Kazile Island Lodge

The Lodge holds thirteen Meru-style tents that are décored in a fabulous and classic African style. Each one is home to a viewing deck from which guests can enjoy incredible views of the floodplains and surrounding rainforest. There is also a beautiful en-suite, fully-equipped with a shower, fans to cool down from the hot sun and a safe to keep your expensive personal equipment in. Comfort, luxury and tradition are the hallmarks of these amazing tented accommodations.

Room Specifications:

• Meru Style Tents raised above the ground on wooden platforms
• En-Suite bathroom with Shower
• Fans in all tents
• 220V European two pin plug points for charging equipment
• Hairdryer
• Outside viewing deck
• Personal laptop safe
• Complimentary in-room mineral water

Breakfast, lunch and dinner are all provided onsite by the Lodge, and all are included in the price of your stay. Guests are encouraged to inform the Lodge when they make their reservations of any special dietary needs.

As the sun breaks above the horizon or as the afternoon shadows extend, the game drives depart to showcase the incredible array of wildlife found within the Bwabwata National Park, part of the largest Conservation area in Africa. Experienced guides can always find the perfect place to stop, disembark and set up the morning coffee or sunset refreshment in a traditonal and authentic African style.

Duration: 3 hours

The dawn sun gracefully reflects off of the water as the peace is gently interrupted by the bow of the boat gliding along the river. The experienced guides navigate the boats past numerous landscapes of papyrus islands and reed floodplains and allow guests to witness the likes of hippos, crocodiles, other mammals and the varied bird species this area is known for from a respectable distance. These cruises are informative and soulful experiences on waterways that aren’t dissimilar to those found in the legendary Okavango Delta.

Duration: 2.5-3 hours

You don’t need a vehicle to see the wonders of Africa. Walking Safaris are an equally awe-inspiring way to experience the bush, in a much more personal and energetic way. The local guides will be delighted to educate you on the African way of life, sharing their ancestral repertoire of medicinal uses of the flora and their anecdotes of their wild childhood in this area. This experience is sure to connect and ground any participant to their home planet of Earth. Because these walks take place in a truly natural environment with lion, buffalo, elephants, leopard and other wildlife roaming freely, guests under the age of 12 are discouraged from participating.

Duration: 2-3 hours

This tour begins with a cruise from the Lodge to Sijwa Island, where the Sijwa host will meet and guide you through the transfomative project established by African Monarch Lodges, as part of its endeavor to be sustainable by protecting the natural resources and developing the local community. Here, you will be entertained by and enriched with local culture as you learn all about the traditions of the cultural village. The visit will include a walk through the permaculture plants and recycling workshops, where waste such as plastic, glass and cans are turned into beautiful artefacts for you to buy. You can also buy and plant trees from the indigenous tree nursery to help offset your carbon emissions at the project.

Duration: 2.5-3 hours

The Sijwa Project, run by African Monarch Lodges, is their big sustainability project. Understanding the responsibility they have to take care of the local people and environment, Sijwa is their way of making sure they do this to the best of their ability.

Initiatives include:

• Re-purposing and re-inventing all recyclable waste from the African Monarch Lodges, and from the local community, into exquisite saleable craft and art

• Running an organic permaculture nursery that supplies food ti local people and lodge guests (cancelling the air and road miles lodge food usually travels). The soil is enhanced by composted food-waste and super-strength worm juice – not to mention the boost given by the occasional dollop of elephant dung!

It’s more than just its goals, though. It’s a cultural village, an artisanal skills training center, a free-range egg scheme and an indigenous tree nursery for visitors to buy and plant a tree to offset their carbon footprint, looked after by a local ‘tree guardian’ to protect is against peckish antelope.

The Sijwa Project was launched in November 2018 by its ambitious founders, Dusty and Tinolla Rodgers. It encourages guests to walk through the permaculture plants, recycling workshops where waste such as plastic, glass and cans are turned into beautiful artefacts for sale.

The Sijwa Project aims to empower the local community by creating jobs, preserving traditional knowledge, teaching new skills and conserving the natural environment through a variety of innovative initiatives. The highest rate of unemployment in Namibia was found in the Zambezi Region, so Sijwa carefully structured a project that will address these problems with a holistic approach. They aim to employ 60 community members (who then support up to 12 others in their village), even more if funding allows, and educate close to 182 scholars from the local high school through the Junior Ranger School and Junior Sewing School. 12% of all revenue generated at the project will be paid to the Mayuni Conservancy monthly.

In 2013, African Monarch Lodges established a traditional village, specifically for the benefit of the Conservancy. AML helps fund the project and encourages guests to visit the village in order to boost income for the Conservancy and, in return, share the fascinating cultural history with guests.

African Monarch Lodges provides ongoing support to the Mafwe Traditional Authority. Recent examples of support include the drilling of a hole for water, buying and laying water piping to their buildings, providing water holding tanks, providing their community hall with chairs and tables, funding local inaugurations, anniversaries, celebrations and more. Currently, AML is building traditional structures for shelter when there are functions and gatherings.

As partners, AML and the Mayuni Community Trust together strive to achieve the correct balance between ecological requirements, the efficient operation of sustainable tourism establishments and local community development. To achieve this, African Monarch Lodges has included the Conservancies in which it invests into its project on:

• Revenue sharing models based on a percentage of turnover generated

• Skills development and training – hands on site training

• A shareholding in the establishments developed in these areas

Through community involvement and partnership with NGOs, government and local artisans, AML hopes to provide a creative environment via a cultural centre at Kubunyana Island as a complement to the conservancy system. This centre will offer a place of opportunity for adults and youth at risk of working, offering:

• Creative options in the fields of arts and crafts

• The promotion of cultural products including performances and exhibitions

• Elevate local culture and diversify the local economy

• Increase future employment expectations for youth while raising awareness of local issues

Kazile Island Lodge takes full advantage of the hot sun’s rays over Africa, fully powering itself using solar energy. This eco-friendly production of electricity helps protect the plains and the planet.