ZAMBIA

Zambia is a peaceful, landlocked country in central southern Africa, sharing one of the world's largest waterfalls, Victoria Falls, with neighbouring Zimbabwe, on the might Zambezi River.

Victoria Falls, Mosi-oa-Tunya ("the smoke that thunders") one of the seven Natural Wonders of the World and a UNESCO World Heritage Site. At over a mile wide, it is the largest curtain of water in the world and drops more than 100 meters into the sheer Zambezi Gorge.

This vast country also has 3 of the largest rivers in Africa – the Zambezi, Kafue and Luangwa. In the far north, the country becomes tropical as it reaches the shores of Lake Tanganyika, one of ten large lakes in Zambia. Lusaka is the capital.

Livingstone has become better known in recent years as camps and lodges have developed around the Victoria Falls area and the town and its surroundings are achieving worldwide fame as an adventure capital. Here travellers can experience bungi jumping, grade 5 white water rafting, micro lighting over the Falls, elephant back safaris, rhino tracking in the Mosi-oa-Tunya park, tiger fishing, and river safaris or more gentle sunset excursions on the Zambezi where hippo, crocodile and elephant are regularly seen.

Experts have dubbed South Luangwa as one of the greatest wildlife sanctuaries in the world - the concentration of game around the Luangwa River and its ox bow lagoons is among the most intense in Africa. The Luangwa River is the most intact major river system in Africa and is the life blood of the park's 9050 square kilometres. The now famous ‘walking safari’ originated in this park by Norman Carr, and is still one of the finest ways to experience this pristine wilderness first hand. The changing seasons add to the Park’s richness ranging from dry, bare bushveld in the winter to a lush green wonderland in the summer months. There are 60 different animal species and over 400 different bird species.

Birdwatching is superb in the Valley. Near the end of the dry season, hundreds of large water birds can be seen wading through the shallows and crowned cranes congregate in large flocks at the salt pans. Just before the rains set in, in November, the palearctic migrants from Northern Europe and the intra-African migrants arrive – cuckoo, storks, swallows and bee-eaters as well as Steppe eagles and buzzards from Russia.

Kafue is Zambia’s oldest park and by far the largest - spread over 22 400 square kilometres - the second largest national park in the world and about the size of Wales. Despite the depravations of poaching and lack of management, the Park is still a raw and diverse slice of African wilderness with excellent game viewing, birdwatching and fishing opportunities. From the astounding Busanga Plains in the North-western section of the Park (one of Zambia's most significant and untouched wetland resources) to the tree-choked wilderness and the lush dambos of the south, fed by the emerald green Lunga, Lufupa and Kafue Rivers, the park sustains huge herds of a great diversity of wildlife. The Kafue and Lunga Rivers offer superb fishing opportunities too.