Zambia: What to Expect / Highlights
Huge Wilderness Areas
With small, private lodges that have not yet succumbed to mass tourism.
Lower Zambezi Valley National Park
Its distinguishing features are the rugged escarpment to the north, the river itself, and its numerous islands, lagoons and flood plains which attract most of the wildlife. There are approximately 50 mammal species and 400 bird species which thrive in the Park, as well as a wide variety of spectacular trees, grasses and flowers.
Zambezi River
The fourth longest river in Africa, the Zambezi is wild - its rapids and islands, lush banks, forests and swirling reaches are largely uninhabited except by snorting hippos and sandbanks of crocodiles. The great mammals of Africa, buffalo, elephant, lion, and leopard, all rely on the Zambezi for their source of life, water, and the best way to see them is afloat by canoe - an exhilarating and non-intrusive way to experience the river.
Luangwa Valley
This is a pristine stretch of lush riverine vegetation, plentiful game and fantastic bird watching. Walking safaris were pioneered in the Luangwa Valley and continue on. This is the only place where one is able to see Thornicroft's giraffe and Cookson's wildebeest. Thousands of hippos and crocodiles lounge in the pools and river.
Kafue National Park
Kafue is Zambia's oldest park and by far the largest (it's the second largest national park in the world), however it has remained underdeveloped until recent years. From the astounding Busanga Plains in the North-Western section of the Park to the lush wilderness of the south fed by the emerald green Lunga, Lufupa and Kafue Rivers, the park sustains huge herds of a great diversity of wildlife. Thousands of red lechwe dot the plains and the ubiquitous puku, the stately sable and roan antelopes are found in the woodland. Large prides of lion, solitary leopards and cheetahs are the prime predators. Bird watching is superb with over 400 species of birds having been recorded throughout the park.
Victoria Falls
Where the Zambezi River opens out into an extravaganza of roaring, spray-tumbled water - known to locals as "Mosi-oa-Tunya" (the smoke that thunders). The Upper Zambezi River is acclaimed as the wildest one-day white water run in the world, and is also recognized by rafting and kayaking enthusiasts as one of the top ten paddling rivers on the planet!