This unique, peanut-shaped country, once known as Northern Rhodesia, offers visitors an authentic African experience complete with adrenalin pumping adventure sports, a variety of fascinating cultural activities, and an abundance of indigenous wildlife, which finds refuge in Zambia’s vast national parks. Spend your evenings enjoying the spectacular site of the world’s largest waterfall, the Victoria Falls, while sipping on sundowners after an exhilarating day of whitewater rafting down the rapids of the mighty Zambezi River. If that sounds a little too adventurous for your taste, take a houseboat cruise along the exquisite Lake Kariba while watching wild elephants drink at the riverbank as you try your hand at catching the elusive tiger fish. However you choose to spend your time in this unique country, you are bound to leave with a heavy heart and a desire to return again soon to this exceptionally beautiful Southern African country.
At the southern tip of the Great Rift Valley lies the South Luangwa National Park, one of Africa's premier wildlife sanctuaries. It's a place of primeval forest and lush savanna, stretching for hundreds of miles and encompassing the Luangwa River basin, its adjacent highlands and a mosaic of different habitats extending outwards from the central river. The brooding Luangwa River meanders through the luxuriant valley, supporting thousands of hippo and crocodile and sustaining the park. South Luangwa has one of the greatest game concentrations in Africa. Elephant, a wide variety of antelope, buffalo, kudu, zebra, Thornycroft's giraffe and wildebeest occur in great numbers, as well as over 400 bird species. Lion, wild dog and hyena are also common and the park is famed for its excellent leopard sightings.
The Luangwa experience differs with the seasons: in the dry winter months from June to September you can stay at small seasonal safari camps in glorious seclusion; the more sophisticated lodges, close to the main gate at Mfuwe Bridge, remain open longer. Many visitors spend a couple of nights spinning off a few rolls of film here in the south, where animals are relaxed and used to vehicles, then head into the wilderness. Delightful camps occupy prime sites on ancient oxbow lakes, amidst shady ebony groves, and offer day and night game drives in open vehicles. The standard of guiding is exceptionally good - walking safaris were pioneered in Luangwa and it still sets the pace. Expert guides lead you through the bush, giving you the opportunity to observe the game at close quarters and gain fascinating insights into the ways of the wild - a magical experience.
On the northern bank of the Zambezi river, the remote Lower Zambezi National Park is a rich and beautiful water sanctuary for wildlife - great herds of elephant, buffalo and impala, and small groups of warthog, zebra and baboon are drawn to the river and this in turn attracts lion and hyena. Behind the floodplain grasslands rises the picturesque wooded escarpment. Together with Zimbabwe’s Mana Pools Reserve it provides a massive transfronteir wildlife sanctuary.
Game viewing is on foot, in open vehicles, by boat and, most characteristically, by canoe, enabling the visitor to glide silently among animals quenching their thirst. Tiger fishing is also on offer.
The Victoria Falls is a dramatic natural wonder of the world as well as a World Heritage Site. It certainly is a sight not to be missed: the clouds of spray generated by this thunderous descent have resulted in a lush rain forest full of stunning wild flowers and the most spectacular views of the Falls are from the Zambian side of the gorge.
Various optional activities are on offer including canoeing and languorous sunset river cruises on the tranquil Upper Zambezi above the falls. To gain an overall impression of the Falls, the helicopter 'Flight of Angels' is considered essential by some. For the more adventurous, micro light flights, terrifying bungee jumping and arguably the best commercial white water rafting in the world are all available. Game drives and horse riding are also offered in the Zambezi National Park to view elephant and buffalo as well as elephant interactions.
The best time to view the Falls is probably between April/May and August when the spray is less so that the Falls are easier to capture on film and yet the flow of water is still impressive. As the dry season progresses, the volume of water over the Falls declines quite dramatically. Visitors in late September to December need to be aware of this and we recommend that you book a helicopter trip or a microlite flight over the Victoria Falls so that you can enjoy the full length of the Falls.
