Zambia’s best known attraction is the awe-inspiring Victoria Falls, one of the World’s Seven Natural Wonders and a UNESCO World Heritage Site, known locally as Mosi-oa-Tunya or ‘The Smoke Which Thunders’. This incredible waterfall is simply stunning – made up of no less than 6 gorges, the first of which received the entire volume of water from the Zambezi River, before branching off, 150 metres below into a zigzagging series of secondary gorges. The noise emanating from this collection of falling waters is simply astonishing – and in the harsher rainy season, a thick swirl of mist is constantly seen hovering above the river – making for one of the world’s most mysterious and most enchanting of scenes. Built across the second gorge is a railway bridge that links Zambia to Zimbabwe – it was the brainchild of Cecil Rhodes, who had hoped to eventually link north and south Africa by one rail line – a proposition that was never fulfilled, but could still be possible in the future.

One of Zambia’s most inviting national parks is South Luangwa National Park – with a variety of animals, incredible scenery, good accessibility and a large choice of accommodation. The terrain crosses from dense woodland and open grassy plains to the banks of the Luangwa River where everything from gigantic elephants to tsetse flies lurk day and night. It’s possible to go on a walking safari here – which, with wild animals all around as you traverse the same ground as they do, in an exceptionally exhilarating experience.

The incredible Lower Zambezi National Park was once the private game reserve of Zambia’s president, only opening to public visitors in the 1980’s. As such, the park is still relatively undeveloped and very wild. The diversity of wildlife is not as wide as other big parks, but what it lacks in diversity, it more than makes up for in beauty and in opportunity to get a little closer to the park’s inhabitants. The river is often full of hippos, and gigantic herds of elephants, while the inland floodplain is interspersed with forested lands and huge acacia trees – a perfect spot for Samango monkeys to take shade under the harsh sun.

Kafue national Park is Zabia’s largest national park – it covers a staggering 22,500 square KM (almost the same size as Belgium). Many of Zambia’s national parks are difficult to access, especially when travelling without a guide, but Kafue is easily accessible by car, and easy to drive through between Lusaka and Mongu. Incredibly, it’s possible to see many of the native (larger) animals from the main road – making it a popular spot to carve ones own road through Africa.

Travel tips – Zambia