The unspoiled wilderness of Zambia is perhaps its greatest tourist asset. Home of the walking safari pioneered by the legendary Norman Carr in the 1960s, Victoria Falls, the wild Zambezi River and abundant wildlife - Zambia offers an authentic safari experience.
Known as the "Adventure Capital of Africa", Zambia's most popular tourist attraction is the Victoria Falls, one of the seven great natural wonders of the world. Fly over it on a microlight flight, bungee jump from the bridge connecting Zambia and Zimbabwe or go white water rafting. The options are limitless!
Once you have got your adrenaline fix, it's time to experience the untamed and untouched wilderness. The walking safaris, particularly in the Luangwa Valley are a must! Zambia’s best safari destinations are Luangwa Valley, particularly the South Luangwa because of its accessibility, the scenically stunning Lower Zambezi and the vast wilderness of Kafue. However, there are also a number of lesser-known parks visited by fewer travellers.
Zambia also offers a remarkable activity to satisfy a safari purist’s heart – night safari, which is a major reason for the country’s incredibly high number of leopard sightings. South Luangwa is especially strong on these wonderful, but elusive cats, hence earning the name "Valley of the leopard".
The fact that you can view wildlife by boat, by vehicle - both day and night, on foot and even by air makes Zambia a unique destination.
Victoria Falls, the "Adventure Capital of Africa"
Unspoiled and untamed wilderness
Home of the "Walking Safari"
Dense concentrations of wildlife
Authentic and intimate safaris
Variety of activities - game drives, walking safari, canoe safari, fishing
Excellent "off the beaten track" honeymoon destination
The home of the walking safari, rustic bush camps and spectacular concentrations of wildlife.
Few places in Africa can offer the unique combination of South Luangwa's open, grassy plains and mature, mesmerizing woodlands, crowned with the pristine, impressive Luangwa River. This area's reputation for abundant wildlife and unspoiled vegetation is well earned, so whether driving around or walking through, the intense beauty calls to you from every corner. The park is famous for leopard sightings highlighted by the night drives, and the many spotted cats that hunt on the river have earned it the nickname "The Valley of the Leopard".
The "Adventure Capital of Africa" and one of the seven great natural wonders of the world!
During the peak season, roughly 625 million litres of Zambezi water plummet head first into a canyon every minute, producing a huge spray that rises up to 1650 feet into the air and and noise that can be heard from more than 20km away. This is the mighty Victoria Falls, known locally as "Mosi-oa-Tunya" meaning "The Smoke that Thunders". On the Zambia side, the falls is located within the Mosi-oa-Tunya National Park, where antelopes, vervet monkeys, warthogs and banded mongooses roam.
A magical landscape on an epic scale offering excellent game viewing with barely another soul in sight!
The largest national park in Zambia and the second largest in Africa, Kafue offers the greatest wildlife diversity. It is home to 19 antelope species, such as red lechwe, puku, sable, roan, wildebeest as well as types rarely seen in other palaces such as oribi, Liechtenstein’s hartebeest and sitatunga. Other animal sightings include elephant, hippo, cheetah, leopard, hyena, buffalo. While the game viewing may not rival some of the other parks, it offers a pristine wilderness experience heightened by the low density of visitors.
Where animals roam the unfenced safari camps and Africa’s most unspoilt nature stretches out in front of you!
With the mighty Zambezi river separating Zambia's Lower Zambezi National Park and Zimbabwe's Mana Pools, this area is one massive wildlife haven. The sheer expanse of the Zambezi is not only overwhelming but also offers incredible opportunities to watch the wildlife from motorized boats and canoes, in addition to game drives and walking safaris. Elephant herds, sometimes up to one hundred strong, hippo, leopard, lion, buffalo, over 400 bird species – they all gather in this mesmerizing wilderness.
Witness Africa’s second largest wildebeest migration in a magical setting minus the crowds.
It may come as a surprise to many that there is indeed a second migration of wildebeest in the continent in Zambia's Liuwa Plains. This remote park in the far west is pristine wilderness in its completely natural and uncommercialized state. The game is spread out across the plains and takes some driving around to find, but patience will be amply rewarded. Besides the vast herds of blue wildebeest, the park is home to an extraordinary concentration of hyena and other predators and an even more astonishing variety of birdlife.
A true wilderness off the beaten path with only one camp and two vehicles. Imagine having this little paradise all to yourself!
Situated between North and South Luangwa national parks, the tiny Luambe is as remote and private as it gets. Having always remained off the tourist radar, with new investment and a strong focus on conservation, Luambe is ready to have its moment. The incredible hippo population numbering around 700 is something to experience. The wildlife diversity here is similar to that of its larger neighbors and while densities are lower, Luambe offers the advantage of no crowds and an almost private experience.
The general height of the land gives Zambia a more pleasant climate than that experienced in most tropical countries.
Zambia has three seasons – cool and dry from May to August, hot and dry from September to October/early November, and warm and wet from November to April.
The best time to visit for game viewing and wildlife photography is June to October. February to May is the best time to experience the spectacular Victoria Falls at their fullest. It is also a good time for birdwatching. If you'd like to combine the falls, game viewing and some water sports on the Zambezi, aim for July or August.
The wet season corresponds to summer and many camps across the different parks remain closed due to impassable roads.
By April and May most of the rain has faded away, leaving a landscape that's still green, but starting to dry out. This is the emerald or green season where camps that are open offer discounted rates.
February to May is the best time to visit the spectacular Victoria Falls, right after the region's summer rains, when you'll see the world's largest sheet of falling water flowing at its greatest volume.
The dry season in Zambia is a wonderful time to visit. It is divided into two periods - a cooler period (May to August) and a hotter period (September and October).
The game viewing tends to get better as the dry season progresses because drier bush means excellent spotting as well as good walking safaris. And, with water sources drying up, animals tend to congregate by the rivers and waterholes. The temperatures can climb quite high towards the end of the dry season.
Victoria Falls can be combined with safaris in other parks until early September.
These are sample itineraries to give you an idea of the more popular destinations. We strongly believe one size does not fit all. We would love to work with you closely, understand your needs and interests and design a trip plan just for you.
Explore two of Zambia’s classic national parks on walking safaris, game drives and boat trips.
View Trip DetailsExperience the magic of Victoria Falls before exploring the two Zambian safari classics.
View Trip DetailsThe ultimate adventure journey for soaking in every safari experience Zambia has to offer in a single trip.
View Trip DetailsThere are currently four mobile operators in Zambia - Airtel, MTN, Vodafone, and Zamtel. Airtel and MTN have the greatest coverage, while Vodafone operates solely on 4G/LTE frequencies. Zamtel is the smallest, and being owned by the government, the most bureaucratic. It's quite inexpensive and a fairly quick process to get a SIM card. Topping up (adding talk time/data) as and when needed is quite easy too. It is fairly easy to stay connected in urban areas, but not so in national parks. Typically, safari camps have WiFi in common areas, almost always patchy, but enough to check email. Most national parks will have no cellular coverage at all.
For easy transactions in markets and shopping malls, travelers are reminded to carry some Kwacha. Local currency is also preferred in tipping your guides, spotters and housekeeping staff since they cannot easily access forex bureaus to exchange foreign currency. While lodges accept payment in dollars, small service providers or restaurants do not accept payments in dollars. In some places, credit cards can be used to make payments.
As a general precaution, we recommend you make several copies of your travel-related documents (passport, traveller’s cheques, credit cards, itinerary, airline tickets, insurance cover, visas, etc.). Leave one set at home, and bring another set with you, and place it in a location separate from your originals.
The weather in Zambia is generally pleasant throughout the year. There are two main seasons in Zambia; the rainy season (November to April) corresponding to summer, and the dry season (May to October/November), corresponding to winter. The dry season is subdivided into the cool dry season (May to August), and the hot dry season (September to October/November). During the hot and dry season, temperatures can rise up to 39°C (100°F) so a hat and sunblock are a must. The modifying influence of altitude gives the country pleasant subtropical weather conditions for most of the year.
Packing List:
Layers - long and short sleeve shirts and trousers
A warm fleece or jumper
A lightweight waterproof jacket
Comfortable but sturdy shoes
Flip-flops
Swimming costume (Bathing suit)
A hat or baseball cap
Sunglasses
Sunscreen – a must!
Toiletries – most camps will provide shampoo, shower gel and soap
A small torch
Spare batteries, plug adaptors and charging equipment
A good pair of Binoculars (8x40 /8x42 is recommended)