In 2022 two highly anticipated family-owned, and operated lifestyle safari properties opened in Zambia. A passion for Africa and each family member’s unique set of skills have wrought Sungani - to keep or conserve - Lodge and Kulandila – to welcome - Camp. Transforming this very inaccessible area of the South Luangwa National Park into something quite extraordinary. When our family first reached this place, the logistics were overwhelming. It had been written off as “too challenging, too remote.”
Then we felt the magic. From extraordinary wildlife encounters to vast untouched tracts of wilderness, we offer you the ability to disconnect in order to reconnect with yourself and with nature. To get to know the wonderful, warm Zambian people: their heritage and culture. The build started in early 2019 with a clear mission to preserve the area. To create a home that worked within nature, a space for the family to unite their collective love for the bush and share it with others.
As the Luangwa flows further south through the National Park past Mfuwe and down to the southern reaches of the park you will find the Lusangazi sector. Here you will find yourself in the remote and exclusive paradise that is Sungani Lodge and Kulanidla Camp.
Commitment to Wildlife
The initial and implicit impact of the properties revolves around the fact there is now a presence in an area that had for many years been inaccessible. To assist with anti-poaching efforts is top of the priority list.
Just over four years in, the reduced incidence of poaching due to improved accessibility and being able to assist anti-poaching partners with deployment and support is the most profound and measurable impact. When we first arrived here even the impala scattered ... they now graze peacefully all around. The wildlife and habitat they live in will always be the priority. This area is surrounded by life and the animals have come back knowing they are safe.
The commitment is all-encompassing and never-ending, playing our small part in ensuring we are all the beneficiaries of a better world. Along with our partners in conservation, namely Conservation South Luangwa, Zambian Carnivore Programme and Department of National Parks and Wildlife, we are responsible for projects that will make a tangible difference for generations to come. Demonstrating through our actions that if we touch the earth gently and with respect, we will all pass on a better future for the people, flora and fauna of one of the few remaining places of natural wonder.
Commitment to the Local Community
We arrived at the sites with old ruins and reused what we could and safely recycled what we could not. Most of what you see has been completely built from scratch and custom-designed by us as a family.
Employing people from the local community was an integral part of our project. We didn’t outsource the building to an external company, we wanted to use local people... Zambian people. Sungani Lodge and Kulandila Camp were built by local building contractors, plumbers, carpenters, and electricians alongside a group of enthusiastic young men from our local communities. Many had limited experience and for some, it was their very first job. 85% of our workforce have been with us since the beginning and now form a core part of our front/back of house teams.
The focus at both properties is understated gentle luxury. We really wanted to create a space that is in keeping with our surroundings but feels considered, romantic and real Africa. A space where slow safari becomes a real thing. At Sungani and Kulandila we encourage guests to ‘safari’ at their own pace.
“When you choose to stay with us, it is less about excess and more about old fashioned personal service combined with amazing experiences while being utterly comfortable.” Jordan Davy, Marketing Manager, Daughter and Sister.
The properties are run on solar power with a back-up generator if required. Both properties have a filtration plant to clean the borehole water which is then further treated through reverse osmosis making it safe (and delicious) to drink.
Sungani Lodge and Kulandila Camp provides discovery, adventure, relaxation, and insight as you are placed in the hands of qualified and passionate guides for every activity. Each day ends with a toast to an unforgettable African sunset. Activities include game drives, bush meals, day trips, water excursions (green season), photographic hides + photographic equipment hire, walking safaris and more.
Conservation South Luangwa & Sungani: Wildlife Protection in South Luangwa, Every Dollar Matched
In 2022, Sungani donated $25,000 to CSL's work, and in addition pledged to match donations to CSL's wildlife protection work up to a further $25,000 in 2022 in the hope of inspiring new donors to pledge their support for this extraordinary ecosystem, its habitat and wildlife. See the campaign here.
This year, Sungani have donated $25,000 to CSL's work, and in addition have pledged to match donations to CSL's wildlife protection work up to a further $25,000 in 2022 in the hope of inspiring new donors to pledge their support for this extraordinary ecosystem, its habitat and wildlife.
Sungani Lodge and its sister Camp Kulandila are now officially open. The two family-owned and operated lifestyle safari properties will be welcoming their first guests in just a few days.
The adventure-based luxury destination in Zambia arriving in 2022! Two remote safari properties - Sungani Lodge and Kulandila Camp. Our full website is now LIVE and we invite you to explore. www.sungani.com
Since officially registering in 2003, Conservation South Luangwa (CSL) has worked in partnership with Zambia’s Department of National Parks and Wildlife (DNPW) on the frontline of wildlife conservation and human-wildlife coexistence in the South Luangwa Valley. We work to protect the 1,400,000 hectares of largely intact wilderness in eastern Zambia that make up the South Luangwa National Park and the surrounding Upper and Lower Lupande game management areas. The Luangwa Valley is home to over 60 species of mammals and 450 species of birds. Species include the unique Crawshay’s zebra, Cookson’s wildebeest, and a geographically isolated population of Luangwa giraffe (G. t. thornicrofti), a subspecies of Masai giraffe. The Valley is known for its high densities of lion, leopard and wild dog, and it remains a stronghold for elephants in Zambia.
CSL practices a multi-faceted approach to wildlife resource management and protection, working in collaboration with DNPW to implement counter trade/trafficking measures including anti-poaching foot patrols, aerial surveillance, sniffer dog detection and tracking work, alongside direct community engagement with people living alongside the wildlife of the South Luangwa Valley.
Our 365 presence has brought about real and measurable results evidenced by the proliferation of wildlife in and around the area.
The work our conservation partners do is so fundamental and we are privileged to play our small part in their mission.
The way that we are able to assist CSL and DNPW as operators are:
- Create and grade road networks to make the area more accessible
- Assist with deployment of scouts
- A constant 365-day presence in the area to report any incidents
- Another pair of eyes from the air when our aircraft completes transfers
- Michael, our head guide is an honorary wildlife police officer and is able to assist DNPW and CSL in that role
- Construct, maintain and register the airstrip allowing CSL and other conservation partners to access the area easily by air
Raised over $75,000 for CSL in 2022
In 2022, Sungani donated $25,000 to CSL's work, and in addition pledged to match donations to CSL's wildlife protection work up to a further $25,000 in 2022 in the hope of inspiring new donors to pledge their support for this extraordinary ecosystem, its habitat and wildlife. See the campaign here.
We reached our goal and a further $25,000 was donated by Sungani on the 26th December 2022 to Conservation South Luangwa.
The culmination of Sungani's donation plus the match funding of generous donations, have culminated in a total of $75,000 in 2022 link.
The Zambian Carnivore Programme (ZCP) is a Zambian-registered non-profit organization dedicated to conserving large carnivores and the ecosystems they reside in through a combination of conservation science, conservation actions, and a comprehensive education and capacity-building effort. We work in close collaboration with the Department of National Parks and Wildlife to accomplish the following goals:
- To safeguard large carnivores, their prey and habitat through research, conservation and education
- To utilize large carnivores and their prey as flagship species for large landscape conservation
- To provide information and recommendations to the DNPW and support efforts to conserve wildlife and ecosystems
- To increase knowledge and understanding of large carnivore and large herbivore dynamics and interrelationships and contribute to conservation of these species as a whole
- To build capacity with Zambian organizations and governmental agencies for conservation of large carnivores and herbivores, their ecological functions and habitats.
The Zambian Carnivore Programme follows a three-pronged interdisciplinary approach to fulfill its goals, and the success of this work fundamentally rests on our diverse and effective collaborations with local, national and international partners, agencies, organizations and institutions that collectively provide the expertise, resources and energy to address the myriad conservation challenges facing Zambia and the region.
Sungani have sponsored lion and wild dog collars to assist ZCP with their work for the predetor population in this part of the park.
