Zambia

Zambia brands itself as the "Real Africa," with some justification. This oddly shaped country is among the less densely populated in Africa, and much of its surface area consists of vast tracts of wilderness protected in a network of national parks and wildlife reserves that compare with the very best Africa has to offer. In the latter decades of the 20th century, Zambia was an economic mess and its tourist attractions were poorly developed for tourism and somewhat overshadowed by those of its southern neighbor Zimbabwe. All that has changed in recent years and the country’s main tourist destinations – the peerless Victoria Falls (on the ...

Zambia brands itself as the "Real Africa," with some justification. This oddly shaped country is among the less densely populated in Africa, and much of its surface area consists of vast tracts of wilderness protected in a network of national parks and wildlife reserves that compare with the very best Africa has to offer. In the latter decades of the 20th century, Zambia was an economic mess and its tourist attractions were poorly developed for tourism and somewhat overshadowed by those of its southern neighbor Zimbabwe. All that has changed in recent years and the country’s main tourist destinations – the peerless Victoria Falls (on the Zimbabwe border) and South Luangwa National Park, which is one of the best places in Africa for leopard sightings – are now well equipped with lodges and other tourist facilities. Other key attractions are Kafue National Park (the largest national park in Africa), canoeing between hippos and elephants in Lower Zambezi National Park (another great spot for leopard sightings), the more remote southern shores of Lake Tanganyika (the world’s longest and second-deepest lake), and swampy Lake Bangweulu, home to the much-sought-after shoebill and numerous other water birds.

About the Expert

Philip Briggs has written or contributed to 50-plus editions of Bradt, Insight, AA and Berlitz guidebooks to African destinations.