The story of Doug Evans and the creation of Chundukwa River Lodge as we celebrate our 32 year legacy.

Doug’s passion for both horses and wildlife started at a young age, growing up amidst wildlife, with hands-on learning alongside his mother - who nursed and hand-reared orphan rhino, elephant, buffalo, eland and anything else on behalf of National Parks. On a horse since the age of two, Doug participated in his first gymkhana aged six years and, growing older, was known to disappear for weeks at a time into the wilderness on horseback.

Doug developed his knowledge of wildlife with a posting at National Parks – here his work in wildlife management and conservation included the capture and relocation of wildlife, as well as training of horses to work in wildlife areas for anti-poaching patrol work. On his return to the Zambezi, Doug’s ambition was to share his Africa – the bush and wildlife in an immersive mobile safari experience in the Zambian wilderness.

In 1992, Chundukwa River Lodge was created as the base camp, four small rustic chalets built on a shoestring budget with Doug’s lifetime savings – a small government pension from National Parks. An adventurous spirit, Doug would ride his horses to the airport to collect guests. In the early days this was possible. At that time there was only Mokoro Quest operating under Colin and Mary Lowe and one other lodge - our neighbours at Tongabezi who were building. ‘When I first met Doug’ says Gail, his partner, ‘we’d sit in the afternoons at the stables and count 150 elephants walk by on their way to drink at the River. Those were special days!’

Doug explains that he built the lodge in such a way to take no vegetation out. ‘It was quite mission to get the stilts in. We had to sink 44-gallon drums into the riverbed, put the poles in there and pour concrete. All manually of course!’ The walls are made from hessian, Kalahari sand and cement.

Doug opted to build the river chalets on stilts so that guests would feel the synergy – to be immersed in the riverine forest and river, without affecting the natural movement of hippos and river life along its banks.

Thirty years later, Chundukwa River Lodge retains its immersive nature, but has developed into a luxurious eco-lodge on the Zambezi River. Sitting just 25kms from Victoria Falls, we are close enough for guests to experience all that our beautiful destination in Southern Zambia has to offer - yet far enough to offer a quiet ‘off the beaten track’ sanctuary, tucked away in nature. On our horse ranch with a large active stable yard, we enjoy an abundance of space for horse trails, bush meanders and birdwatching in our indigenous gardens and lagoons. This is a place where you really can put your feet up, relax and have a holiday! A place you may feel completely content in doing nothing at all – and with the option to be as adventurous as you want.

Owner-run by Doug and Gail, we are dedicated to three activities: the hosting of guests; working together with our community to promote sustainable living practices; and the running of our stables and horse safari operations at home and in the Simalaha Wildlife Conservancy – Zambian Horseback Safaris, a place where Doug’s dream of leading horse lovers on multi-day rides in remote wilderness has finally come true.

Our Team, the heartbeat of Chundukwa

We are very proud of our small team of dedicated staff who have been for the most part with Chundukwa for many years, having started on the farm and stables before working their way into key positions in the lodge. Our aim is to offer individuals a grounding in many aspects of hospitality - everything from learning how to make compost, gardening, maintenance, making beds, guiding, cooking, first aid, conservation and waitering – often times taking relevant and useful tips home to their families and community.

Zambians are a very kind and hospitable people, always smiling and welcoming, whichever part of the county you may travel to.