Shiwa N'Gandu & Kapishya Hot Springs

Shiwa N'Gandu

In the north east of Zambia is Shiwa N’gandu, a country estate with beautiful English gardens and a slightly austere manor home - an unusual and incongruous sight considering its surroundings. The estate has a very interesting history. It was founded by Stewart Gore-Browne, an English gentleman born in 1883. He first came across Shiwa N’gandu in 1911 during his initial visit to Africa with the military commission. Before returning to Zambia after World War I, he spent time in South Africa post the Boer War and was shocked at the attitude of white South Africans to blacks. The situation there fuelled his desire to create a philanthropic community in the heart of Africa - almost in protest to the prejudice he had witnessed in the south.

On his return to Zambia, he bought Shiwa N’gandu and the surrounding land. By 1925 he was employing 1,800 local people and with the resources of this tremendous workforce, he built worker’s cottages, a school, a clinic, bridges and workshops and lastly a splendid manor house on the hillside above the lake. Sir Stewart Gore-Browne received his knighthood from King George VI and he was also highly respected by President Kaunda. When he died in 1967 aged 84, he was given a full state funeral and was buried on a hill overlooking Shiwa – a rare honour normally reserved for Bemba chiefs.

The estate is now run by his grandson and is worth a visit if you are passing through the region. It is a fascinating place with some incredibly interesting features, some wonderful old buildings and lovely gardens with bright bougainvillaea, jacaranda and neatly laid out cypress trees. Inside the manor, wood panelled walls, muskets, sturdy chests, stone staircases and old military pictures are redolent of an era long since passed.

Kapishya Hot Springs

About 12 miles away from Shiwa N’gandu are the Kapishya Hot Springs, a great attraction in their own right. Here, hot water bubbles out from the white sands of a lovely, crystal clear pool and combined with the cool of the river it makes a gorgeous place for bathing. The springs are surrounded by lush tropical vegetation and tall raffia palms.