ZAMBIA
Stepping carefully through the
grass, you freeze instantly as
your guide raises his hand.
The sun creeps over the
horizon to warm you with the
first rays of the day. The guide
crouches, pointing to elephant
bathing in the river. Behind
Young eagle owl
In addition to 4WD games drives, Zambia offers Africa's best walking safaris
you the game scout scans the
horizon, his hand gently holding the stock of a polished
KAFUE
rifle. Your gaze is aware of the slightest movement. Your
Pages 68-69 Zambia’s largest national
park is higher, cooler and less developed
than either the Lower Zambezi or the
Luangwa. Top spot for big game; the
Busanga Plains are a particularly amazing
area.
ears alert to every sound. This is Zambia – the wild heart
of Africa.
WHY ZAMBIA?
Nchila Reser ve ●
Zambia remains the preserve of very few
visitors, though this is slowly changing. It is
still wild, full of big game and boasts some
of the best guides in Africa.
Thornicroft's giraffe are endemic to the
Luangwa Valley
Walking safaris were pioneered in the
country’s Luangwa Valley, and the guides
here rank amongst the best on the
continent. You’ve got to be good to lead
guests on a walk, and for many years now
the safari guides in the Luangwa and Lower
Zambezi have passed through a stringent
system of guiding exams before taking
charge of visitors. Such high standards of
‘bushcraft’ will add enormously to your
experience, be it in a vehicle or on foot.
●
MWINILUNGA
SOLWEZI ●
GETTING AROUND ZAMBIA
For the latest detailed travellers’ reviews,
visit www.expertafrica.com
Once there, you’ll stay in intimate camps
that will tailor their activities around your
interests. Most organise two activities per
day; one in the morning, the other in the
late afternoon/early evening. Each lasts
about three or four hours and you’ll usually
choose what you want to do the night
before. Your days will be fairly full but
there’s always a few hours after lunch for a
light siesta!
Satellite maps of Zambia
Our website now incorporates
satellite maps of Africa,
including Zambia. Just click
Maps on the menu of
www.expertafrica.com – you
can zoom into the country in
amazing detail. The camps and
lodges are clearly marked with
links to relevant trip ideas and
information.
66 | ZAMBIA
●
WEST LUNGA
NATIONAL
PARK
Busanga
Plains
LIUWA PLAIN
NATIONAL PARK
Zambia’s other big advantage is that night
drives are allowed within its national parks.
This adds a new dimension to gameviewing, with the opportunity to see a
different range of animal species, from the
elusive leopard to the amusing porcupine
“We left this trip very much in your
hands, and you found a great rhythm to
the whole trip. The way that we were
introduced to each country, the variety of
experiences, the fitting of the camps to
our style of travel – it felt like you knew
us intimately, and understood us
completely… As a 25-day trip to Africa,
we couldn't have done it better
ourselves, even had we taken a year to
plan it.”
Mr. H & Ms. B from California
ChimfunshI
Kafue
KAFUE
NATIONAL
PARK
MONGU ●
The distances between Zambia’s parks are
huge and its roads are not always smooth,
so virtually all of our trips involve flying
among the national parks in light aircraft.
LOCHINVAR
NATIONAL
PARK
● SENANGA
SIOMA
NGWEZI
NATIONAL
PARK
Most of these flights run to fixed schedules,
although if you travel away from the main
parks to more remote areas, like Bangweulu
and North Luangwa, then we’ll often charter
small planes.
River
Za
m
be
Nanzhila Plains
zi
Ri
ve
r
●
KATIMA
MULILO
NAMIBIA
Chete Island
●
● LIVINGSTONE
● VICTORIA FALLS
BOTSWANA
LOCHINVAR
Page 81 Vast flat floodplains, beside the
Kafue River, act as a magnet for birds,
bird-watchers and large numbers of
endemic Kafue lechwe.
LIVINGSTONE & THE
VICTORIA FALLS
Page 77 Along with one of the wonders
of the world, you’ll find good-value hotels
close by, a handful of lovely riverside
lodges, terrific curios and a host of
adrenaline activities.
Page 117 This is the deepest lake in
Africa and the size of a sea, but difficult
to access. Best visited whilst with the
chimps of Tanzania’s Mahale Mountains.
BANGWEULU REGION
Pages 78-79 A varied, offbeat region
that’s often visited on a second or third
trip to Zambia. Superb bird-watching and
interesting animals amidst rural Zambian
life.
Lake
Mwer u
MBALA ●
NCHELENGE
●
The vast majority of camps offer the choice
of walks or drives on a daily basis; typically
you’ll make a choice over dinner for the
following day.
By contrast, a couple of the Luangwa’s
bushcamps only offer walking. These are
generally tiny camps in remote areas where
there are no roads – like Mwaleshi and
Kutandala in North Luangwa, and Chikoko
and Crocodile in South Luangwa. They are
specialist camps and well worth seeking out
if you love walking.
Lake
Tanganyika
Lake
Mwer u
Wantipa
Camps offer activities which vary from
walking to 4WD safaris, both day and night.
Those near navigable rivers, including the
Kafue and Lower Zambezi, will often also
offer boat safaris, canoeing and sometimes
fishing. On all these trips, you’ll be guided
by a knowledgeable, professional guide.
ZAMBIA
4WD OR WALKING SAFARI?
LAKE TANGANYIKA
SUMBU
NATIONAL PARK
SHIWA NG’ANDU
Page 79 Explore an extraordinary stately
home steeped in history, along with its
surrounding country estate. Walk, ride
and take boat trips whilst marvelling at
Shiwa’s present as well as its past.
KASAMA ●
Lake
Bangweulu
ISANGANO
NATIONAL PARK
●
MANSA
● Shiwa N’gandu
NORTH LUANGWA
Ban gweulu
Wetlands
NORTH LUANGWA
NATIONAL PARK
Mutinondo Wilderness ●
LAVUSHI
MANDA
● KITWE
SOUTH
LUANGWA
NATIONAL
PARK
KASANKA
N.P.
NDOLA ●
● MFUWE
CHIPATA ●
Ri
ve
r
●
SERENJE
MALAWI
● MPIKA
Lu
an
gw
a
● KAPIRI MPOSHI
Pages 72-76 Zambia’s premier park
offers superb big game and some of
Africa’s best walking safaris. To get the
best out of the Luangwa, spend at least a
week here, including some time in its
smaller bushcamps.
WHAT’S THE WALKING LIKE?
● Lechwe Lodge
Lake Kariba
SOUTH LUANGWA
MOZAMBIQUE
LUSAKA
●
●
CHIR UNDU
Page 75 This more remote sibling of
South Luangwa has just a couple of tiny
bushcamps which focus exclusively on
walking safaris; a great destination for
safari addicts.
LOWE R
Z AM B E ZI
N ATION AL
PAR K
LUSAKA
Page 81 Although Lusaka, Zambia’s
capital, has few major attractions, you
may need to overnight here before
catching British Airways’ early morning
flight back to London.
ZIMBABWE
LOWER ZAMBEZI
Page 70-71 Adjacent to the languid flow
of the great Zambezi River, this area has
excellent big game and a beautiful
mountain backdrop. Also come for boat
trips, canoeing and great fishing.
If you have only seen animals from a vehicle
and longed to get out, then walking with big
game is an amazing experience; it’s
exhilarating to the point of addiction.
Camps differ, but usually you’ll set off with a
guide, an armed game scout, and often a
tea-bearer carrying refreshments. Walks
have a maximum of seven guests, but two
to five is more usual.
You don’t need to be especially fit to walk in
Zambia; walking safaris aren’t route
marches or endurance tests. Instead they’re
about taking time to spot the signs of the
wildlife and learn how the ecosystems
work.
The distance covered depends on the
wildlife that you find and the interests of the
walkers, but two to five miles would be
typical. You’ll stop frequently for your guide
to educate, enlighten and often entertain
you with tales of the bush around you.
The ground underfoot is always uneven,
though rarely steeply inclined, so sensible
shoes or light boots are ideal. You need to
carry your camera and binoculars and
ideally you should wear muted colours and
a hat.
Bradt Guide to Zambia
Chris McIntyre, who runs Expert
Africa, is author of Zambia:
The Bradt Travel Guide. This
is widely regarded as the most
comprehensive guidebook
available on Zambia, and its
fourth edition will be published
at the start of 2008. You’ll find it
on sale at most good
bookshops, price £17.99;
alternatively copies (signed or
unsigned) are available direct
from us for the special price of
£15 (including p&p) –
refundable from the cost of any
Zambian trip booked with us.
ZAMBIA | 67