On the banks of the wildlife-brimmed Lunga River in northern Zambia, Lolelunga Private Reserve, part of the Zambia Luxury Lodge Collection, opened for the 2026 safari season (May 10th to November 15th) not as a finished product of conservation, but as a dynamic, evolving landscape where guests can witness and meaningfully engage with one of Africa’s most ambitious private rewilding projects to date.
Spanning 30,000 hectares, approximately twice the size of Washington DC, in Zambia’s lesser-visited northern Kafue region, Lolelunga is the country's first fully fenced private reserve dedicated to large-scale ecological restoration. Once severely degraded and depleted by poaching, deforestation, and overfishing, the reserve has been methodically transformed through habitat rehabilitation, intensive anti-poaching initiatives, and carefully managed species reintroductions.
The 2026 season represents a defining chapter in Lolelunga’s restoration journey. At the heart of the reserve’s success is its pioneering cheetah reintroduction program, launched in 2024 to restore a species that had long disappeared from the area. Working closely with conservation specialists and wildlife authorities, Lolelunga carefully introduced founder animals into the reserve as part of a long-term strategy to establish a sustainable breeding population while contributing to the recovery of Zambia’s critically small wild cheetah population, estimated at fewer than 100 individuals nationwide.
That vision took a major step forward in 2025 when the reserve celebrated the birth of three healthy cheetah cubs, marking the first recorded cheetah breeding success on the property. More than simply a conservation milestone for Lolelunga, the births demonstrated that the reserve's restored habitat, growing prey base, and carefully managed ecosystem are capable of supporting the successful reproduction of one of Africa’s most vulnerable predators. Guests visiting during the 2026 season may have the rare opportunity to observe the resident cheetahs and their growing family as they continue to establish themselves within the reserve.
In April 2026, Lolelunga achieved another historic milestone with Zambia’s first-ever rewilding of captive-bred lions. Fifteen years ago, lions roamed the area that now forms part of the reserve before poaching and human-wildlife conflict led to their disappearance. Following extensive evaluation of potential source populations, Lolelunga partnered with Mukuni Big Five near Livingstone to undertake a groundbreaking conservation initiative: rescuing captive-bred lions and preparing them for life in the wild.
The male and female lions arrived at the reserve in April and entered a dedicated rewilding boma, where they began the carefully managed process of adapting from captivity to natural conditions. Since their arrival, the pair has successfully established a stable social hierarchy and strong social bond, two of the most critical early milestones in the rewilding process. Reserve teams have also confirmed that the lions have successfully acclimatized to their new environment and are increasingly exhibiting natural behaviors, including calm feeding responses, territorial awareness, and instinctive predator behaviors.
As part of the program, the lions are fed whole carcasses to encourage natural feeding patterns, strengthen muscle development, and reinforce wild instincts ahead of their eventual release into the wider reserve. GPS telemetry systems are currently being finalized to support ongoing monitoring once the animals transition beyond the boma. Both lions remain in excellent physical condition and continue to make encouraging progress toward full rewilding.
Later this year, black rhino reintroductions are planned, advancing the reserve’s vision of restoring a complete and balanced predator-prey ecosystem and ultimately re-establishing all of the region’s historic flagship wildlife species.
“This is genuine regenerative conservation in action,” said Jennifer Beattie, Director of Sales & Marketing, Zambia Luxury Lodge Collection. “Lolelunga is not a conservation theatre. Rather, we are inviting our guests to experience something rare: a landscape that is still actively healing, where every stay contributes to the recovery of a once-lost ecosystem. Guests are witnessing conservation not as a finished success story, but as a living process unfolding in real time.”
The intimate riverside lodge, which soft-launched in 2025 and officially reopened in May 2026, accommodates just 14 guests in seven elegantly appointed suites, including three Standard King Rooms, two Junior Suites, and one Family Suite, all with uninterrupted views of the Lunga River. Designed with contemporary luxury and deep environmental sensitivity, the property features a rim-flow swimming pool overlooking the water, a serene spa with far-reaching reserve views, a well-equipped gym with an outdoor yoga deck, and the signature Ngoma Deck for private dining or unforgettable starlit sleep-outs.
Guests can immerse themselves in the rewilding story through twice-daily game drives, walking safaris, guided canoeing on the Lunga River, catch-and-release fishing, and expert-led birdwatching across more than 340 recorded species. Rather than following fixed routes, experiences are shaped by the rhythms of the recovering landscape, offering a privileged window into elephants feeding in the treetops, cheetahs raising cubs on the plains, and the gradual return of lions to an ecosystem they once called home.
Set just 30km north of Kafue National Park and seamlessly connected to other properties in the Zambia Luxury Lodge Collection, Lolelunga delivers an exclusive, low-impact luxury safari where high-end comfort and meaningful conservation are inseparable.
Pictured left to right and top to bottom: Top left is Lolelunga Private Reserve, Zambia, courtesy of Lolelunga Private Reserve; top right are three cheetah cubs who were born at Lolelunga Private Reserve in 2025 (Image credit: Shafeeq Mulla); bottom left is Lolelunga Private Reserve on the banks of the Lunga River, courtesy of Lolelunga Private Reserve; and bottom right is a newly reintroduced lion at Lolelunga Private Reserve, courtesy of Lolelunga Private Reserve.
