a torchbearer with a goal greater than himself.
There are places one earth that leave you a long-lasting feeling of admiration and even awe. These are places that remind you that there is magic in the realm of imagination.
These places leave you with so many unanswered questions and an overwhelming sense of wonder. How can this be the fruit of one man’s dreams? How can the seeds of one’s burning desire germinate into a lifelong private venture providing employment for hundreds of people at Chaminuka Game Reserve?
At the buffet lunch which was organised facing the lodge’s swimming pool and a magnificent lake in the distance, we had a choice of grilled meats, some of it bush meat. It was really delicious and this is where we saw Mrs Sardanis, sipping her glass of white wine. She was the embodiment of peace and relaxation and seemed to be one with the surroundings.
After we were sated, we hopped onto the car once again and headed towards the bush for the game drive. 4 000 hectares is the size of this private game reserve so it is truly a game of chance to spot the wild animals.
We started off with impalas, apparently the McDonald’s of the wilderness, because of the ‘M’ like shape on their hinds. They are also generally considered to be easy prey, therefore ‘fast food’ to predators in the savannahs. The impalas were in large numbers indeed and it was easy to spot them.
Then we saw the two cheetahs and some lions who were sadly caged. Visitors could take photos with the cheetahs for an extra fee. The lions live in an enclosed area where guides do not have access to. We were lucky to spot them on this day and it was easy to understand why these animals are thought to be kings of the jungle.
Later on we saw some baboons happily jumping from one tree to another. It is always such an amusing spectacle to see these creatures. Freedom is one word to characterise them.
The game drive at Chaminuka Game Reserve lasted two hours and we were able to see elephants, elands, blue wildebeests, ostriches and many other bird species. On luckier days you can admire zebras, giraffes, spotted hyenas, warthogs and many other animals. We would later see these animals in another African country. Can you guess where this country is?
All things considered, the game drive was worth our time. It was exhilarating to go through the Miombo woodlands and savannah and just be part of everything.
Unfortunately, we did not have time to do the horse riding and bush walk because we were already running late.
We wrapped up the day with a boat cruise where we learnt more about Chaminuka. This was time to relax and take in all what the surroundings had to offer.
The guide was very friendly and knowledgeable. He told us about the existence of venomous snakes that lurked in the man-made lake.
Finally, we did a short tour of the lake and headed back to the lodge. This was a nice way to end the trip.
Thank you Chaminuka Game Reserve!
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Further Exploration: Chaminuka Game Reserve (Zambia🇿🇲)—The Power of One Man’s Dreams! The Perfect Getaway for Couples! (Level A2-B1-B2)
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More about Chaminuka Game Reserve:
- Chaminuka Game Reserve seen by Chipo
- More about Chaminuka Game Reserve by Zambia Tourism
- Detailed description of activities that you can do there
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About the Author
Thandi Ngwira Gatignol is the founder of Learn English With Africa. She was born on June 11th, 1981 in Blantyre, Malawi. When she was 19, she left her country of birth for France. She currently lives with her two daughters and husband in Poland.
Thandi holds a Bachelor’s degree in English studies obtained at the Université Paris X Nanterre in France and a Certificate in Journalism from Malawi. She has taught English as a French Ministry of Education certified teacher both in France and in Poland. She speaks six languages fluently, including French, Polish and Italian. She is now learning Kiswahili, German and Spanish. Salt No More is her debut novel and you can find her other books here on the website or on Amazon.
Blog Title: Chaminuka Game Reserve (Zambia🇿🇲)—The Power of One Man’s Dreams! The Perfect Getaway for Couples! (Level A2-B1-B2) © Learn English With Africa, September 2024
