SUJÁN Enters Africa With Chiawa Camp And Old Mondoro Acquisition In Zambia

The Zambezi River runs through one of southern Africa’s most striking wilderness landscapes, with the river on one side and the Zambezi Escarpment rising behind the valley. Elephants gather along the banks, hippos surface in the channels, and fish eagles call from the riverine forest. Across the water lies Zimbabwe’s Mana Pools National Park. It is in this setting that Indian luxury hospitality company SUJÁN has made its first significant international expansion, acquiring Chiawa Camp and Old Mondoro from Chiawa Safaris.

Announced on September 28, 2026, the acquisition brings two established safari camps in Zambia’s Lower Zambezi National Park into SUJÁN’s portfolio. The move forms part of a wider plan to more than double its portfolio over the next four years through selective expansion centred on conservation and long-term stewardship.

Two Camps, One Riverine Wilderness

Chiawa Camp has a history stretching back to 1989, when Chiawa Safaris began operating in the Lower Zambezi. Located on the banks of the Zambezi beneath mature trees, the camp has eight safari tents and a larger Safari Suite, with its accommodation and common areas oriented towards the surrounding wilderness. The camp is known for combining traditional tented safari accommodation with access to both land and river-based experiences.

Old Mondoro, meanwhile, is a smaller camp with five chalets set beside the Zambezi. Its location gives guests direct access to the river and the channels and floodplains that surround it. The two camps are also connected by boat, making it possible to experience both during a Lower Zambezi safari.

The landscape is particularly suited to varied safari experiences. Game drives and walking safaris explore the valley floor, while canoeing and boating take travellers onto the Zambezi and its smaller channels. Fishing is another established activity, with tigerfish among the species found in the river.

The Lower Zambezi National Park covers 4,092 square kilometres, although much of its wildlife is concentrated along the valley floor and close to the river. The landscape changes from riverine vegetation and floodplains to mopane and broadleaf woodland, with the escarpment forming the backdrop. Elephant, buffalo, hippo, waterbuck, lion, leopard, and wild dog are among the larger mammals found in the area, alongside an extensive range of birdlife.

For Jaisal Singh, Founder and Chairman of SUJÁN, the move is connected to the company's long-standing conservation philosophy. Speaking about the acquisition, he described Africa as a place that has demonstrated how responsible tourism can contribute to conservation, calling the expansion “a natural extension” of what SUJÁN has practised for more than 25 years.

Exploring The Lower Zambezi

A stay at either camp puts the Zambezi at the centre of the safari. Canoe trips can take visitors through the river's quieter channels, where hippos and crocodiles are commonly seen, and elephants, buffalo, and other animals can appear along the banks. Boat safaris provide another way to explore the waterways, while guided walks focus on tracks, vegetation and smaller details of the bush that can be missed from a vehicle.

The park's position opposite Mana Pools adds another dimension to the landscape. Together, the two protected areas create a large wildlife zone on either side of the Zambezi, while the river itself forms a natural thread through the region. The Lower Zambezi's relative remoteness has also helped preserve its wilderness character, with the majority of visitors experiencing the park through small safari camps rather than large-scale tourism infrastructure.

Conservation is already deeply embedded in the region. Conservation Lower Zambezi, which has worked in the area since 1994, focuses on wildlife protection, environmental education and community empowerment, including work with communities around the park to address human-wildlife conflict.

That emphasis mirrors the philosophy SUJÁN says it has followed in India. The company began with SUJÁN Sher Bagh in Ranthambhore and has spent more than two decades developing wilderness camps around conservation and community engagement. Its camps support habitat protection and neighbouring communities, with every guest stay contributing to this wider purpose.

Anjali Singh, Co-Founder of SUJÁN and Executive Chairperson of ANAND Group, described the acquisition as a meeting of two family-founded organisations. She said the company intends to build on Chiawa's legacy while remaining focused on “authenticity, stewardship, and conservation”.

With Chiawa Camp and Old Mondoro, SUJÁN's portfolio now stretches beyond the Indian wildernesses where it established its name and into the Zambezi Valley. For travellers, the draw is a landscape shaped by one of Africa's great rivers, where a safari can move from a game drive on the valley floor to a canoe on the Zambezi within the same day.

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