Hippo Lodge

We've been visiting Hippo Lodge and this area for years and what a huge pleasure it was to return after being unable to travel during the COVID years. Hippo Lodge is still as special as ever. We stayed for 9 nights in Honeymoon, the chalet right on the water's edge, and were looked after royally by the excellent all-Zambian team who run the lodge. The food and service is as fabulous as ever and the complete absence of WiFi (and minimal network access) meant we just sat back and enjoyed the remoteness of this beautiful place on the mighty Kafue River in the heart of the Zambian bush. Although sadly North Kafue National Park has suffered from years of poaching (don't expect to see huge numbers of animals), we saw game (a gorgeous black maned lion, lots of elephants both lone bulls and a breeding herd, all the usual small antelope and, of course, the resident herd of pretty little bushbuck and the warthog who grazes the irrigated lawns). We also heard lion and hyena so they were around too; and others staying at the camp saw an amazing five leopards. As always, the bird life was tremendous and we must have seen well over 70 different species even though we were a bit early for the arrival of all the migrants. It was such a joy to watch the small things like weaver birds building their nests and the male paradise flycatcher suddenly appearing with his magnificent long tail. We spent most of our days on the river fishing (really good!) and bird watching which, to be honest, is probably not a bad place to be at this time of year because 1. it's hot, 2. it's dry and the river is where your most likely to see wildlife and 3. you're less likely to be pestered by insects. We also visited the old mine which dates back to 1913, one of the oldest in Zambia. Unfortunately it was ravaged by illegal miners a few years back but it's still worth a visit...as are the graves of the early prospectors (1905) which are beautifully tended by the Lodge staff. We stayed at the Lodge as part of a trip visiting three lodges on the Kafue, essentially moving down stream as we went. All were lovely, all were different. Hippo Lodge is the perfect bush getaway to relax...on the most enchanting of Zambian rivers with all its attendant wildlife, in beautifully built chalets and with a wonderful team of people looking after you.