Destination Zambia
In a Nutshell
The old tourist board slogan for Zambia was "The Real Africa" and it still holds true. It is the classic safari destination though not necessarily for the first-timer - it doesn't offer the pre-packaged, predictable safaris associated with East Africa. The relatively poor infrastructure, high quality accommodation and remoteness of some of the parks means it is expensive to travel to and around but that keeps the number of tourists low which is a plus. Despite suffering from poaching in the 1970's and 1980's, the game viewing (with some of the best guides in Africa) is superb and Kafue NP is Africa's largest.
Climate
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(average high temp in degrees c and average rainfall in mm) for Lusaka
Facts
Size: 752,610 Sq Km
Population: 10.7m
Capital: Lusaka
Flying Time: Lusaka 10 hours
People: 73 different ethnic groups including the Bemba, Tonga & Lozi
Languages: English (official) and 7 main out of nearly 80 local dialects spoken
Major Industries: agriculture, tourism, service industries, copper
Currency: Kwacha (ZKw)
Visa: Required for UK passport holders
Time: GMT +2
Budget: From £2650 for 2 weeks
Background
Zambia is a landlocked, sparsely-populated country bordering Angola, the Democratic Republic of Congo, Tanzania, Malawi, Mozambique, Zimbabwe, Botswana and Namibia. It is situated on an elevated plateau in south-central Africa. Zambia enjoys a pleasant, moderate climate and is nicknamed the "air-conditioned state".
Zambia is 3.1 times bigger than the UK and bigger than France, Austria, Switzerland and Hungary combined. The 19 National Parks and 34 GMA's comprise around 30% of the country.
| Principal Parks and Reserves | ||
| • South and North Luangwa NP's | • Sumbu NP | |
| • Lower Zambezi NP | • Lochinvar NP | |
| • Kafue NP | • Mosi-oa-Tunya NP | |
| • Kasanka NP |
Highlights
Victoria Falls for adventure activities
Zambezi River for canoeing and fishing
Watersports on Lake Kariba
Walking safaris and night drives in the Luangwa Valley
Busango and Liuwa Plains for game viewing away from any crowd
| Activities | ||
| • Game drives and walks | • Night drives | |
| • Boat trips | • Canoe trips | |
| • Fishing | • White water rafting | |
| • Horseback safaris | ||
| Best for | ||
| • Walking safaris (Luangwa Valley) | • Home of adventure and activities - Victoria Falls | |
| • Night drives in open 4x4 vehicles | • Canoeing safaris | |
| • Highest density of hippo and possibly the best • chance of seeing leopard in Africa |
• Some of the best and most qualified professional • • guides |
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| • Little known and empty game parks | ||
| When to go: Many camps in the Luangwa Valley and Kafue National Park are only open between Jun-Nov | ||
| • Nov-Mar = summer, Apr-Oct = winter | • Nov-Apr = rains | |
| • Sep-Oct = driest, Dec-Mar = wettest | • Sep-Oct = hottest, Jun-Aug = coolest | |
| • Aug-Oct = best game-viewing | • Jan-Apr = best birding | |
| • Apr = best flowers | • Feb-Mar = best for viewing Victoria Falls | |
| • Apr-Oct = best time for the Zambezi River | ||
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