Zambia- Main Attractions
Zambia Safari and Wildlife Holiday Main Attractions
South Luangwa National Park - Enclosed by steep escarpments Luangwa Valley is home to four wildlife parks protecting so
me of the best wildlife in Zambia. South Luangwa Valley is undoubtably one of the finest areas to visit on a wildlife safari on the continent of Africa and has been compared in the past to other big names such as Serengeti National Park in Tanzania, Moremi Reserve in the Okavango Delta in Botswana and Amboseli in Kenya.
Covering approximately 9,000 sq km South Luangwa Valley is to date one of the unsung heroes of Africa. Consisting of riverine and mopane woodland dotted with ebony groves, water meadows and the vast Luangwa River carving its way through the parkland this is a beautiful corner of Africa and an enthralling place to spend your Zambia holiday. This lends itself to perfect leopard territory resulting in the Valley often being referred to as "Valley of the Leopards". Beautiful water meadows/glades provide perfect grazing grounds for a variety of antelope including, impala, puku, eland, waterbuck, bushbuck and kudu. Elephants number around 20-35,000 in the entire valley with roughly 10,000 inhabiting the park itself. Lion populations on the other hand are stable however are slightly more temperamental as a result of over hunting; there are still some beautiful young prides which seem to be doing well and are often seen in and around camps especially in the Nsefu sector! The slightly reduced number of lions is in fact probabaly why the leopard numbers in the valley are so high with it being estimated that there are approximately 1 to every 2.5kms!
Accommodation in South Luangwa varies with some of the best lodges and camps being located along the Luangwa river banks 
including Nkwali Lodge, Kapani Lodge and a variety of bushcamps run by Norman Carr Safaris such as Luwi, Nsolo, Kakuli and Mchenja Camps. A series of mobile camping safaris provide an exceptional safari experience are also possible however please note that these are set departures and often book up many months in advance.
Nsefu Sector - the Nsefu Sector of South Luangwa National Park is a real treat as it is home to only three camps and therefore has a very limited number of vehicles on game drives at any one time. This exclusivity is exemplified in the main camps in the area which are run by Robin Pope Safaris, Tena Tena and Nsefu Camp.
Walking Safaris in Zambia are also a major attraction especially in South Luangwa National Park and a series of walking safaris of varying lengths can be arranged either walking from one camp to another over a period of days or alternatively a walking safari can be arranged in place of a game drive when based at a single camp. Walking safaris in Luangwa Valley are one of the most exciting ways to explore and appreciate this unique ecosystem, getting up close and personal to the wildlife, understanding the trials and tribulations that this wildlife encounters on a daily basis. Walking Safaris vary in length from approximately 3-5hrs of walking per day. For further information please do not hesitate to get in contact and we would be happy to chat through the various options.
Night Drives are a highlight of your Zambian wildlife safari; this is when the predators are out and about! Even though you
may have seen a pride of lions during the day, they were most likely snoozing the day away and not really doing much! Go back at night and it is a completely different story, lions will often be playing or hunting as you pick out the glint of their eyes in the darkness, leopards are stalking their unsuspecting prey, antelope are hiding in the vegetation whilst hippos are eating it all! A night drive opens the travellers eyes to what really goes on in the African bush, this is when the action happens and it often changes ones perception of life in the wilderness...
Lower Zambezi National Park - the Lower Zambezi is, as South Luangwa, one of the best areas for wildlife safaris in Zambia. Bordering Zimbabwe and the renowned Mana Pools National Park this area is committed to wildlife and has high densities of game with a number of the elephant and buffalo herds crossing from one side of the river to the other. A large proportion of the park is actually prone to fairly dense vegetation but with only one major water source it means that during the dry season the game congregates in the one area along the alluvial plains.
Wildlife in the park is in large numbers with the main predators being lion, leopard and spotted hyena (cheetah are not present but can be seen in Kafue National Park). Elephants, buffalo and a variety of antelope are numerous and bird species number over 350 with 5 of the kingfisher species and a plethora of water orientated birds such as darters, cormorants, storks, and egrets...
Accommodation within the area of the Lower Zambezi National Park is of a high standard with some of the more well kn
ow camps including Sausage Tree Camp - oval shaped tents with designated butlers - and Chiawa Camp - a rustic feeling but very comfortable camp set beneath mahogany trees.
Kafue National Park - Kafue is the largest national park in Zambia and provides the perfect add on to either a safari to South Luangwa National Park or the Lower Zambezi. Varying in vegetation depending on which area you visit this is a rewarding park to visit. With the permanent wetland areas of the Busanga plains in the northwestern corner of the park, dotted with "dry islands" you can expect to see some fascinating wildlife in the right season (this area only starts to dry out in June); wildlife highlights include the swamp dwelling sitatunga, puku, the stunning red lechwe, zebra, wildebeest, elephants (which seem to stick to the islands) and the beautiful Busanga pride of lions (approx 16 in the oride). During our last visit the Busanga pride decided to pay a visit to our camp and walked directly through the dining area...we watched this from the safety of our game drive vehicle!!! Cheetah are also present in this area however if this is your main reason to visit this area you should wait till the latter months of the dry season when the vegetation has died down and therefore sightings in general are easier.
Further south in the drier areas of the park you have more wooded areas running along the Lufupu and Kafue Rivers. Game viewing consists of lions, a healthy leopard population (evidence of leopard around camp were obvious during our last visit), elephants, some excellent fishing and sundowner river cruises. 
An area known as Hippo Pools provides sulphur thermal waters for crocs and hippos to laze around in the warming heat of the thermals... From here it is also possible to organise a game drive up to the Busanga Plains (mainly to see the cheetah) but it is an all day trip with approx 3hr transfers and gaem drives along the way. This, as well as the Busanga Plains, does show a different side to Zambia with an interesting variation in vegetation and topography.
Accommodation throughout Kafue is limited due to its recent comeback as a national park however the lodges that do exist are of a good standard and provide good access to wildlife viewings. A number of Wilderness Safaris camps are possible on the Busanga Plains including Busanga Bushcamp, Kapinga and Shumba Camps and then Lufupa Tented Camp in the southern region of the park.
