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All our driver/guides on our Zambian trip are recruited from Zambia, Botswana and Zimbabwe, where the need for economic development is felt urgently by local people. They have an in-depth knowledge of the best game-viewing spots and how to safely traverse the Zambezi River. In keeping with our support of local enterprise, all meals are prepared using ingredients sourced at local markets or vendors, which are in abundance and use our patronage as their main source of income. Travellers are also encouraged to buy extra fruit from these vendors, as well fine curios and art from indigenous craftspeople.
At Eagle’s Rest camp in Siavonga, the owners arrange cultural village trips for guests, as well as night-trips to the Kapenta fishing rigs. Siavonga has many tiny villages, all dotted a long one strip of dirt road and guests can interact with locals from various villages to learn more about their skills in farming and self-subsistence and buy local produce, including a range of baskets from small decorative ones to large linen-baskets, as well as numerous pieces of quartz. Many villagers work on the local fishing rigs that fish for Kapenta, a small sardine-like fish introduced into Lake Kariba in the early 90s, as a means to provide employment for the immediate area. By paying a nominal fee to visit these rigs, we are directly helping to develop the fishing industry and improving the lives of people who might otherwise not receive an income.
Eagle’s Rest camp itself is a perfect example of man moulding with nature, where the structures around the camp are built with natural stone and neutral colour cement to blend into the environment. If it weren’t for a few stones painted white at the main entrance, the camp is camouflaged into virtual invisibility in the trees and bush. Guests are encouraged to use firewood provided by the camp and not chop down local shrubbery or forest, and water is limited to encourage guests to be water-wise.
A large portion of entrance fees to Kafue National Park is invested straight back into the park to specifically help support the anti-poaching teams in the area. Without these fees, the wildlife could be poached into extinction, devastating one of Zambia’s richest game areas and subsequently terminating jobs for guides, rangers and veterinary staff. It is therefore imperative that we continue to support the National Parks.
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