Shumba Camp

The safari tents at Shumba Camp are chic and luxury. A large four poster bed sits in the centre of the room, with mosquito netting softly hung around it. The colour palette is based on earth tones, with polished wooden floors and wooden furniture creating a natural feel whilst keeping the space feeling classy.

Floor to ceiling netted windows fill the room with natural bight light and a comfortable, modern sofa sits opposite these windows at one end of the tent, allowing guests to relax and marvel at the breathtaking vista in comfort and style. All tents have an ensuite bathroom complete with a walk in shower and outdoor shower, and a large private decking area where guests can wind down on the comfortable cushioned seating area, surrounded by the wilds of the Busanga Plains.

The family tent at Shumba Camp is the same style as the standard tents. The tent is large and open plan, with a queen size bed one end of the tent and two single beds sitting at the other end, separated by a room divider for some privacy. The ensuite bathroom is at one end of the tent and comes complete with a spacious walk in shower. With the same floor to ceiling windows as the standard tents, guests will remain acutely aware of their stunning surroundings at all times, and will be able to enjoy the view of the plains from the comfort of their own bed. An expansive private decking affords guests the perfect place to gaze at the endless horizon over the rolling plains.

The dining area at Shumba Camp is located in the main building. This building is modern and bougie, with classy furniture and floor to ceiling windows. The food is creative and delicious, inspired by a variety of cuisines. Breakfast and lunches are light and buffet style, however dinner is served as a three course meal. Guests will dine either in the main area, or around the traditional boma, enjoying tasty food under the wide starry sky.

A traditional safari sundowner experience is available at Shumba Camp. At the end of an afternoon game drive, you will be met with refreshing drinks and a crackling campfire where you can enjoy raising a toast to your wonderful surroundings whilst in the very heart of nature.

For a traditional safari activity, guests can go on a game drive excursion. Traverse through the wild Kafue National Park in the comfort of a 4×4 vehicle, with a knowledgable guide and see which animals you can spot. Each drive will be unique and interpretive so new animals can be seen. View lion prides, zebras, antelopes, and buffalo all undisturbed and in their natural habitats. For a glimpse of the nocturnal life of Kafue, guests can chose to go on a nighttime game drive to catch a glimpse of elusive nocturnal leopards out on their nighttime hunts.

While water levels are high boating excursions are on offer. Glide gently down the winding floodplains enjoying the peace and serenity, whilst looking out for pods of lazy hippos lounging in the water, colourful reed frogs and maybe a heron or two standing in the shallows.

For a once-in-a-lifetime experience soar high above the Busanga Plains and enjoy uninterrupted views of over the rolling plains and endless horizon. From your birds eye perspective you will be able to see animals and landscapes from a unique view and can marvel at how small prides of lions look. Taking to the skies is one of the best ways to put into perspective the vastness of Kafue and Busanga Plains.

Guests can enjoy a refreshing dip in the infinity pool before dinner or in the mornings. Animal and bird sightings won’t be missed with the pool having a view over the rolling plains, all the way to the horizon.

Wilderness Safaris serves to protect and conserve the land in which they operate. The continent of Africa is unique, with over 1000 different mammal species, fauna and humans living side by side. With a commitment to ecotourism, they are helping to conserve biodiversity. Currently, Wilderness Safaris helps to protect over 2.5million hectares of African wilderness and in 2015 they were awarded a medal by the government of Botswana for Meritorious Service to the country.

Wilderness Safaris works with the Department of National Parks and Wildlife in Zambia, and through anti-poaching initiatives and surveys, they help to protect and conserve the great Kafue National Park. One of the ways they try to protect the environment is by making sure their camps have a light footprint. Trying to achieve “purposeful luxury” their camps are all built with environmentally-sensitive architecture. Understanding the fragility of the wilderness they operate in, they make sure they minimise any negative impact they might have on the environment and the camps are thoughtfully placed in locations where they don’t take away from the wilderness of the area.

Wilderness Safaris have a commitment to community engagement in the areas surrounding their camps. Through community employment, Wilderness Safaris currently have more than 100 staff members from local communities throughout their camps, and with the average staff member supporting 7 other people each, 700 further people benefit. Community partnerships can also help to protect and conserve the land. For example, Wilderness Safaris Damaraland Camp is located in the Torra Conservancy, and through community work and ecotourism they protect around 350 hectares of land within the Torra Conservancy. As a result of this protected land the wildlife is prospering and “‘problem animals’ are now seen as a resource that can bring money into the community via ecotourism.”

Wilderness Safaris created their own Trust in 2003, this is an independent entity that fund-raises for money to be put into various conservation projects. This engages with projects which can be beyond the scope of the areas in which Wilderness Safaris operate, ensuring that “conservation is a driving force in reaching more people, wildlife and places.” A total of 25 different projects are funded by the Trust annually, the past 10 years has seen the Trust finance more than 100 different projects throughout 8 different countries in Africa. Whilst Wilderness Safaris contributes to these projects logistically, the Trust “is involved financially in the projects, supporting research, habitat management and community upliftment.”

This is an educational programme created by Wilderness Safaris which aims to educate and inspire the next generation of environmental leaders by teaching them life skills and environmental issues. This programme aims to “create a network of learning sanctuaries that uplifts and cares for our children and conserves the planet.” Great numbers of children are involved in these programmes – 2,500 children attend rural, school-based clubs per year; more than 300 children per year are granted a scholarship which pays for their education and Wilderness Safaris and their partner destination host annual camps, which more than 500 children attend.

The 4 C’s

Wilderness Safaris partner properties all work under the sustainability ethos of conservation, culture, commerce and community. Pack for a Purpose is one of the community projects that Wilderness Safaris has partnered with, it is “a non-profit organisation that provides travellers with up-to-date information about required supplies for community-based projects.” With no one inhabiting these rural areas of Africa accurate recordings of species could not be undertaken.

Wilderness Safaris are present throughout the whole year which allows them to provide not just financial support but also logistical support to anti-poaching initiatives. Due to their presence wildlife numbers have increased dramatically with elephant, lechwe and puku growing markedly. The emphasis on ecotourism is changing lives “camps and lodges bring employment and training, opportunities for growth and travel, and exposure to another world.”

Wilderness Safaris has partnered with Pack for a Purpose – a non-profit organisation that provides travellers with up-to-date information about required supplies for community-based projects. All guests travelling to Shumba Camp who wish to contribute are invited to view the needs list for Shumba Camps community projects on the Pack for a Purpose website. For instance, items may range from stationary, relevant books and texts, children’s clothing and toys, or inflatable balls and pumps.

Wilderness Safaris aim is that if the camps ever needed to be moved they could do so without leaving an imprint on the land. All Wilderness Safari camps are built in the most eco-friendly way possible. To reduce their carbon footprint and to help them become carbon neutral in their operations, they invest in new technologies to reduce their dependence on fossil fuels. Also provided by Wilderness Safaris is “logistical and financial support for local anti-poaching activities” making sure their impact on the environment is as positive as possible.

Wilderness Safaris works in partnership with Save the Rhino Trust and three separate Namibian conservancies to help conserve and protect the rare species of the desert-adapted black rhino. These rhinos play a vital role in shaping the landscape of Africa, by grazing lawns and vegetation they help protect plant biodiversity and keep the plains hospitable to other herbivore species. Without them, whole ecosystems would begin to die out.

Wilderness Safaris Desert Rhino Camp works specifically in partnership with Save the Rhino Trust and acts as rhino monitoring post, as well as a camp, to help increase rhino security in an otherwise unmonitored area. Due to an increase in recruitment, Wilderness Safaris and their partners have “dramatically and sustainably increased the range of desert-adapted black rhino in the north-west.”

Wilderness Safaris take the welfare of elephant herds and those who care for them with the utmost seriousness and resolve. It is considered a great honour to care for these majestic creatures and to work in the presence of them. All safari activities and elephant related experiences are meticulously planned with a heightened consciousness of the needs, requirements and boundaries inherent of such an undertaking. Elephant herd members hold extensive knowledge with regards to elephant welfare and wellbeing, routinely observing the herds for signs of stress and illness, in which case the appropriate measures are put into place with immediate effect to rectify whatever issue may arise.

Wilderness Safaris has partnered with the Lion Recovery Fund along with other ecotourism operators to launch the Lionscape Coalition. Established in 2017 by the Wildlife Conservation Network, The Lion Recovery Fund works alongside the Leonardo DiCaprio Foundation in order to help re-establish lion populations. Due to habitat loss/fragmentation, poaching and human and wildlife conflict, lion populations have halved in numbers within the last 25 years. The Lionscape Coalition is an initiative that encourages ecotourism competitors to collaborate to show their dedication to conservation and restoring lion habitats.

With animals and humans living side by side there is a risk of human-wildlife conflict, and Wilderness Safaris seek to address this issue. The Skeleton Coast has seen its desert-adapted lion population grow considerably in the past 15 years. Lion mortalities are declining as attitudes in the community are changing due in part to Wilderness Safaris’ help. A research centre was built at Hoanib Skeleton Coast Camp for their Desert Lion Project, and the attention gained from an acclaimed documentary have helped local communities and guests understand the importance of the desert-adapted lions and a greater understanding has allowed rural communities to live peacefully with the lions.

Eco-friendly and sustainable management systems are a key part of Wilderness Safaris operations. Leading the way in converting from fossil fuels to renewable energy, Shumba Camp runs on a hybrid system. A generator charges a battery bank which is what provides parts of the camp’s electricity, due to this arrangement the generator only needs to be on for eight hours a day. All the tents have their own solar panels and inverter to provide hot water.

The camp has many water-efficient devices to help conserve water, the wastewater of the camp “is treated in an Above Ground Sewage Plant, ensuring that the water is clean before being allowed to enter the natural environment.” To help reduce their energy needs, all appliances are energy-efficient and only eco-friendly approved cleaners are used by the camp, to minimise their impact on the environment.