Zambia Safari Top Five National Parks
Zambia is Africa's best kept secret as far as safaris go. The
country is a virtual unknown in comparison to other more
traditional destinations but a Zambia safari can be every bit as
good and in some cases even better.
This top five list of the best national parks and game reserves
in the country gives you a taste of what to expect. It has been
compiled from zambia safari reviews at the African Safari
Journals website, forums, travel magazines, industry expert
opinions and my own twenty year plus African safari experience.
1. South and North Luangwa NP
Some experts have branded the Luangwa National Park as one of
the greatest wildlife sanctuaries in the world because the
density of game you can find here mixed with the isolation and
pure unadulterated wildness of it is almost without compare.
Because it is reasonably undiscovered except to the locals in
the know and a select few foreign visitors, it hasn't been
overrun by masses of tourists yet and you can experience a
safari here as it should be and some say that is the best Africa
has to offer.
There are over 60 species of animal here with the unfortunate
exception of rhino because they were poached into extinction and
over 400 different kinds of birds.
They all rely on and are drawn to the winding Luangwa river
which is crowded with some of the biggest concentrations of
hippo and crocodile you will find anywhere in Africa. it has
been estimated that there are 50 hippos per kilometre of this
congested river.
The South Luangwa was the birthplace of the walking safari and
it is still a very popular way to explore the area from a
quality collection of safari lodges and camps. Night drives are
another excellent way to see leopard which are reputed to be
more regularly seen in this park than anywhere else in Africa
because of the high concentrations of the predator. Lions and
even rare sightings like honey badger, civet and wild dog are
likely to be seen.
To take the true zambia safari adventure a step farther, the
northern luangwa area is even more remote, wild and isolated
than the south and the wildlife and bird viewing experience is
from the top draw. Definitely one for the safari cognoscenti.
2. Mosi-oa-Tunya NP
Despite its hard to pronounce name this park has something very
special up its sleeve. That awe inspiring wonder of the world:
The Victoria Falls. As far as natural spectacles go, this is one
of the best in Africa. Mosi-oa-tunya can be literally translated
as "the smoke that thunders".
And thunder it does, so much so that the spray from the water
crashing over the edge into the gorge below is enough to drench
you to the bone as you go closer. The water travels onwards into
a frothing maelstrom known aptly as the "boiling pot" before
breaking into numerous rapids as it makes it way underneath the
Victoria falls bridge which connects Zimbabwe and Zambia and
then farther along into Batoka Gorge.
The park comprises the falls and a small strip of land 66
kilometres long on the North bank of the Zambesi which is worth
a short visit to see what are probably Zambia's only remaining
rhino (the rest have been poached into extinction). You might
also see a small scattering of baboon, elephant, sable, giraffe,
eland buffalo and impala.
3. Kafue NP
This is the largest national park in Zambia and is situated in
the western part of the country.
The Kafue river provides the life-giving sustenance to a vast
number of antelope species like the red lechwe in their
thousands, hartebeest, oribi, duker, sable, roan, puka and
waterbuck to name a few and the whole rouges gallery of
predators are accounted for here too. The only animal that you
won't find on a Zambia safari here is the giraffe.
It is advisable to go further north to the Basenga floodplain
because game spotting is much better there due to thick
woodlands obscuring views in the south. This floodplain
sometimes retreats in the dry season trapping hapless hippo and
crocodile in an ever shrinking mudbath.
Some of the roads in the park are not in good condition and are
only drivable using a 4x4 vehicle and most of the safari lodges
and accommodation is in the North.
With over 400 bird species recorded such as the wattled crane,
goliath herons and purple crested lourie birders will have a
ball here and budding fisherman can get tackle and rods from the
lodges to land fresh water pike, barbel and bream.
4. Lochinvar NP
Another national park situated on the Kafue river floodplain,
this wetland and savannah dominated national park has fewer
mammals but is a bird paradise.
There are a large amount of Kafue lechwe (about 30 000) living
here and some wildebeest and zebra herds but the only big game
you will find is restricted to hippo, buffalo, leopard and
spotted hyena but if you are a birder the over 420 species of
bird will more than make up for that.
5. Lower Zambezi NP
One of Zambia's newest parks and it is still reasonably
undeveloped but the beauty of this park lies in the ability to
get close to animals on both sides of the river like elephant,
buffalo, hippo and crocodile using canoe or motor boats which
they seem to ignore until you are virtually right on top of them.
And being predominantly a water park there are an amazing amount
of bird species here like the fish eagle, kingfishers, parrots,
hornbills and lovebirds and for the anglers there are tiger
fish, bream and vundu (a sort of catfish that can weigh op to
50kg) inhibiting these waters just waiting to be pulled out on a
Zambia safari.