Zambia is a country reclaimed by nature: time is measured in seasons; a hand-painted drum lid announces hair-cuts and coffins; and a rough-hewn plank nailed to a pole indicates your arrival at one of Africa's best safari reserves.
One of the focal points of activity on a Zambia safari is Victoria Falls. One of the seven wonders of the natural world, the spectacle of the Zambezi River throwing its entire width over a 100m chasm in a thundering, mist-shrouded roar can produce sensations of epiphanic proportions.
There is also a never-ending list of things to do in and around Vic Falls including elephant-back safaris, scenic flights, game viewing, river cruises and a host of world-renowned adventure activities.
North of Victoria Falls is the seasonal Kafue National Park, which has found a new lease of protected life and is enjoying itself tremendously. Kafue is Zambia's largest and most diverse game reserve with grassland, woodland and wetland habitats supporting a range of wildlife from cheetah to sitatunga, lion to lechwe and Lichtenstein's Hartebeest to the endemic Defassa waterbuck. Safari territory at its best.
In the far east of Zambia and part of the Great Rift Valley, the Luangwa River carves its way through Zambia's most revered game reserve: the South Luangwa National Park. Beautiful, wild and captivating, the South Luangwa is the birthplace of the famous Zambia walking safaris and to this day ranks as one of the best wildlife destinations in Africa. Open all year round the South Luangwa offers exceptional birding and wildlife safaris on foot, on water and in open vehicles day and night.
Completing the Zambian wildlife safari circuit is the sensational Lower Zambezi National Park, its namesake marking the southern border of the wildlife reserve for 120km. Opposite Mana Pools, the Lower Zambezi features distinct habitats, exciting river safaris and the full spectrum of wildlife along one of Africa's great rivers.
One of Zambia's main highlights, alongside all its incredible wildlife destinations, Victoria Falls about midway on the Zambezi River course is spectacular. The largest sheet of falling water in the world with a mean flow of 935 cubic metres per second. Crazy.
Cruise the Zambezi River, at sunset and for dinner is recommended. Take a helicopter flip over the falls, it's not called "The Flight of Angels" for nothing. It's well worth it. A chance to grasp just how incredible the falls really are. Meander the rain forests. Adrenaline activities abound, which of course Devil's Pool is front runner on the Zambian side from Livingstone Island. You will actually swim to the edge of the falls and plunge into the natural rock pool on the ledge. It's one for daredevils. Only conducted when the water levels are low enough, so if this is a must on your activity list then you'd best plan for travel between late August to early January. Even then this depends on rainfall so best to check in advance.
Kafue National Park has an extraordinary diversity of habitats including dense forests along the perennial rivers, undulating miombo and mopane woodlands, grassy savannah plains and the 750sq km Busanga floodplains which attract various plains game and flocks of birds during its seasonal recession.
Kafue National Park has the highest species list of any park in Zambia. Kafue is probably the best place to see cheetah in Zambia; lion and leopard are also plentiful and the park has one of the widest range of antelope in the region.
Zambia's Lower Zambezi is fast becoming a major game park in the region with excellent wildlife safaris. With about 120km of river frontage, this wild and undeveloped park is a vast floodplain of tributaries, islands and channels beyond which its grassy acacia plains rise up to a heavily wooded escarpment. Across the river is Zimbabwe and Mana Pools effectively making one large game reserve of quite magnificent constituents.
A safari on water is as relaxing and enchanting as a safari on foot is exciting. The ever-changing scenery is always magical with large heavy-limbed trees overhanging the water, lush islands and winding channels. The game viewing is excellent as you draw no attention and pose no threat in your silent, gliding vessel.
Game drives, walking safaris, sport fishing, canoeing and night drives all feature on your daily to-do list in the Lower Zambezi National Park with the variety of wildlife and birdlife never far from your binocular vision.
While most of Zambia's parks are forced into hibernation over the rainy season, from November to March, the South Luangwa National Park shines as an exceptional green destination.
Discover abundant wildlife and unspoiled bush. This is Zambia's premier wildlife destination. A big game safari guaranteed. Largely unexplored and untouched, South Luangwa National Park is as raw and wild as it gets. It's the birthplace of guided walking safaris so explore the bush on foot, the guides here are some of the best.
Guided game drives and night drives deliver great sightings. Expect large elephant and buffalo herds and a high density of leopard. And phenomenal birding especially during rain season (November to April).
