Zambia's Chiawa Camp Offers Full Moon Dinner

The surprise is when the event will take place, a decision the managers make depending on the weather and moon. So, if your timing is right, enjoy an authentic African menu in a magical setting on an island in the Lower Zambezi National Park.

The ambiance is nothing short of romantic as you take in 360 degree views of the Zambezi River, the glow from the moonlight dancing on the water. Dinner itself is lit with hurricane lamps and a blazing campfire, firing up an appetite for a sumptuous meal. The menu is a very African one in honor of the setting and location. Chiawa Camp offers a braai (BBQ) with popular entrees including pepper crusted fillet steak, chicken and vegetable kebabs, boerewors (South African spicy beef sausage) and Chiawa's famous "lion stick bread" from the grill. Of course there’s a story behind the lion stick bread, named for a close encounter with a roaring lion as a stick was sharpened for placement in the delicious dough – so ask a guide to dish out the details.

From the campfire and cooked in traditional three-legged pots comes a selection of satisfying Zambian dishes. This includes maize meal (like grits), pumpkin or sweet potato (helped along the way with cinnamon), "kariri" – a tomato and onion sauce that perfectly enhances the maize meal and boerewors, kapenta (deep fried "whitebait" fish from Lake Kariba) and a three bean mix. Alongside this already succulent meal are beer bread, baked on the fire in the pot with Zambia’s infamous Mosi beer as a chief ingredient, and malva pudding – also cooked on the fire. Malva pudding is a sponge bake with syrup, served with crème anglaise.

The meal is accompanied with fine South African wines, the harmonic tones of the Chiawa Camp choir and, of course, the distant roars of lions often drowned out by the not-so-distant hippos.

As one of Africa’s premier safari camps, Chiawa Camp offers attentive yet unpretentious personalized service, wonderful cuisine and nine fantastic “tents” with spectacular views of the Zambezi River and its resident wildlife. While you are able to leisurely take in the scenery, you will also be able to partake in game drives, canoeing, boating and angling.

The Full Moon Chiawa Island Dinner is included in the accommodations. Nightly rates start at $565, depending on the season. Even if your timing doesn’t coincide with the Full Moon Chiawa Island Dinner, all guests will experience a floating lunch on the Zambezi, and some will be able to relish a bush BBQ that occurs once a week.

For more information, e-mail info@chiawa.com or visit the website at www.chiawa.com.

About: Chiawa Camp