Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
the springs for free. From the lodge, walking, fishing and canoeing trips are also offered,
as well as trips to Buffalo Camp in North Luangwa National Park.
THE SHIWA STORY
In 1914, a young British colonial officer called Stewart Gore-Brown was helping establish the border between
Rhodesia and the Belgian Congo, when he stumbled across a lake that the local Bemba people called Shiwa
Ng'andu or the place of the royal crocodiles. For years he'd harboured dreams of his own kingdom in Africa, and
with characteristic verve he decided Shiwa Ng'andu was the ideal spot, swiftly buying about 10,000 hectares from
the local chief and returning to the spot after the end of WWI to build his little piece of England in the bush.
The heart of the estate was the great mansion of Shiwa House, made from materials found locally, or transpor-
ted on foot by porters from the nearest town of Ndola, an eye-watering 300km and three weeks' walk away. Items
such as chairs and tables were made locally in an antique style, but essentials such as grand pianos and fine wines
were shipped from London. The house sat overlooking the lake, complete with manicured lawns and servants clad
in white gloves and pillbox hats. Around the house grew an estate, which included workers' houses for 2000 em-
ployees, schools and a post office.
All of this upkeep was expensive and Gore-Brown tried many money-making schemes, including growing
flowers from which to extract and export oils for perfume, but none ultimately succeeded, and Shiwa was continu-
ally bankrolled by his wealthy aunt in Britain.
Gore-Brown was a stickler for discipline in his attempts to create a utopian fiefdom, and his violent temper was
legendary. Beatings measured out on hapless workers earned him the nickname Chipembere (Rhinoceros). But
unusually for the time, he believed in African independence. Gore-Brown became a well-known figure in North-
ern Rhodesia and in Britain. He was knighted by George VI and was close friends with early nationalists includ-
ing Kenneth Kaunda, Zambia's first president. When he died in 1967 he was, uniquely for a white colonist, given
a full state funeral and is buried on the hill overlooking the lake at Shiwa.
Through the 1980s, Gore-Brown's daughter and son-in-law continued struggling to run the estate, and were act-
ively involved in the campaign against poachers, especially in nearby North Luangwa National Park. In 1992 they
were mysteriously murdered, allegedly because they knew too much about senior government figures connected
to the illicit ivory trade. Shiwa House stood empty for several years, and rapidly disintegrated, but in 2001 Gore-
Brown's grandsons began a major renovation and opened the house to visitors again.
Stewart Gore-Brown's story is described (or perhaps romanticised) in The Africa House by Christina Lamb.
Sleeping
LODGE
Kapishya Hot Springs Lodge $$
( 0211-229261; www.shiwasafaris.com ; campsite/chalet per person US$10/60, d incl
breakfast and dinner per person US$110;
) This is a beautiful spot. The chalets are
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