On a tailor-made itinerary to Zambia, discover the main national parks: the South and North Luangwa, the Lower Zambezi and Kafue. The magnificent Victoria Falls can also be viewed from Zambia and make an excellent addition to a few days on safari.
The South Luangwa National Park teems with wildlife, including the Thornicroft’s giraffes, which are unique to the Luangwa valley. Regular predator sightings include lions, leopards and wild dogs (especially in February), while more than 400 different bird species can be found.
The North Luangwa is an untapped resource in Zambia’s collection of parks. The Mwaleshi river, a tributary of the Luangwa river, draws the rare Cookson’s wildebeest, elands and particularly confident lion prides. Due to the lack of roads, wildlife viewing is primarily on foot.
Lower Zambezi National Park offers a wide range of activities, including day and night 4×4 safari drives, walking, canoeing and motorboat safaris. This area supports a wide variety of antelopes, hippos, crocodiles, large lion prides, wild dogs, leopards and huge elephant herds.
Finally, Kafue is Zambia’s largest national park and provides very good wildlife viewing, especially during the dry season (July to October). Lion and buffalo densities are high, with species like cheetahs, leopards and wild dogs utilising those areas where lions are not present.
A highlight of a trip to Zambia is the historic town of Livingstone, which has access to exceptional views of Victoria Falls. One of the best places to witness this immense mass of water is tiny Livingstone Island, the place where Livingstone first glimpsed Mosi-oa-Tunya (‘The Smoke That Thunders’), now a world heritage site.