Buried deep in the Kosi Forest, hidden away from prying eyes is the quaint charm of Chinderera Eco-Lodge. ( Chinderera being the Shona word for the Malachite Kingfisher) Many lodges have added the word ‘ECO’ to their name to try to attract those tourists who wish to make a difference when they travel.
Often, however, we have arrived at an ‘ECO’ lodge only to find that in the mind of the lodge owner eco is just an abbreviation for economics!
But not here. The whole lodge was built by owner Bill, by hand, using sustainable material where possible. The kitchen has a large gas stove and the entire property is powered by solar and a generator. Not a tv in sight and the epitome of what an eco-lodge SHOULD be.
These two chairs, built by Bill are the reception area… and they set the tone for what guests can expect to find in the rest of the lodge.
On the left, the reception area and on the right is the intimate lounge where guests can connect to the internet.
The pond in the foreground used to be a swimming pool, but after some research, the owners discovered that 90% of their guests did not need to swim when the ocean and the lakes are only a short drive away,
I felt like a Viking when I sat in THIS chair. All that was missing was a horn full of some seriously alcoholic drink. Made from a variety of different materials by Bill, it incorporates real kudu horns and real kudu hide.
That being said, the majority of the furniture Bill has built uses faux leather that cannot be differentiated from the original.
A short walk from the main building was our accommodation. Our unit slept two people, while the family unit not too far away can sleep four.
A comfy bed, a bathroom that has both a shower and a bath as well as a balcony that faces the dense foliage that reaches back to the fence that marks the edge of their property.
A fan to keep cool and bedside lights that work as reading lights rather than just decoration. What more could a guest want?
The bath with an indoor garden. My wife and I are trying to figure out how to build a similar feature in our en-suite back home.
From the balcony, looking our over a fallen tree and the lush green sub-tropical vegetation. A great place for a contemplative moment or two.
And from the POV of the forest.
Male and female Red-legged Kassinas that I found every night in the pond between the lounge and the dining room. The males are very vocal as it is their way to attract a mate and there is a LOT of competition. We could hardly hear ourselves over their noise, but it was part of the ambience and charm of Chinderera.
Turned out that these frogs are endemic to tropical and subtropical regions of the east coast of Africa.
They are also known as Vlei frogs or red-legged running frogs as they tend to walk or run rather than hop.
One of a flotilla of Pond Skaters(aka a pond strider) that I sat and watched (Remember I did say that there was no TV)
And as an aside, there is no aircon either. The lodge has drinkable borehole water and guests are encouraged to bring refillable water bottles to save plastic waste (another eco-friendly item).
These insects have been around for more than 55 million years.
While we were enjoying the Afro-fusion food that owner Pam and her kitchen staff were producing and worrying about our weight, these tiny creatures only weigh in at 0.01g!
They can do 100 body lengths a second which would equate to a human doing 32186km/h
An Olive Sunbird has made a nest at the entrance of the lodge. This is her 4th attempt. So far she has successfully raised chicks on two occasions. On the 3rd attempt, the eggs vanished during the night.
At the time of publishing this post, the chicks had still not hatched, but neither had the eggs vanished.
BREAKING NEWS…
Both eggs have hatched successfully. The hope is that the female is able to feed and raise them until they fledge. (Image by Pam Kelland)
Our favourite butterfly greeted us every morning. This is a female Gold-Banded Forester, a butterfly that is found in eastern and southern Africa.
One of the quirky embroidered cushions in the lounge.
Flowing water to soothe the soul.
There is beauty wherever you look. You just have to look. Our thanks to Bill, Pam and their staff for their kind hospitality. We cannot wait to return. BTW, we were told that this is perceived as a great honeymoon destination, and seeing that it only sleeps 6, I can well understand that bridal couples see privacy as their first requirement. Highly recommended for food and hospitality.
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