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Luwire’s status as a private conservancy with 300 km of river frontage and unique inselberg geological formations affords it the opportunity to offer a differentiated photographic safari experience.  Here’s a typical stay at Luwire:

Day 1

Guests arrive at the main Lugenda River Camp where they recover from their journey to northern Mozambique.

Day 2

The following day involves early morning and early evening game drives interrupted by a long relaxing lunch.

Day 3

Features a 35 km canoe trip down the river to Lusinge Camp followed by an evening game drive.

Day 4

Features a late relaxing breakfast followed by a guided four hour walk back towards Lugenda Camp. Lunch is in the bush under trees. Guests arrive mid-afternoon at an elevated fly camp on the side of an inselberg perfect for early evening sundowners with a breath-taking  sunset view. A tasty dinner and campfire follows.

Day 5

Features a late bush breakfast flowed by a guided walk back to Lugenda Camp.

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The Lugenda River remains one of Africa’s pristine and un-spoilt waterways. It is the life blood of Northern Mozambique’s remote Niassa Reserve. The Luwire Wildlife Conservancy is privileged to protect nearly 300 km of this great river as it winds its way through the heart of the Niassa Reserve.  The Lugenda River floods seasonally but is comfortably navigable late May to mid-July each year. Class 3 (‘intermediate’) rapids are safely and enjoyably navigated by canoe. The few instances of more difficult rapids are circumvented briefly on foot.

The annual Lugenda River Splash involves a  150 kilometre trip down the river from Metarica Camp to Lugenda Camp over five days and four nights accompanied by a professional river guide and support crew. Canoeists may follow on with a day of community experience  and a few days of photographic safari. These three types of adventure made for a diverse, entertaining and wondrous experience.

Departures are regular and can be individually catered from mid-May to mid-July. Each trip can accommodate up to ten canoeists. The professional guides will again help the travellers negotiate friendly hippos and elusive crocodiles. The support crew will ensure high quality single tent accommodation and ablution facilities. Food will be prepared by a five star chef.

A typical itinerary:

Day 1

On the Lugenda River. This is a relatively easy day for acclimatization culminating in a short hand portage around the Nguli Falls where we will sleep in tents on the sandy beach below the falls. Every night features a comfortable fly camp prepared ahead of our arrival, a hot bucket shower, cold drinks around the fire and a high quality bush meal under the vast Niassa sky.

Day 2

Involves a relatively long day with plenty of action, culminating in the Makanya rapids. We stop as usual for a picnic lunch and camp after the Makanya 2 rapid.

Day 3

Requires another short portage around Madinde waterfall, after which there is a long wave train with some fine rapids. This section is fast and fun. The day culminates with another high quality bush meal around an open fire – African style.

Day 4

Features an early start at sunrise to a special scene of colour and birds on the river. We arrive at Ndapata Safari camp late afternoon for a relaxing and social evening.

Day 5

Makes our way to Lugenda Camp by road, passing through our two local communities Mussoma and Manhuri villages. We are greeted by the village Reglo (Mayor) and inspect with him one of Luwire’s community projects. We arrive in Lugenda Camp early afternoon allowing a few short tours in our Bathawk light surveillance aircraft a small 2 seater. This trip offers an exhilarating birds’ eye view of the immensity that is the Niassa Reserve. Before dinner, we shall all enjoy a night safari ride.

Day 6

Still in Lugenda Camp – Luwire’s HQ you will have the option of relaxing in camp, photographic safari trips by vehicle or walking in the iconic Ngalongue Inselburg range. We will visit a selection of the nine caves once inhabited by prehistoric Batwa and Hadsa people who have left their ancient art on the granite walls. We shall enjoy the wildlife found along the way.

Day 7

After a late breakfast, farewell is around 0930am. We fly back to Nampula or Pemba to connect with the return flight to Johannesburg and then home.

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Sustainable hunting is one of Luwire’s commercial businesses.  Hunting is an emotive activity and attracts extreme views. Some individuals would like it banned completely while others see it as a critical part of any effective conservation strategy. Luwire historically addressed this divide by hunting in only one half of the Conservancy and at levels below Government trophy quotas. Hunting was focused on a reduced area with a concentrated impact that is not sustainable and in conflict with medium term conservation objectives. Hunting is now allowed seasonally across the Reserve but still at levels below Government trophy quotas and within the context of an overall, scientifically measured, conservation plan.

The case for hunting is clear. Hunting provides critical employment (seasonal salaries and tips) for locals as well as critical income for Luwire, local communities and Government. Game is turned over to the local community limiting the need for sustenance hunting – an important conservation objective. Further, hunters must operate under a formal quota and preselect game based on age and sex while sustenance hunters have neither restriction. Finally, hunters provide a security presence that complements Luwire’s own security apparatus. Overall, hunting makes sense for many stakeholders but needs to be executed within an agreed conservation framework.

Luwire scientifically and regularly assesses its biodiversity.  This assessment provides a baseline and defines a framework for measuring conservation progress. Conservation objectives are set within this framework and agreed with Luwire’s professional hunter and community hunting partners. Conservation objectives are formally measured every year and the level and geographical or species focus of Luwire’s hunting may be adjusted to accommodate the five year conservation plan. Ultimately, Luwire’s five year commitment to hunting is renewed only if the agreed conservation, community and financial objectives are met by all parties.