A long-term rehabilitation project will come to fruition in August 2025 when Lolelunga Private Reserve welcomes its first guests. Situated just north of Kafue National Park, Lolelunga bills itself as ‘the first fully fenced private reserve in Zambia’.

The 30 000-hectare area was once victim to logging, poaching and deforestation. Together with the Kaonde tribe, the Lolelunga owners have worked to restore the riverine ecosystem along the Lunga River to provide a home for sitatunga and sable, elephant, lion, hippo, five cheetah and buffalo. Black rhino are due to be reintroduced shortly.

In addition to creating a thriving wildlife haven, the transformation has also seen the construction of two secondary schools and the digging of more than 50 boreholes to supply fresh water to communities. In addition, agricultural support is being provided for 500 Kaonde families while the newly graded airstrip allows medical supplies to be flown into the six clinics in the area.

Lolelunga is a combination of ‘Lole’ – the owner’s youngest child’s name – and ‘Lunga’, the river that forms a border of the reserve.

Collared cheetah at Lolelunga Private Reserve