Wasa Lodge is a lodge on the shore of Lake Wasa in Kasanka National Park, run by Kasanka Trust, the conservation organisation that manages the park. It is the park’s reception point and the usual base for the bat gathering.
Best for
Self-drivers and naturalists who want a world-class wildlife phenomenon without a charter flight, and anyone whose interest runs to birds, sitatunga and swamp forest rather than big cats. Not for anyone expecting safari-lodge polish, or who needs to stay reachable: there is no wifi and no phone signal.
Location
Thatched buildings are strung along the lakeshore, each with a veranda facing the water, twelve kilometres inside the park gate. Kasanka is one of Zambia’s smallest national parks at around 390 square kilometres, and its landscape is miombo woodland, swamp forest, rivers and dambos rather than open savanna.
Rooms and style at Wasa Lodge
A mix of traditional-style rondavels and larger chalets, all en-suite with flushing toilets and showers and private verandas with lake views. The Trust does not publish a unit count; independent listings suggest around seven rooms sleeping roughly fourteen.
Facilities at Wasa Lodge
Central thatched dining area, lounge with fireplace, bar, terrace and campfire area. Solar lighting only, and no wifi or mobile signal.
Trade-offs and what to know
Comfort is basic: solar lighting, simple bathrooms and no air conditioning.
Off-grid. No wifi, no phone signal.
Narrow season of interest. Outside October to December the bats are absent and the rest of the offer is specialist; this is a poor general big-game park.
Bat season is rainy season: heat, humidity, muddy tracks, mosquitoes and pre-dawn starts, with hides reached by ladder.
Getting there and getting around
This is the most road-accessible of Zambia’s remote parks: about seven hours from Lusaka, and the Trust states the road is tarred and in good condition all the way to the park entrance, with Serenje the last fuel. High clearance helps on park tracks and becomes necessary in the wet. There is also an airstrip about 4 km from the lodge.
Explore the area
Compare other places to stay at Kasanka, browse accommodation across Bangweulu and the Central Wetlands, read our Bangweulu & Central Wetlands guide, or start from where to stay in Zambia.
Before you book
Wasa is catered, in contrast to the park’s self-catering options, so meals are included. Park conservation fees, drinks and activity charges are not clearly itemised by the Trust, and as an NGO-run park you should expect park fees to be separate. Children are welcome by the Trust’s own policy, though the lodge is basic and unfenced. The Trust lists the lodge as open all year; October to December is bat season, strongest from mid-November to mid-December, and there are very few beds in the whole park for those weeks.
Current rates and availability
We do not publish fixed rates for Wasa Lodge, because pricing and availability change with dates and demand. Use the Check Availability button on this page to see the current options offered by the independent booking provider. Zambia Travel Guide does not set prices, hold inventory or take payment.