Crossroads Lodge – Solwezi

On February 6, 2018February 6, 2018 By CheetahTravelsIn Zambia1 Comment

So this is one of those lodges I haven’t stayed at myself, but I have been there a few times to book rooms for my friends. It’s one of the more “upscale” lodges in Solwezi. It was wifi and a beautiful pool area. The hotel overlooks a colorful valley. The customer service is great, the only downside I’d say is that it is quite a ways outside of town, so if you’re planning on going back and forth a lot the taxi bills are going to add up. The cheapest room is 550kwa, then 750, and 800. I think there is some deluxe premium suite (or something equally as fancy) for more too.

Kwahuwahi Lodge

On January 1, 2018January 1, 2018 By CheetahTravelsIn lodge, Zambia3 Comments

Kwakuwahi Lodge is a beautiful higher end lodge in Mwinilunga located right on the river. It is a little bit of a walk from town, I would only walk it if you don’t have anything to carry and it is a nice day. The rooms are a bit pricy for the area, starting at 600kwa, but they have AC, comfortable beds, a view of the river, and televisions. The lodge is also a great place to go for a nice meal although their food options change daily depending on what is available, but I had the fish and chips and it was one of the best fish meals I had in Zambia. This could be a great romantic, get-away, lodge.

Chobu Lodge

On December 31, 2017December 31, 2017 By CheetahTravelsIn lodge, Zambia1 Comment

Chobu is another lodge in Solwezi that I haven’t stayed at myself but have had many friends stay there when coming to visit where I worked. It is a little off the main road and not as nice as Solwezi Lodge, but it is a good, cheap, safe, backpackers place. It is walking distance to town center. Rooms start at 150kwa and go up from there depending on whether you want AC, television, or different types of bed. The basic room has a shared bathroom but the 200kwa room is self-contained.

Solwezi Lodge

On December 21, 2017 By CheetahTravelsIn Zambia1 Comment

So I personally have not stayed at Solwezi Lodge, but I have been there to book it a few times for friends. There is a free breakfast which I hear is really good, and the rooms are pretty decent. The front desk has very great, helpful, customer service. It is walking distance to Shoprite, and pretty easy to catch a cab on the walk towards Shoprite to go anywhere else. The room prices (as of August 2017) are below:

Double room – 350kwa

Twin room – 500kwa

Executive room – 600kwa

Executive Deluxe room – 1520kwa

Coming from the Copperbelt (the right of the map) into Solwezi, Solwezi Lodge will be on the left after you get up the hill after the bridge.

Georgies Lodge

On December 20, 2017December 20, 2017 By CheetahTravelsIn Zambia1 Comment

Georgies is an awesome lodge/restaurant for a getaway. It’s quiet, and along a different part of Mutanda Falls than what is normally seen. It has beautiful views, especially the sunsets. The restaurant/bar and deck area overlooks the falls. It had a nice variety of food that tasted great, and service was fast and friendly. The whole grounds are filled with different colored roses so it smells heavenly. I didn’t use the pool but it looked clean, and the kids that were in it looked like they were having a blast. There was also a giant building in the back that looked like it could be used for weddings, or a big conference. They have kayaks that you could rent out, although if you’re staying the night it’s free, and we were told you could swim but it’s at your own risk. The water was pretty cold that day so we opted out. The rooms/chalets ranged from 500-750kwa. I stayed in a 550kwa chalet overlooking the falls with a porch, grill, hot shower, tea kettle and air conditioning. Georgie herself runs the place. She is an amazingly sweet, and dedicated woman. She even offered to pick us up and drop us off at the roadside before and after our stay which helped so much. We just needed to work around her schedule a bit which was no problem for us otherwise she offered to book us a taxi from town for 150kwa. We opted just to hitch hike to and from Georgies turnoff, which was pretty easy as it is a main road. It should not be that expensive. I stayed there one of my last weeks in Zambia and really wish I found out about Georgies sooner.

Georgies Bar and Grill Facebook Page

Georgies is the pink pin on the map. If you are coming from Solwezi you will go over the bridge, and straight at Mutanda. If you’re hitching you can either get dropped at Mutanda, or shortly past it is the turnoff to Georgies, I believe there is a sign.

Elido Lodge

On December 10, 2017December 10, 2017 By CheetahTravelsIn Zambia1 Comment

Elido Lodge is located at the top of the hill right before you enter Mwinilunga (The yellow pin on the map below). All the rooms have a beautiful view of the countryside. I particularly like the triangular shaped chalets, but the apartment style ones are a bit bigger. The rooms go from 120-160kwa. The rooms are clean. I don’t recall there being mosquito nets in either room so bring bug spray. The showers worked both times I stayed there, but the hot water was hit or miss. I stayed there in July and August 2017 so things may have changed since then. I really liked how it was in walking distance to town, seemed pretty safe, and the staff was very helpful, although they did not speak much English.

Chaminuka Cheese Tasting

On October 16, 2017October 16, 2017 By CheetahTravelsIn Uncategorized, Zambia2 Comments

I never realized how many types of cheese there were! They were so good and served with one or two glasses of wine in a cool looking “cheese cave”. All of it is processed right on the compound. I’d say if you are a foodie, especially with cheese, I highly recommend Chaminuka Cheese tasting. This activity was about a half hour long, and located on Chaminuka Lodge property.

Mutanda Falls

On September 7, 2017September 7, 2017 By CheetahTravelsIn ZambiaLeave a comment

A nice day trip from Solwezi is going swimming at Mutanda Falls. You can get to Mutanda Lodge (not Mutanda Nature Lodge), either by hitching out of Solwezi (best place to start is after Chowama market), or taking a taxi if you have money or can split it with people. At the Lodge there is a place to swim in the water, you’ll need to pay about 20kwa to be allowed to do so, or hang out in the nsakas by the water. Keep in mind that as rain season starts to pick up the water might be too strong to swim in. Rain season starts in October and goes until about April. I would think August/September would be the best time, although I went in April/May and it was pretty good. They also sell food at the lodge but I can’t attest to how good it is. Mutanda Falls isn’t very big compared to other falls in Zambia but its still a nice and relaxing outing nonetheless.

Mutanda Lodge is the yellow pin in the map below, the orange road going of the top of the picture goes to Solwezi.

Mayoka Village – Nkhata Bay

On July 30, 2017October 29, 2017 By CheetahTravelsIn MalawiLeave a comment

I absolutely loved this place. It’s a little haven away from reality. The prices were great. Accomodations range from camping, to dorms, to private chalets. I stayed in a chalet for most of the trip, and then switched to the dorms for the last few days. The chalets are clean, with mosquito nets and fans. Our chalet had a beautiful wrap around porch, outdoor shower, and a nice indoor one too. The dorms are clean as well, and I felt safe keeping my belongings on my bed. There is a nice outdoor shared shower and a compost toilet for those of you that are eco friendly. Everywhere you go on this compound overlooks the bright blue lake. It is on the edge of a cliff, there are a lot of stairs so this place definitely isn’t wheelchair friendly, or “I have bad knees” friendly. It’s a good workout though. They have different dinners scheduled every night for decent prices. There were other travelers coming in and out all week, so it was a great place to meet people. The owner was very friendly and helpful, I suggest getting to know him and his family, they have a ton of interesting stories and advice. As far as the lake, Mayoka has kayaks for guests to use, a raft out on the lake, and they occasionally do boat trips out to a cliff that, if you’re brave enough, you can jump off of into the lake. Occasionally you’ll see a monitor lizard, they live among the rocks, but they try to stay out of your way. Everything you buy here is put on a tab. You can pay off your tab in Malawian Kwacha or USD whenever you’d like. Butterfly Space is a lodge right next door and they sometimes have small concerts and art activities going on that you can join in on. I’d recommend going to visit it at least. Mayoka is about a 15 minute walk to town with gorgeous views of the lake the whole way, it also passes through a pretty decent art market. The men will be pushy with getting you to buy their things, but don’t forget to bargain for prices!

http://www.mayokavillagebeachlodge.com

Cresta Mowana Lodge

On July 26, 2017October 29, 2017 By CheetahTravelsIn BotswanaLeave a comment

This lodge is built around a giant Baobab tree, and is right on the Chobe River, north of Chobe National Park. All the rooms have balconies with beautiful views. You can even spot some warthogs running around. This lodge was paid for me by family that was visiting, but I’m guessing the prices are pretty steep (you can check their website below). The rooms are comfortable. They have mosquito nets, a shower, and a tub with hot water. The staff are very helpful and friendly. The lodge has a log cabin feel with thatched roofs. There is a real nice pool and balcony bar area. There is a gift shop, but everything seemed very expensive. The dining area was beautiful and the food was amazing. It is buffet style and offers different game meat every night for you to try out. The only thing I wouldn’t give 5 stars to was the spa. I only got a massage but it was very painful (although that could have been because my back was so bad), and she started massaging areas I asked her not to. But I would definitely recommend this Lodge to anyone who is visiting the northern part of Chobe park, has the money and wants to splurge on a real nice place.

http://www.crestamowana.com

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