Munyamadzi
Bank in Durban

Munyamadzi Lodge, Luangwa Valley, Zambia.
Munyamadzi means ‘running water’ and is the name for the spectacular wildlife reserve on the banks of the Luangwa River.

The exclusive reserve is home to some of Zambia’s more impressive big game species and a large variety of birds, both resident and migratory. Despite the high tourism potential of the reserve, lack of infrastructure, high cost of charter planes and a low number of tourists to Zambia render it incredibly difficult to run a reserve and lodge solely based on income generated by recreational, non-consumptive tourism. As such, the Reserve has generated virtually all income since 2008 from sustainable trophy hunting conducted by the fully licensed Professional Hunter (who is also the reserve manager). Hunting is conducted below quota and the populations of all trophy species are monitored closely; all trophy-animal populations have increased substantially over the years. We employ a total of 30 staff from the local chiefdom, of which 17 are anti-poaching scouts. The 1 km long airstrip is just a 2-minute drive from the lodge and there is a good network of maintained roads. Workshop All lodge furniture is hand crafted by skilled carpenters in our bush workshop. Munyamadzi Game Reserve was acquired by the current owners in 2008 and has been successfully managed as a wildlife conservation area since. At the beginning of the venture wildlife populations were heavily depleted, having experienced high levels of poaching and extensive bush fires from adjacent local communities. Sightings of puku, impala and kudu have increased exponentially and we estimate populations have at least doubled. Our resident lion pride comprises at least 14 individuals on top of nomadic male coalitions that travel through the Reserve. Northern and southern borders are shared with other unfenced game reserves, with the West Petauke Game Management Area just over the Luangwa River to the west; to the east are the villages and farmlands of the Luembe Chiefdom. The Reserve incorporates dramatic escarpments and valley floor vistas crisscrossed by sandy streams and riverbeds, dotted with plains and woodlands. As a private reserve, Munyamadzi offers you an exclusive, remote experience in the home of the walking safari. The Luangwa River in Zambia is one of the biggest unaltered rivers in southern Africa and supports Africa’s largest population of hippos. The river generally floods in the rainy season and then falls considerably in the dry season. The upper and middle parts of the river valley contain North Luangwa and South Luangwa national parks, which are some of the finest in Africa. The river’s oxbow lakes and pools, an important source of water, also enhance the area’s biodiversity. In addition to hippos, elephants, giraffes, lions, leopards, hyenas, crocodiles, and zebras thrive in the wet season. During the rest of the year, the landscape becomes parched, hot, and dusty, sending animals into the bush in search of forage. The Luangwa River is one of the major tributaries of the Zambezi River, and one of the four biggest rivers of Zambia. The Luangwa rises in the Lilonda and Mafinga Hills in north-east Zambia at an elevation of around 1500m, near the border with Tanzania and Malawi, and flows in a southwesterly direction through a broad valley. In the dry season, the grazing land animals and their predators congregate near the river and pools, and are easily seen. The river meanders less, and the flood plain narrows.