The best safari in Zambia

South Luangwa National Park

The best place for big cats

By Sarah Kingdom

If it’s big cats you’re after, look no further than South Luangwa, nicknamed the Valley of the Leopards, with one of the densest populations of leopard anywhere. It's also home to lions and spotted hyena, along with an abundant wild dog population on team canine.

Some of my most memorable leopard encounters have happened in South Luangwa. Watching as a leopard, completely unaware of our presence, descended from a tree, only spotting us once she’d reached the ground, was an encounter to remember. Leopards love to drag their kills up into trees for safekeeping, so don’t forget to look up from time to time when you’re out on a drive.

My favourite way to see the wildlife in South Luangwa is on a walking safari. On a walking safari, you can see lions, leopards, elephants and learn about the flora of the park. It’s not all about big beasts however; a walking safari will allow you to get up close with a termite mound and learn about Zambia’s ecosystem.

Kafue National Park

Where to see everything in one place

By Sarah Kingdom

Often overlooked in favour of Zambia’s smaller parks, Kafue is a sleeping giant. One of Africa’s oldest and largest parks and one of its wildest, it’s a place of vast, remote landscapes, spectacular rivers, open plains, woodlands and stunning scenery.

If you want to avoid too much domestic flying, Kafue National Park has everything you could want. You can spend at least a week here travelling from camp to camp.

This is the only park in Zambia where I have been lucky enough to see both aardvark and pangolin – two very rare safari sightings!

The Busanga Plains to the far north of the park are one of Kafue’s highlights. Accessible only during the dry season, I love heading out onto the plains early in the morning, to see puku and red lechwe, in their hundreds, visible in the early morning mist that cloaks the plain just before sunrise.

Equally special, but seldom visited are the Nanzhila Plains in the park’s south. This is a superb place for bird watchers. For me, the star of Nanzhila is the beautiful black-cheeked lovebirds, endemic to Zambia and only found in a small area in the southwest of the country. If you have the time and an accommodating safari operator, try to include both the far north and the far south of Kafue into your trip.

While Kafue doesn’t have the huge herds of game that can be found in some other Zambia safari parks, what it lacks in density it more than makes up for in diversity. There are at least 161 species of mammal, six cat species, and 22 species of antelope.

Kasanka National Park

See the world's biggest mammal migration

By Sarah Kingdom

You’ve heard about the famed wildebeest migration of East Africa, but for the biggest mammal migration on earth you can’t miss the spectacular fruit bats of Kasanka between October and December.

I love standing high on the viewing platform overlooking the tiny bat forest at Kasanka and peering into trees that drip with thousands upon thousands of straw coloured fruit bats. As dusk falls, they begin to depart, flocking into the sky and filling the air with their chatter. Millions of bats dart in and out of the trees, like a swarm of overgrown bees, before flying over your head and off to spend the night looking for food. By the time they’re done it's almost too dark to see the ladder down from the hide, so don’t forget to bring a torch!

Beyond the bats, Kasanka is home to one of Africa’s rarer antelopes, the shy, secretive, semi-aquatic sitatunga – the park is home to more than 500 of them, making it Africa’s densest and most visible population of sitatunga! The elusive Blue monkey and the little-known Kinda baboon also both call Kasanka home and it’s unlikely you’ll encounter either of these species anywhere else in Southern Africa.

Lower Zambezi National Park

Fishing on the Lower Zambezi

By Sarah Kingdom

I’m definitely no fisherman, but every now and again it’s nice to take a break from the safari jeep and get out on the water. Serious sport anglers come from all over the world to try their hand at the Zambezi’s famous tigerfish, so maybe skip one of the morning or afternoon game drives and try your hand at fishing. Tigerfish are too bony to eat and fishing in the Lower Zambezi National Park is strictly catch and release, but it’s still pretty exhilarating to reel one in, and they put up a heck of a fight! Even if you don’t catch anything, spending a few hours on the water is fantastic, and you’re bound to spot some wildlife on the river banks.

Victoria Falls

See a lunar rainbow at Victoria Falls

By Sarah Kingdom

Lunar rainbows are formed by the light of the moon rather than the sun and are much fainter and more elusive than a regular rainbow. Victoria Falls is the only place in Africa, and one of only a handful of places in the world, where this incredible natural phenomenon occurs – and something surprisingly few people know about!

You can see the lunar rainbow between April and July during the full moon. I find there’s something magical sitting at one of the vantage points and waiting for the moon to rise. They’re far less vibrant than a regular rainbow but lunar rainbows show up clearly in photos taken with a long exposure.

Mosi-oa-Tunya National Park

Walk with rhinos in Mosi-oa-Tunya National Park

By Sarah Kingdom

I love strolling with these giants In Mosi-oa-Tunya National Park. Escorted by two armed rangers, you’ll walk in single file through the bush, maybe getting hit by branches or scratched by thorns, you’ll sweat and perhaps wonder if you’ll ever see the rhinos. But when you see them, it will all be worthwhile. The tour usually lasts for two hours, but sometimes you get lucky and find them within the first 10 minutes, either way, it’s definitely worth it!

Bangweulu Wetlands

See the black lechwe in the Bangweulu Wetlands

By Sarah Kingdom

Set your alarm and wake early to paddle by canoe through the papyrus of the Bangweulu swamps, to the floodplains. Stand on the causeway that runs through the middle of the floodplain, and as the sun comes up you’ll be surrounded by thousands of black lechwe, a type of endangered antelope that is endemic to this part of Zambia. Having come into the water overnight for safety, the lechwe are slowly heading towards the tree line, grazing on the semi aquatic grasses as they go. You need to get up early for this as once the sun has risen the lechwe will have all but disappeared, heading into the tree line where they will spend the day.

South Luangwa National Park

Kaingo Camp

By Sarah Kingdom

My pick for South Luangua is probably Shenton Safaris' Kaingo Camp, which has a collection of incredible photographic hides and guides who are specialised in getting guests into the perfect position for great photos, both in the hides and out on drive.

Zambia

Don't miss Zambia’s hidden gems

By Sarah Kingdom

You'd have a hard time calling anywhere in Zambia "touristy" but if you want to get truly off the beaten path there are some hidden gems to be found.

Of all the country's national parks, Luambe, Lukusuzi, West Lunga, Sioma Ngwezi, and Nyika Plateau have wildlife, but are relatively undeveloped in terms of tourist infrastructure and accommodation.

Isangano, Lavushi Manda, Lusenga Plain and Mweru Wantipa have little management, very few facilities, and limited wildlife populations. If you're very intrepid or a super keen birder and can find a specialist to make your travel arrangements, they may be worth considering.

Lusaka National Park, just outside the capital, opened in 2015 and is the country’s newest park.

Liuwa Plain National Park

Birding in Liuwa Plain

By Sarah Kingdom

The birdlife in Liuwa is extraordinary, and it's easy to spend hours watching the various comings and goings of white bellied bustards, crowned cranes, sooty chats, pink pelicans, fish eagles and more. Threatened waterbirds include slaty egrets and whiskered terns – Liuwa is the only breeding ground for these birds in Zambia. This is also a prime destination for migrating species and massive flocks of birds can be seen in the skies above Liuwa between May and July. Keep your eyes open for the Black-winged pratincoles, individually these might not be the most exotic of birds, but trust me: a flock of 100,000 swooping over the plains like a giant swarm of bees is pretty breath-taking! Don’t forget to pack your binoculars for birding at Liuwa.

Liuwa Plain National Park

Wildebeest migration without the crowds

By Sarah Kingdom

Liuwa Plain is home to the second largest wildebeest migration in Africa and, compared to the more famous wildebeest migration in East Africa, this spot is hardly known. Each year in November, with the start of the rainy season, massive herds of blue wildebeest, 45,000 strong, migrate to Liuwa Plains, often mingling with zebras along the way.

Lower Zambezi National Park

Canoe safaris in Lower Zambezi & Bangweulu

By Sarah Kingdom

Seasoned safari-goers who are tired of the conventional game drive should ditch the 4X4 and get into a canoe for a watery safari in either Lower Zambezi National Park or the Bangweulu Wetlands.

For me there is something timeless about travelling through these swamps. I find it a world away from racing around in a safari jeep. Your guide at the front of the canoe, long pole in hand, propelling you through narrow channels, between the thick reeds and papyrus. Silence, except for slight burbles and gurgles as you glide through the water. It’s one of my all-time highlights.

South Luangwa National Park

Chikunto Safari Lodge

By Robert Zgozi

There’s some good accommodation in South Luangwa but one of my favourites is Chikunto Safari Lodge, located on a horseshoe bend in the Luangwa River near the Mfuwe entrance in the park’s southern edge. What makes this place really stand out is the six-metre high platform with panoramic views over the river and a private tented suite where you can camp out overnight under the stars. When I visited I found it totally breathtaking. It doesn’t come cheap, but I always recommend it for honeymooners or couples looking for something extra special.