Chiawa Camp, an Award-Winning Collection of Luxury Safari Camps in Zambia, Debuts Brand-New ‘Star Bed’ Tower and Star Drift Experience

WRITTEN BY 5 REASONS TO VISIT® EDITORIAL STAFF

PUBLISHED MARCH 2023 • 3 min read

When Chiawa Camp opens for the 2023 season on May 1st, it will debut a brand-new ‘Star Bed’ tower and Star Drift experience that combines a romantic and wild dinner adrift the Zambezi, and an open-to-the-skies sleep out experience. Sitting at 4 metres high, the ‘Star Bed’ tower’s design is inspired by nature with an earthy palette and local-made soft furnishings. It features a beautiful four poster Queen size bed with mosquito net, and a bathroom with roll top bathtub, wash basin and flushing toilet. Zambia has some of the richest wildlife viewing in Africa and the new experience promises to get guests closer to the action allowing them to totally immerse themselves in otherworldly surroundings. 

Source: Chiawa Collection

Located just downstream of the main camp, the tower is perfectly positioned on the banks of the Zambezi River, overlooking “Scout’s Hollow,” an inlet where all types of wildlife drink day and night. Guests will begin their evening aboard a near silent, custom built, stable pontoon boat, where a private dinner created by the imaginative camp chefs will be served to a soundtrack of the bush. On arrival at the tower, guests will find a bottle of champagne on ice and a freshly drawn bath.

The Star Drift experience includes:

• A 4 course dinner served whilst drifting on the Zambezi River 

• A night in the star bed tower where a bath will have been drawn and crisp bubbly on ice awaits before our guests can drift off to sleep

• After a night under the stars, coffee/tea and continental breakfast will be delivered at a wake-up time of your choosing.

  The Star Drift experience, with or without the floating dinner, is available at a surcharge of $400 per couple or single per night and should be reserved well in advance.

  From $1,205 (£998) per person per night (Shoulder season - May 01 - June 30 & October 16 - November 14) and from $1,635 (£1,354) per person per night (Peak Season July 01 – October 15). Including transfers between Jeki Airstrip and the camp, accommodation, all meals, beverages, daily laundry, professionally guided game viewing drives [day and night], bush walks (where guests are flexible with times and are willing to share with others), boat trips, angling and canoe trips (no under 12 years). Rates do not include a non-commissionable $120 Tourism Levy/DNPW Fees/Conservation & Carbon collection per person per night.

Source: Chiawa Collection

Sitting at 4 metres high, the ‘Star Bed’ tower’s design is inspired by nature with an earthy palette and local-made soft furnishings. It features a beautiful four poster Queen size bed with mosquito net, and a bathroom with rolltop bathtub, wash basin and flushing toilet. As dusk sets, the tower is lit by candlelight and next to each side of the bed is a red-filtered flashlight to view any nocturnal creatures (and a 2-way radio for just in case). The tower's ground floor is a superbly set up photographic hide, designed to give guests fabulous daytime photo opportunities in comfort.

Source: Chiawa Collection

Chiawa Camp, owned and operated by the Cumings family, is a multi-award-winning camp that was the first to open on the banks of the Zambezi River in the Lower Zambezi National Park in 1989. It offers guests considered luxury, the highest level of guiding, and a diverse range of activities; game drives to heart-stopping game walks as well as canoeing, boating and angling.

The camp’s eight tents and one safari suite, which all have spectacular views over the Zambezi River and its vast array of resident wildlife, have a completely refreshed look completed while the camp was closed in 2022 and have been upgraded in size (now 100m2), layout and decor. With a focus on being sensitive to the location, both in terms of look and materials, the safari tents offer the perfect blend of aesthetic, comfort, and function.

Source: Chiawa Collection

The canvas tents, which were sewn on site by experienced local tailors, have a large bedroom with super-king-sized bed, a lounge area with space for a third bed or bunk bed, an indoor/outdoor bathroom, and a huge sliding door opening onto a private terrace with their most unique feature - Chiawa Camp’s very own “bench wallow”. In cool weather this acts as a sunken lounge area and in hot weather, a plunge pool on demand that fills in just a couple of minutes. Aside from being a favorite place for guests, sustainably it makes sense. Traditional plunge pools require constant power and filtration over an eight-month safari season, while local weather means it’s usually only warm enough to use the pool for eight weeks during that season.

Source: Chiawa Collection

Across the tents and suite, and throughout the camp, the design is inspired by the bush, with earthy, neutral tones, tastefully curated collectibles, and photography that tells the story of the camp, its people, and the wildlife. Furniture is made by local craftspeople, bed throws are woven by a local women’s group, and statement lighting is designed by Lynsey Cumings and created locally. Dining at Chiawa Camp is often alfresco. The cuisine is Afro/Euro fusion and served either at the camp or sometimes in the bush but always prepared with the freshest of ingredients and with the utmost care. Menus and recipes have been developed and enhanced over time with a view to balance health, variety and some holiday indulgence. 

Chiawa Camp’s main priority is to protect the biodiversity of the Lower Zambezi by providing a safe refuge sustained by responsible safari operations. This goal has to a great extent been achieved by the charity Conservation Lower Zambezi in which Chiawa’s owners are active executive & board members. They annually commit 100’s of man-hours of their personal time and as well as a large portion of the camp’s revenue in supporting the conservation activities of CLZ.

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