Home to the mighty Zambezi, the awe-inspiring Victoria Falls, the aquamarine waters of southern Lake Tanganyika, the massive Lake Kariba and some of Africa’s greatest wilderness areas, it’s hard for a visitor not to fall completely and utterly in love with Zambia.
The country’s national parks are a wildlife enthusiast’s dream. Situated west of the sprawling capital of Lusaka, Kafue National Park is arguably the shiniest of Zambia’s countless jewels. At 22 400km2, Kafue is the second largest game reserve on the continent. The park stretches from the savannahs of the Nanzhila Plains in the south, up to the spectacular Busanga Swamp in the north. The Kafue River, the Zambezi’s largest tributary, runs through the reserve and branches out into a network of various other large rivers, surrounded by seasonal floodplains that attract a vast variety of animals. The park is renowned for its leopards, and holds Zambia’s last viable populations of cheetah, along with healthy numbers of the rare African wild dog. On the central eastern border of the reserve, Itezhi-Tezhi Dam has good opportunities for fishing and bird-watching, and a number of lodges are based on the dam’s banks. Apart from world-class safaris, the park’s numerous camps offer river cruises, walks and hot air ballooning.
Zambia has a host of other game reserves worthy of attention, including South Luangwa, Liuwa Plains, Sioma Ngwezi and the Lower Zambezi National Park.
As one of the world’s great natural wonders, Victoria Falls, situated on the border with Zimbabwe, is understandably the country’s most popular tourist attraction. A number of vantage points give visitors jaw-dropping views of the powerful Zambezi River thundering over a wide basalt cliff more than 1.5 kilometres in length. The Knife-Edge Bridge offers a particularly special view of the falls in all their glory. When visiting in the summer months, prepare yourself to be drenched by the misty spray (be sure to keep your camera dry) which can reach heights of over 400 metres and be seen from up to 30 kilometres away. The Zambian side allows visitors to swim quite literally on the lip of the falls, but it’s recommended that you get a day pass to visit the Zimbabwean side too, giving you the best possible perspectives of this one-of-a-kind spectacle. If you have money to burn, then a helicopter flight over the falls is truly breathtaking. For the fearless, the bungee jump from the Victoria Falls Bridge is a must, whilst the boiling rapids of the Zambezi River below the falls offer some of the most thrilling (sometimes terrifying) white water rafting on earth.
Around the falls, there are accommodation options to suit all budgets, ranging from the family-oriented AVANI Victoria Falls Resort, to the opulent Royal Livingstone Hotel, the charismatic Fawlty Towers guest house and the funky Livingstone Backpackers in the heart of the falls’ satellite town.
Zambia is a fishing destination par excellence, with the Zambezi River and Lake Kariba boasting large populations of Africa’s fiercest freshwater fish – the tigerfish. The best (and most relaxing) way to experience the freshwater inland sea that is Kariba is from a houseboat, where sunset cruises, wildlife watching and fishing can be effortlessly combined.
A small portion of Lake Tanganyika, one of the world’s deepest and most pristine lakes, can be explored right at the north-eastern tip of Zambia. The lake has more than 350 fish species, and is bordered by white sand beaches reminiscent of a tropical island.
*This article was written by a TWNA journalist, Dale Hes for The Traveller Magazine.