Visit Zambia

One of the most northern of countries in southern Africa, landlocked Zambia offers the more adventurous traveller some truly fabulous wildlife and natural wonder experiences. Foreign investment and a national focus on tourism has seen Zambia flourish as a tourist destination over the last 15 years with reserves such as South Luangwa, Kafue and the Lower Zambezi providing some of the best safari locations in southern Africa. Combining these reserves with the incredible spectacle of Victoria Falls makes Zambia the perfect holiday destination. Good roads, amazing destinations and plenty of accommodation options make Zambia an excellent self-drive destination, whilst for the upmarket traveller, a wide range of luxury safari lodges and a well connected internal flight schedule makes a fly-in safari possible. Here we describe some of the wonderful destinations Zambia has to offer.

Travel Africa will work with you to visit Zambia - planning a range of fabulous touring options – from flexible self-drive holidays to incredible luxury lodge sojourns. We will then book your holiday for you – providing you with detailed itineraries and information sheets. Don’t forget we provide superb value for money due to our in-depth knowledge of the region and our direct contacts which cut out layers of commission. Look at our fabulous range of itineraries to give you loads of ideas and places to start from.

Interactive country map and photographs at the bottom of this page.

When to visit Zambia - Seasons

Zambia has distinct wet and dry seasons with the dry season generally occurring between April to October and rains falling from November through to March. The thick, green bush generally lasts through to June making animal viewing more challenging, but from late June wildlife viewing becomes excellent as the bush is browning and thinning out and the animals start to concentrate around water sources. From April through to early September day time temperatures are comfortable, however from June to mid-August, mid winter, the nights can get quite cold. From late September temperatures rise and it can get extremely hot during the day (up to 40C). Following the onset of the rains in November, the summer months are usually slightly cooler (still in the top 30s) but can be humid and it must be noted that many areas are closed during the rainy season although birding in accessible areas is exceptional.

Zambia's highlights

Victoria Falls (Livingstone)

From a tourism backwater Livingstone has transformed into a vibrant tourism hub. The town itself is located on the banks of the Zambezi River 10 kms upstream from the Victoria Falls.  Of course the centrepiece is the Falls themselves, with amazing viewing from the dramatic knife’s edge footpath. High water at the Falls peaks between February and June – be prepared to be completely overawed by the force of water as well as drenched by the ever present mists (raincoats recommended!) - whilst low water, August to November means the mists aren’t as great and you can see more of the Falls.

South Luangwa National Park

This is one southern Africa's premier national parks and is renowned for its leopards – the park has one of the highest concentrations of these magnificent animals in Africa. Spend your days exploring the wafwas – lagoons created by the shifting Luangwa River – encountering  unusual animals including puku, yellow baboon and Thornicroft’s giraffe. Spectacular sunsets over the Luangwa River top off your day. Also visit the stunning Tribal Textiles Factory – a superb example of an enterprise supporting local communities whose handmade textiles are exported throughout the world. 

Kafue National Park

Found in the centre of western Zambia, Kafue National Park is the oldest and largest of Zambia’s national parks. It covers a massive 22,400 square km. First established as a National Park in the 1950s, Kafue is one of the largest national parks in the whole of Africa. Despite its size it remains little-known. Kafue holds a fantastic diversity of habitats, animals and bird life – including the Nanzhila Plains in the south, the Kafue riverlands in the centre and the Busanga swamps and grasslands in the far north.

Lower Zambezi National Park

Situated on the northern bank of the mighty Zambezi River, the Lower Zambezi National Park along with Zimbabwe’s famous Mana Pools Reserve creates a breath-taking wildlife sanctuary where the opportunities to get close to game wandering in and out of the Zambezi channels is spectacular. The Zambezi Escarpment provides a scenic backdrop to this wilderness area and also acts as a physical barrier to prevent the movement of most of the park’s animal species concentrating them along the valley floor. Enormous herds of elephant and buffalo are often seen along the river’s riverine fringe and the park hosts good populations of lion and leopard.

Slideshow - click an image to zoom and navigate