The Maluka Birding Society on the Zambezi river

With Maluka Birding Society as the flagship, we are creating a fully green eco-lodge and village community that will become the benchmark for truly sustainable tourism and experiences. This model places the community first, and the investor second. Purpose before profit, earth before man. We are currently raising the funds from like-minded individuals and groups, in order to create an eco-lodge and camp that will take bookings and generate income from our unique, eco-tourism model. The space The Maluka Birding Society Welcome to the Maluka Birding Society, where man and earth live in peace, balance and synchronicity. We are a community of free spirits, working together to create a new way of life, in harmony with the earth and her natural rhythms. Located on the vibrant banks of the beautiful Zambezi River, this community is working together on a pioneering project to restore the ancient and important balance between man, beast, and earth. The Maluka Birding Society relies on the generosity and goodwill of Maluka village and its people, who live and work on tribal land that spans over 10 000 hectares. This land not only encompasses arable fields, riverside enclaves ideal for birding, fishing and meditation, and roaming wildlife, it also houses an international school and various thriving community projects. Maluka is located around 40km from Livingstone and the Vic Falls, and takes just under an hour to reach by car/taxi from Livingstone international airport . We regard Maluka as an undiscovered gem in southern Africa, rich with birdlife, wildlife and populated by some of the most gentle-hearted people that one is fortunate enough to meet! Our vision, while philosophical in nature, has a very practical grounding. We plan to launch a new, not-for-profit eco-tourism model that blends our passion for birding, wildlife and community engagement with sustainable tourism and community-led experiences. Building a circular ‘economy’ With Maluka Birding Society as the flagship, we are creating a fully green eco-lodge and village community that will become the benchmark for truly sustainable tourism and experiences. This model places the community first, and the investor second. Purpose before profit, earth before man. We are currently raising the funds from like-minded individuals and groups, in order to create an eco-lodge and camp that will take bookings and generate income from our unique, eco-tourism model. The earnings will be used to gather the necessary resources from local suppliers in Livingstone and its surrounding communities. Using these resources, we will partner with a local team of builders from Maluka. This is an experienced team, having built many 5-star lodges around Maluka and Livingstone. Working with members of MBS, this building process will be carried out as time and resources allow, and we will continue to update members regularly with pictures and news. This is a journey, and nothing will be rushed. Having recently spent three months in the village, I can assure you that Maluka’s residents are the most kind, generous and loving people. I gave my word I would return, and I would love to share this life-changing adventure with other like-minded and pioneering spirits. The Journey to Balance: Our Path As we begin building, most of the materials will be sourced from the village. This will include: wood, rocks, building sand, reeds and thatching all gathered from the area. We are not building a 5-star lodge. We are building gorgeous wooden cabins, with one central lodge area. We will expand the lodge and camp as resources permit – always respectful of everyone’s time and family life. Each little wooden cabin costs around £2000 £3000 to build, and takes 7 builders about 2 weeks to complete. This is a gradual and ever-evolving canvas, which will grow harmoniously, according to the community and its supporting MBS members. The lodge will mainly be for the passionate birders (twitchers), but everyone is truly welcome. We want to share the beauty and spirit of Maluka with those who are seeking balance and harmony with earth, man and beast. The Maluka water project: One of our primary goals is to get running water to the village community via solar pumps. These solar pumps will channel water from the Zambezi River into storage tanks - and then gravity feed into the village huts, village vegetable gardens, and ultimately into our local food forest. Currently, there is no running water, and all water must be fetched from the river where hippos and crocodiles live in numbers that are dangerous to the people and families living on the banks. On average, there are ten deaths per year in this area due to crocodile attacks. It is therefore essential that the water project is completed quickly. This will be the first priority for MBS. Our key priorities: · Provide clear, running water to the village community · Build a sustainable Food Forest · Open a kitchen to feed anyone in the village (including daily lunches, where food is sourced locally and sustainably). We want to create tables whereby villagers can come for lunch and enjoy the experience together. · Build clay baking ovens for daily, fresh bread and buns for the kids. · Create cash crops to bring money into the village; and to be sold to lodges, restaurants and selected stores in Livingstone. · The village trading circle, where people can grow their own produce, create art and then trade it for free. · Fishing ponds to eat and restock the Zambezi river · Establish a training and development community centre to create employment · Create pathway training programmes for locals to become birding, fishing and river guides. There is lots of demand already for qualified guides – who are already very knowledgeable! · Tours and Experiences created around the village and its activities. · Establish a traditional medicine course, as we want to keep the ancient traditions and treatments alive and strong. · Establish a village school / creche for young children. Ultimately, Maluka will become the living organism that interacts with the sole purpose of putting nature first. The Maluka villagers are the guardians of this vibrant and pristine area for future generations, and the idea is to get the village fully self-sufficient (and weaned off the current, extractive ‘for profit’ business models that dominate modern tourism). How it works: The MBS founding principles The MBS eco-lodge and camp will operate by selling bed nights for £50 per night on Airbnb, as well as through tours and excursions. These offers will include food from the food gardens, and eventually, the food forest as well. The bed night rate will cover the day to day operational costs and the camp’s staff salaries. All food will come from the village and it will be sustained through a biodynamic farming approach. All surplus money will go towards the village council, to fund the monthly building projects and to ensure that every project is operating sustainably - and in accordance with the founding principles and ethics. The MBS managers will take 10% of income to ensure that the team can visit once a year and guide the process accordingly. We are fully committed to our vision, and our commitment is to the community and to the earth – as well as to future generations of free spirits who wish to live in harmony and balance with nature. “What is man without the beasts? If all the beasts were gone, men would die from great loneliness of spirit, for whatever happens to the beast also happens to the man. All things are connected. Whatever befalls the earth befalls the sons of the earth.” Restoring Natural Abundance Western business principles have failed us. A quick glance at global news confirms this. Societies are collapsing, and the world economic order no longer serves man nor earth. Communities are breaking down. With this in mind, we at Maluka Birding Society are returning to ancient ways, with the ethos that as homo sapiens, we are here to serve the earth and protect nature. We wish to restore her natural balance, so that she may find peace … and in doing so, give us the fruits of her abundance. There is no doubt that we have lost our ways in greed and desire, and our commercial approach to living is simply not working anymore. We need to rethink the way we live and relate with one another, and with this earth, otherwise it will all be lost to us forever. If we don’t act now, the mysteries and magic of Mother Nature will disappear, permanently. What makes MBS different? We are essentially creating a new way of living and trading. We plan to channel 90% of the turnover from the MBS eco-lodge and camp to the village, and take 10% as a management fee. The village elders, the wise leaders, will carry out the day to day operations and guide the village. Their guidance will be centred on their own mythologies and guiding principles. The managers will be there to create the flow of people, assign tasks, and manage key resources to support the community. We are not here to impose our own way, but to create a platform and model that will keep ancient traditions strong, alive and central to community life. In the long term, Maluka village and MBS will become the lighthouse for future generations, a showcase of how to create tourism using local resources and local expertise. It will be a showcase of the circular economy approach within global tourism and travel, in which profit does not get taken out, but instead gets channelled back in to enrich the village, its resources, and its people. There will be a natural sustainability to our model, as everyone pulls together to achieve a shared, and spiritually-based vision of living with (and for) the earth. “The only myth that’s going to be worth thinking about in the immediate future is one that’s talking about the planet. Not this city, not these people, but the planet and everybody on it. That’s my main thought for what the future myth is going to be. And what it will have to deal with will be exactly what all myths have dealt with: the maturation of the individual, the gradual, pedagogical way to follow, from dependency through adulthood to maturity, and then to the exit and how to do it. And then how to relate to this society, and how to relate this society to the world of nature and the cosmos. That’s what the myths have all talked about; that’s what this one’s got to talk about. But the society that it’s going to talk about is the society of the planet, and until that gets going, you don’t have anything…” Joseph Campbell The MBS vision for 2020: Get involved We are not the owners of this project and its outcomes, and never will be - we do not believe in ownership! Rather, we are the water to the planted seeds. If you have water to give, then please give the village a chance to thrive…this act of giving will find its way back to you, in many forms! So, how do you get involved? We envision several options: The first is to actually fly out, join us and become a part of the ground team. The first trip will be in late October 2020. The cost will be split among the group, and we will stay for a week. This will be an unforgettable adventure to one of the most pristine and exciting parts of southern Africa! Then, if you wish to stay longer, even better… although myself and other members will be returning to their ‘other’ lives. All accommodation, food, water, transfers from the airport and to the island and so forth will be shared costs. As it stands, we are looking at costs of around £60-90 per day... We are staying at a fishing lodge on an island, which is truly magical. It is well worth any long haul flight! There are a total of 10 places at the island lodge, and so far we have 5 places booked. If that gets booked up, there are many other great options to stay in surrounding lodges. The second option is to book a few bed nights in advance for yourself, and then come one day and stay at the lodge. There is no deadline on when you have to redeem your bed nights, or if you want to give your bed nights to a friend or family members. We are very flexible! (this is the biggest revenue stream generator needs a full pump, Bed nights will always be sold at £50 per night. This is an extremely low rate for this region. We are able to offer this low rate because this not a business - this is an initiative, run by passionate people, to create a new way of living and trading. We are not an extractive, for-profit business – quite the opposite! We aim to give back, and enrich the lives of the community and its surrounding areas. The third option is to simply donate to the Maluka Birding Society. Every donation will help, and initial donations will go towards the Maluka Water Project. As the other projects are rolled out (food forest, guide training programmes, etc), there will be options to donate directly as well. We also welcome volunteers, all throughout the year. Volunteers will be given accommodation and food, all within the guardianship of the Maluka villagers and MBS. The more people we can get involved, and who experience the joy and beauty of Maluka, the sooner we can restore the balance, vibrance, and abundance of ancient times. Birding: 428 known species The Victoria Falls area is diverse, including as it does here Kazungula and the Zambezi National Park to the south of the Falls and many different habitats. Our bird list should be used with some discretion as some birds occur only in the Kazungula area. Kazungula occupies the most westerly corner of the country with the Zambezi River and its swamps and floodplains, acacia and open woodland, with Zambia just across the river, Botswana to the west and an arrow point of the Caprivi Strip north of that. On the floodplains are specials such as the Slaty Egret, Long-toed Lapwings, Coppery-tailed Coucal, Swamp Nightjar, Hartlaub’s Babbler, Greater Swamp-warbler, Luapula and Chirping Cisticolas, Plain-backed Pipit, Southern Brown-throated Weaver and Swamp Boubou. Kazungula occupies the most westerly corner of the country with the Zambezi River and its swamps and floodplains, acacia and open woodland, with Zambia just across the river, Botswana to the west and an arrow point of the Caprivi Strip north of that. On the floodplains are specials such as the Slaty Egret, Long-toed Lapwings, Coppery-tailed Coucal, Swamp Nightjar, Hartlaub’s Babbler, Greater Swamp-warbler, Luapula and Chirping Cisticolas, Plain-backed Pipit, Southern Brown-throated Weaver and Swamp Boubou. Shelley’s Sunbird is found and there is a strong probability of Basra Reed-warbler, as yet to be officially added to the Zimbabwean list. Fan-tailed Widowbird is marginal to the country at this spot with Burchell’s Starling more common. Bradfield’s Hornbill, Broad-tailed Paradise-whydah, Orange-winged Pytilia, Shaft-tailed Whydah, Red-necked Falcon, Olive-tree Warbler are generally found in the woodlands of the area, Denham’s Bustard in the National Park, along with occasional and rare Red-headed Quelea between the Falls and Kazungula. The Victoria Falls can give you Brown Firefinch, Schalow’s Turaco, Olive Woodpecker, Northern Grey-headed Sparrow, Collared Palm-thrush and many others. The gorges are very popular for adventure-type safaris and activities and this has threatened the Taita Falcon though Peregrine Falcons are more tolerant of disturbance. There are also many other raptors to be seen in the area, including the migrants in summer. African Black Swifts are common in the gorges and the mottled holliday race here has led to reports of Mottled Swift! Naturally every birder knows to check out the local sewage works and the ponds at Victoria Falls are no exception. Ross’s Turaco has been reported from the river and here you can find Western Banded Snake-eagle, Lesser Sand Plover (rare), Grey Plover, Ruddy Turnstone, Rufous-bellied Heron, Rock, Collared and Black-winged Pratincoles, African Skimmer and many other waders and waterbirds. birdlifezimbabwe Photos from birdquest-tours Guest access There are 5 cabins that are en-suit - all have river views and are private. 1 central lodge overlooking the Zambezi river 1 central kitchen open air fire place which will be open 24/7 and always there will be a fire going Earth swimming pool Bird hides scattered around the area Local shop to buy food, or get the chef to cook for you at £5 per plate excluding food. Food can be bought by the chef before arriving - or you can shop in Livingstone with our guide and get all you need before arriving. During your stay We will always have a member of the Maluka Birding Society on call 24/7. The village runs this lodge and always will. There is always someone there to help and guide you. There is a night watchmen always on duty. He normally will man the fire and help with what ever you need at night day Day time staff - there will always be day time staff in the camp - This is owned by the village and there will always been people helping out where they can. Other things to note All food can be bought in Livingstone on arrival or pre-bought in advanced for your arrival. Please contact MBS to arrange anything you need. We are open to all ideas and thoughts. This also includes all your drinks... There is a local shop and "bush pub" in the village. Its better to support local than to buy from a large food chain.