Heads up, safari fans! Here are some new details of Norman Carr Safaris new sustainable bush camp in Zambia’s game-rich Luangwa, valley of the leopard. Called Chinzombo, the camp is being designed by South African architects Silvio Rech and Lesley Carstens, the artists behind North Island Resort and Little Vumbura Camp, an eco-luxe lodge in Botswana’s Okavango Delta. The architects’ signature style is low-impact eco design using local craftspeople.
Chinzombo is another step in the evolution of the Rech and Carsten luxury bush camp design philosophy: For the first time, modernist architectural forms are being combined with the organic geometry and regional materials of indigenous Zambian building methods to create a new type of bush camp.
Guests will have their choice of six villas, one accommodating a family of at least five. All are WiFi-equipped. A winding foot path shaded by mahogany trees connects the villas and lounge/dining area. Fitness lovers will find a yoga and exercise area and spa facilities; nature lovers will appreciate a place where both wildlife and natural vegetation flourish, unhindered by vast tracts of landscaping, game fences, roads or other man-made installations.
The villas have bedrooms, swank bathrooms and private plunge pools on shady decks overlooking the Luangwa River. Materials are natural: locally-produced leather, reed-work and canvas. Floors are made of recycled composite timber. There is no concrete or brick. Décor utilizes raw linen, timber, copper and hand-made crockery.