#
How to get there
By
Road
Driving times from Lusaka or the Copperbelt are typically 5-6 hours. The
roads are all tarred up to the park entrance and currently in excellent
condition. From Lusaka, take the Great North Road passing through Kabwe
on to Kapiri Mposhi. Pass through Kapiri, then turn left after about 4
kms towards Mpika and Tanzania.
From the Copperbelt, turn left 4kms before Kapiri town towards Mpika and
Tanzania.
Then continue 200kms, passing the Mkushi turn-off, and you will reach
the Serenje turn-off, clearly visible with a BP filling station. It
is recommended to fill your tanks here as it is the last fuel stop. Continue on the main road for 36km until you will find a tarred road on
your left signed to ‘Mansa’. Turn left here, and continue for 55km, at
which point you will see a large sign to Kasanka and the park gate on
your left side. The gate is always manned, and you will receive further
directions from here to Wasa camp, which is 11kms from the gate. If coming
from Luapula Province, the Kasanka turning is on the right hand side about
72 kms after the Luapula Bridge. (Do not get confused by signs before
Luapula Bridge to Kasanka Village, Mission and Clinic!) From Northern
Province or East Africa, turn right towards ‘Mansa’ 200kms south of Mpika.
The park gate is 55 kms along on the left hand side and clearly marked.
By Air
They can arrange the air charters from anywhere in Zambia. It is a about
a one and a half hour flight from Lusaka, one hour from Mfuwe in the Luangwa,
and just 45 minutes from Ndola. The flight between Kasanka and Shoebill
Island takes just 20 minutes and is very scenic! If you need any help
or advice in planning your itinerary or arranging charter flights, please
contact them or see their website.
back
to top
#
What can you do there
Volunteers
The
Kasanka Trust has always relied heavily of the work of volunteers to carry
out all its work with the limited budget available. Some of these volunteers
have been sponsored by international organisations such a VSO from UK
and GDS/DED from Germany and we are very grateful for this support. Many
volunteers have come out to Kasanka to gain scientific research experience
and a short report on their work is on the research page. Kasanka provides
an excellent environment for such groups as it is a relatively safe wilderness
area with good supporting infrastructure. The integrated management of
tourism, park management and development also makes life a lot easier
for researchers who only have one organisation to deal with. Research
volunteers and given some guidance on what would be useful to study and
we hope to be giving more day to day supervision where it is required
now that we have a resident biologist acting as research co-ordinator.
When moving in the field the Trust provides an escort scout for safety
and local experts can also be very helpful with interpretation and identification.
In return for this the Trust charges these volunteers a much reduced rate
from tourists. They have to buy their own food and transport but we help
where we can with both of these. Most research volunteers stay from 4-12
weeks and to stay longer than 3 months requires an expensive temporary
immigration permit. It works out best to team up into small groups either
before arriving or to arrange to be in Kasanka at the same time and work
on the same project together. It is often best to come during the low
tourism season (January-May) as the research possibilities and wide open
in the “green” season when everything comes to life and the lodges and
other facilities are not too busy. If you are interested in visiting Kasanka
as a research volunteer, have a good look through their website then CONTACT
THEM for more information. For those with less time to spend but who would
like to visit Kasanka and Bangweulu whilst also making a positive contribution
to our work, we are arranging to take paying volunteers to assist for
ongoing research project.
Kasanka Trust is also keen to host larger groups such as GAP year students
and can arrange programs for them inside Kasanka, around Bangweulu and
also doing development work in the local community. They plan to build
a conservation center near the entrance of the park as a base for these
groups as well as to provide facilities for researchers and the community
project. Building this center could itself be a task for a volunteer group!
The Trust also takes a limited number of working volunteers who come to
help with all aspects of the Trust’s work. These are usually GAP year
students between school and university or recent graduates. In order to
make themselves useful they need to plan to stay for a minimum of 3 months
and preferably longer as it takes a while to get to know your way around
fully integrate. These volunteers work in many areas including: Daily
administration, supervision of local staff, driving, engineering tasks
such as mending cars, maintaining roads and bridges, helping to look after
tourists, catering and shopping. No-one will have the skills needed for
all the tasks mentioned but it gives an idea of the type of work. There
is not a lot of active wildlife management work nor much time for them
to do research of their choice. Most of the volunteers we have had over
the past few years have thoroughly enjoyed themselves, but there is a
lot of work to do and it doesn’t suit everybody. These volunteers don’t
pay us and we don’t pay them. They have to find their own way to Lusaka
but from there we arrange all their transport, accommodation and food.
Money is needed only for luxuries and any travelling they plan to do before
returning home.
back
to top
#how
can you help
1. Come to Kasanka as a visitor!
They will arrange an exciting safari itinerary for you to include Kasanka
National Park and the Bangweulu Swamps. For more information on planning
a visit see their website. Remember that all tourism revenue from visitors
to Kasanka and Shoebill Island goes directly towards the cost of conserving
Wildlife and assisting the local community.
2. Come as Volunteer
See the information under the Volunteer Page
3. Make a donation to the Kasanka Trust
By making a one time donation or establishing regular contributions you
can join the fold of Kasanka Trust supporters. You will receive regular
newsletters to keep you up to date with what’s going on and you will be
especially welcomed should you find time to visit the park. Supporters
can choose to give money for the conservation effort for specific community
projects.
back
to top
#other
About the trust - History of the Kasanka Project - Aims and objectives
- Financial
About The Kasanka Trust
The Kasanka Trust in Zambia is incorporated as a non-profit charitable
institution with tax exemption. It has a board of 7 honorary trustees
who meet in Lusaka and take responsibility for all aspects of planning
and policy making. The Zambian Trust has responsibility for Park management,
community development, and tourism under the terms of the management agreement
with the government. Implementation in the Park is through a Park Manager,
Community Relations Officer, Projects Coordinator and a team of around
90 locally employed staff. The Kasanka Trust (UK) is a registered charity
in the UK with a board of 8 honorary trustees and a secretary. They meet
in London and are primarily concerned with fundraising for activities
in Zambia. They also assist with expert advice and procurement of equipment
from time to time. Both trusts operate with minimal administrative expenditure,
relying on trustees, the secretary and other volunteers giving their time
free. With interest and tax incentives, 100% of money raised is spent
directly in the field on conservation and community development.
History
of the Kasanka Project
In 1985, a British expatriate who had lived in Zambia on and off for many
years, visited Kasanka out of curiosity. There were no roads or bridges
and no tourists had penetrated the Park for many years, but he managed
to explore a little on foot. On hearing the crack of gunshots he concluded
that if there was still poaching, there must still be animals! He was
impressed with the beautiful habitats he found and decided to try and
save the Park from complete destruction and the threat of losing its National
Park status. He teamed up with a local farmer who had also explored the
Park a little, and the two used their own resources to employ scouts and
build roads, bridges and temporary camps. These early efforts were encouraged
by the government, which had been unable to manage the Park itself. In
order to help raise funds and formalise their position, they formed the
Kasanka Trust, which was registered in Zambia (1987) and UK (1989). The
Project soon attracted attention from conservationists, and tourism started
to bring in a little money to help cover costs. In 1990, the National
Parks and Wildlife Services (NPWS) was 'Bream' Tilapia sufficiently impressed
by the progress to sign an agreement allowing the Trust to manage the
Park and develop tourism to help fund its activities. This agreement recognised
the importance of co-operation with the local community, which has always
been central to the trust’s philosophy. In May 2003 the new Zambia Wildlife
Authority which took over from National Parks and Wildlife Service, signed
a new agreement for a further 5 years which automatically renews for a
further 5 years at expiry. This agreement grants the Kasanka Trust “exlusive
rights to manage and develop Kasanka National Park….” In June 2002 the
Trust received a vote of confidence when it’s founder David Lloyd was
awarded an OBE medal in the Queens Jubilee honours for his vision and
determination in seeing the Kasanka Trust project through to where it
is today.
Aims
and objectives
The Kasanka Trust was formed to bring effective management to Kasanka
National Park and thereby protect the flora and fauna in as natural a
state as possible. By developing infrastructure and tourism the aim is
to make the Park self-sustaining and bring benefits to the local community.
The Trust promotes education and research in wildlife conservation and
supports rural development schemes in the adjacent community. The funding
for these activities comes from a number of sources, including foreign
governments, charities, individual supporters and tourists. The ultimate
goals of Kasanka Trust are to secure the future of biodiversity in Kasanka
National Park, funded through tourism revenue, and to sustain as well
as stimulate the local economy through improved natural resource management.
The Trust is also keen to expand its area of influence and specifically
assist the management of the Bangweulu Wetlands and Lavushi Manda National
Park.
Financial
Roughly half of the costs of managing the Park are raised from tourism
revenue with the balance coming from charitable support. Amongst the many
individuals and institutions who have helped us, the Holly Hill Trust
in UK has been particularly generous with support for the all-important
core costs such as fuel and salaries. The Kasanka Trust has also been
fortunate to receive funding for several specific projects both inside
the Park and for the surrounding community. Recent funding includes: A
grant from the Beit Trust for new Lodge buildings and boreholes at Wasa
and Luwombwa Lodges. Funding from the States of Guernsey and The German
Embassy in Lusaka to build and equip The Chalilo Clinic, with additional
funding now received from FIDES in Holland for Clinic staff housing.
back
to top |
