At Royal Chundu, delicious means connecting the threads of community.

In our new Delicious Journeys video, filmed with Etched Space for Relais & Châteaux’s inspiring global #deliciousjourneys campaign, one Chitenge cloth shows the story of how this iconic local fabric and the spirit of community connects us and all that we do on our bank of the Zambezi River in Zambia.

Chitenge is a symbol of Royal Chundu and our family and pride.

It weaves through the homes and lives of the people in our team and those living around us. It empowers us and supports us. It gives us daily joy and hope.

The spirit of community lies at the core of Royal Chundu. It is our heart and soul, purpose and drive, as a community-run lodge on the Zambezi in Zambia, employing 99% local Zambians and supporting local producers, services and suppliers and other initiatives at every opportunity.

Royal Chundu is a celebration of the spirit, flavours and styles of Zambia in every touch.

And Chitenge is one way that we celebrate our pride for our home and people with the cloth’s myriad of colours and patterns. Similar to a sarong, Chitenge is often worn wrapped around the body, over the head as a headscarf, or as a baby sling. It is widely used in the local community surrounding Royal Chundu and features throughout our colourful interior design and clothes and our shop with the Zambezi Makers, called The Zambezi Joy Society.

We work with local Chitenge seamstresses who create beautiful tablesettings, cushion covers, dresses and more for the lodge and as an entrepreneurial endeavour to provide income opportunities to local people to be able to support their families.

This is what delicious means to us, this is what inspires us and what we hope to inspire our guests and others around the world with: connecting the threads of community.

Discover more in The Royal Chundu Story below!

Read about the Spirit of Community at Royal Chundu here >