Written by Daryll Williams

African Monarch Lodges have placed themselves at the forefront of contemporary sustainable travel in Namibia. With a broad vision of empowering local communities and conservancies, they ensure that guest experiences are well managed to give back to the people and wildlife affected most by tourism.

The group is primarily concerned and committed to the long-term conservation of the few remaining wildlife areas within the Zambezi Region in Namibia. They believe that the future of these areas is dependent on a strong committed partnership between government, private investors, and the local communities that live alongside these wild areas.

Sustainability as philosophy

At the lodges

African Monarch Lodges’ portfolio in Bwabwata National Park features a spread of indulgent accommodation options; all built unobtrusively from natural and sustainable materials. All camps and lodges are also entirely off the grid! They are 100% solar-powered, and water from the surrounding waterways is pumped for use. The lodge and camps have removed energy-guzzling appliances from guest rooms, ALL without compromising on luxury. The fresh veggies and fruit used in the gourmet meals are grown locally in the Sijwa greenhouse (read more on this below). These ingredients would otherwise have to be imported and transported over vast distances to reach the remote Zambezi, spewing considerable amounts of CO2 in the process. Additionally, the majority of staff at the African Monarch Lodges are from the local conservancy, creating much needed employment in the region.

Community involvement

Because of the group’s innate responsibility to conservation, community, and conservancy, their Sijwa Project was born. The initiative aims to create a closed system in which the environment surrounding the lodges is protected, while simultaneously uplifting the local community through skill training and sharing and employment opportunities. The Sijwa project is a collaboration with the Mayuni Conservancy, and has its off-the-grid premises just across the river from Bwabwata National Park.

Projects

All waste from the lodges is reused, recycled or upcycled! Sijwa project members are trained to repurpose glass bottles into colourful beads which they then use to create exquisite sellable jewellery, crafts and art. Plastic recycling is a particular passion of Chief Mayuni (the Chief of the conservancy) and there have been great efforts to reduce the amount of plastic pollution in the area. Non-recyclable plastic bottles are filled with sand which then serve as strong and highly durable bricks! These eco-bricks are used to build workshops and offices. The Sijwa project also runs an organic permaculture nursery to supply food for local people and lodge guests. Organic waste from the lodges is composted, and paper waste is fed to the wormery, both producing nutritious fertilizer as reward!

There are also several beehives dotted around the projects’ grounds to keep the garden “buzzing”. There is also a free-range egg scheme. The eggs supply the lodges, and the surplus is sold to generate income for the conservancy. Travellers are invited to leave their legacy by purchasing an indigenous tree sapling that will be planted, closely monitored — so bush bucks don’t nibble the baby shoots! —and have its growth measured. They will then receive updates on the trees progress, this way you can always have ties with African soil.

Furthermore, the project has built a skills training centre where men and women, young and old, are trained to use a sewing machine. These sewers create magnificent one-of-a-kind from dresses to bags, that are sold to the public, earning the members a much needed salary. The Sijwa Project has also started sewing reusable sanitary pads for women in the conservancy who would otherwise have to skip school due to the unaffordability of sanitary products. On site, there is also a junior ranger training school that is training the next generation of the Zambezi Region’s game rangers and protectors! What’s more, the Sijwa Project houses a traditional village where visitors can learn about the age-old customs of the locals.

Green at heart

Located in some of Namibia's most pristine wilderness areas, African Monarch Lodges’ accommodation options allow travellers to feel completely at one with the stunning nature around them. The lodges are all exceptionally located, whether on the banks of the Kwando River or in the heart of Bwabwata National Park, allowing you to be enchanted by the splendour of Africa. African Monarch Lodges are showing the world how sustainable tourism can be achieved, how it can be used to uplift and empower marginalised and disempowered communities, all the while offering one of a kind luxurious safari escapes.

Head over to Viatu to enquire about your next sustainable stay.