MUSUNGWA SAFARI LODGE
Sitting on the eastern shore
of Itezhi-Tezhi dam, Musungwa is about 5km south
of the dam wall. It's a long-standing lodge run
by Ros Kearney with three large rondavels for
the reception, bar and restaurant. Nearby are
eleven twin-bed chalets and twelve chalets with
four beds – with polished concrete floors
and old wooden furniture. All have en-suite shower
(hot water from efficient gas geyser) and toilet,
and their own private verandas overlooking the
lake. The gauze in the windows is largely old
and some of the verandas are minute. The lodge
has a small curio shop (open 11.00–12.00,
on request) and a tiny lending library for holiday
reading.
Set just below the main lodge is a swimming pool
commanding a stunning view of the lake, and surrounded
by some pleasant gardens, complete with grass,
bamboo, bougainvillea and the odd palm. The lodge
boasts a tennis court, a squash court and a sauna.
Activities offered include boat cruises on the
lake, plus day and night game drives inside the
park. Full day-trips, further into southern Kafue,
are also possible on request (mid-June to mid-Oct).
On my last visit here I only stopped for lunch,
when the menu consisted largely of cheese and
(raw) onion sandwiches (US$5 or US$6 if toasted),
with a side salad that materialised as basically
a bowl of chopped cabbage. Welcome cold drinks
were available from the cool, dark bar –
though their range of alcohol far surpassed their
choice of soft drinks.
The management advise that barbecues and cultural
dancing are a feature of the weekends at Musungwa,
while the lodge is large enough to cater for conferences
of up to 80 people, and at Christmas it usually
hosts themed fancy dress competitions. Fuel is
available for sale between 07.30 and 08.30 for
residents.
Musungwa was clearly a successful and very popular
resort some decades ago. It probably remains the
best in this area – and is a place that
you can drop in on for lunch or dinner if you're
not cooking for yourselves. However, it is now
looking very tired and dated. The team there clearly
do their best: the floors are all polished, the
rooms are clean, and the linen laundered –
but they can't escape the fact that the hotel
desperately needs refurbishing, if not just re-building.
Safari Operators wishing to
receive more information about our marketing services
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us.
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