Tracy Head, our Senior Business Travel Consultant, had the incredible opportunity to visit Zambia. This was sponsored and escorted by Juuls Travel in Zambia with a funding contribution from the selected Lufthansa City Centre (LCC) agencies. The aim of these visits is for our business travel consultants to not just experience something new, but to educate themselves on the place, services and activities so they can best serve our customers.
Tracy’s experience was out of this world. Have a read to see what she got up too…
10th May
We arrived in Livingstone and checked into our incredible accommodation, Waterfront Lodge. The sun was setting as we arrived at the property and it overlooked the Zambezi River, which had the most amazing sunset view. We also had our first sightings of hippopotamuses on the river, which I just didn’t expect.
The Waterfront Lodges have accommodations to suit all budgets from Chalet blocks, Riverside luxury tents, 2 manned camping tents, and a space for guests to bring their own tents to set up. After a busy day of travelling, it was time to get some rest before a busy day.
11th May
The next morning, we drove to one of the world’s natural wonders, Victoria Falls. The mist and moisture clouds rise from there and it’s known as ‘the smoke that thunders.’ You can also walk on the Knife Edge Bridge or down to the ‘Boiling Point’, which both give incredible views of the waterfall. I will say, you need to make sure you’re fit and healthy as the climbing can be very challenging. There are a variety of activities such as bungy jumping, abseiling and a zip-line.
We then went to have our lunch and checked into the David Livingstone Lodge & Spa. A few monkeys joined us too! This was next door to the Waterfront Lodge but had a superior standard to the rooms and facilities provided.
Once dressed and refreshed we headed for the Elephant Cafe experience, just outside Livingstone. This is a small fine dining restaurant with an Elephant orphanage. They currently have seven elephants, and we got the opportunity to meet with them just as the sun started to set in the background. The cuisine was incredible and there set all-inclusive price of approximately USD100.00 per person helps towards the upkeep of the orphanage.
12th May
After a delicious breakfast at David Livingstone, we had a tour of the local city and Museum, delving into the rich history of the region. We then went back to the Lodge where we had a cruise on the Zambezi River, which can be booked as part of the overnight package at David Livingstone. It was incredible as we got to see the Hippos bathing, Elephants feeding and even a few crocodiles. We then took a late departure to Lusaka Airport where we stayed in our host’s hotel for the night.
13th May
The next morning, after arriving in Lusaka, we had a tour around the Neelkanth Sarovar Premiere hotel. A perfect location for business visits and short overnight stays. The hotel is owned by an Indian company and the Asian influences are prevalent in the decoration and food provided at the restaurant.
In the afternoon, we had a look at the craft market village, a place where local people make and sell wooden crafts in the streets for tourists. In the evening, we had dinner at the Radisson Blu Hotel, where we were shown the large verity of conference facilities.
14th May
We took a flight to Mfwue on a very small Pro flight aircraft, taking just an hour from Lusaka. Once arrived, we transferred to the Flat Dogs Camp. This accommodation has tents and luxury rooms with open top shower facilities, I even had a frog in my sink…
It was great to be so close to nature, overlooking the Luangwa River with the Hippos and Crocodiles. I even had a hippo munching on grass against my tent. We then were taken on a Safari drive which was an experience, seeing Elephants grazing with giraffes and a Pride of 17 lions all resting. We then arrived back at Flat Dogs Camp, where we were guided back to our rooms by a watchman due to the animals walking by.
15th May
At 5:30am, we had a light breakfast and set off for a morning safari. We got to witness the sunrise slowly with all the different bird species, including the national Sea Fish Eagle. After arriving back at our camp at 11am, we were straight on a transfer to a Track and Trail camp, consisting of bohemian chalets and monkeys, elephants and hippos everywhere.
16th May
Today, we checked out and flew back to Lusak where we checked into our new accommodation, Ciela Hotel. This was an impressive luxury estate with a golf course, brewery and incredible conference rooms for business events.
17th May
We then drove to Chiminuka Lodge, one hour from Ciela Hotel. It’s a huge man-made park with various animals and conferencing facilities. It’s perfect for those looking for team building events as they offer activities such as horse riding, feeding lions or walking tours. We then drove back to Ciela Hotel, where we had a drink in the brewery before getting some rest for our flight home the next day.
18th May
We took a connecting flight back to Manchester; therefore we stopped over in Dubai and had a few hours to kill. Having never been to Dubai, I wanted to see how easy it was to pop into the city and back. I managed to get a Metro directly to the Burg Khalifa, where I had a lovely coffee in the Dubai mall and managed to get back to the airport before departure.
These trips help our Business Travel Consultants massively when selling and helping our customers choose where they should go and what facilities and activities are offered. After experiencing it ourselves, we can give a personal offer of confidence to our customers.
I wonder where our next Business Travel Consultant will venture too.
