Nkasa Lupala Tented Lodge

Built on stilts above a water channel, each of the ten tents at Nkasa Lupala frames the reeds and slow current below from its own deck. The tents are built from steel, canvas and wood, with proper doors, windows and an en-suite bathroom behind. Cotton linen and mosquito nets furnish the rooms; there is no air conditioning, only cross ventilation and shade. A central area holds the bar, dining room, lounge and a lookout point, reached from the tents along raised walkways. The lodge sits on the northern edge of Nkasa Rupara National Park, in the Wuparo Conservancy, where elephant and buffalo move through in numbers and lion, leopard and hyena follow. More than 400 bird species have been recorded here, and a fish eagle over the channel is not unusual. Days run on game drives, a boat cruise along a quiet stretch of the Linyanti river, guided walks with an armed community ranger, and visits to Sangwali village. All ten tents and the main areas run on solar power, from lighting to hot water, drawn from a solar-fed borehole. Staff are drawn almost entirely from the surrounding conservancy. It is a compact stay, with room for twenty-two guests at most, and the last stretch of road in is accessible only by four-wheel drive.