Beautiful views of the Zambezi River are possible especially when accommodated in the romantic river villas.
The Zambezi is the fourth-longest river in Africa, the longest east-flowing river in Africa and the largest flowing into the Indian Ocean from Africa. For about 500 kilometres, it serves as the border between Zambia and Zimbabwe thundering over the Victoria Falls and through the narrow, steadily deepening Batoka Gorge, providing a fantastic playground for white-water rafting, kayaking, river boarding and jet boating. Its unique value is that it is less developed than other rivers regarding human settlement and many areas along its banks have even been granted protected status. The Lower Zambezi National Park flanks the river on the Zambian side and Mana Pools National Park on the Zimbabwean side. This whole area of the Zambezi supports one of Africa’s most important wilderness areas as it provides sustenance to a diverse array of game, birdlife and fish species. Hippos, Nile crocodiles and monitor lizards are commonly found along many of the calm stretches of the river. Species of bird, like heron, pelican, egret and African fish eagle are found in large numbers here. The riverine woodlands then support many large animals, such as buffalos, zebras, giraffes and elephants. The Zambezi also supports several hundred species of fish, some of which are endemic to the river. Important species include cichlids which are fished heavily for food, as well as catfish, tigerfish, yellowfish and other large species. The bull shark is sometimes known as the Zambezi shark after the river but is found around the world. The river ends its journey through Mozambique and out towards the Indian Ocean. The Zambezi’s most noted feature is Victoria Falls, but there is also so much more. Other notable falls include the Chavuma Falls at the border between Zambia and Angola, and Ngonye Falls, near Sioma in Western Zambia. There are two primary sources of hydroelectric power on the river, the Kariba Dam, which provides power to Zambia and Zimbabwe, and the Cahora Bassa Dam in Mozambique, which provides power to Mozambique and South Africa. There is also a smaller power station at Victoria Falls.
The majestic Victoria Falls – the grandeur of the Zambezi River forms the border between Zambia and Zimbabwe.
It was described as the ‘Mosi- oa- Tunya’ by the Kololo tribe in the 1800’s, which means ‘The Smoke that Thunders’. The Victoria Falls Bridge is famous for its bungee jumping and rope swings. The small town of Livingstone is just 10 km’s from Victoria Falls.
Aptly named the Valley of the Leopard due to its high population of this big cat. The incredibly diverse landscapes range from dense forests of mopane trees, the leopard’s favourite sausage trees, to wide open savanna punctuated only by the occasional lonely baobab. All these landscapes are hugged by the wide and winding Luangwa River. There is a wide range of accommodation from which to enjoy all that this incredible park has to offer of which most are found along the Luangwa river edge. Hippos, crocodiles, elephants and more can be seen without even having to leave the comfort of your veranda. In fact, the park’s elephants, hippos, giraffes, vervet monkeys, baboons, bush buck and others are often known to wander around the grounds of the unfenced lodges adding to the already unique and truly wild African experience
This vast inland sea was first made known to the European world in the mid 1800’s by the English explorers Richard Burton and John Speke.
They pursued it as the source of the Nile arriving at its shores in February of 1858, only to discover that the Ruzizi River in the north which they thought to be the Nile, flowed into and not out of the lake. (Their incredible journey is documented in the movie ‘Mountains of the Moon’.) Tanganyika’s waters lap Tanzania, Burundi, Congo DR and Zambia. It is the longest fresh water lake in the world and the second deepest after lake Baikal in Russia. The immense depth is because it lies in the Great Rift Valley, which also has created its steep shoreline. It reaches a depth of 1433 metres (4 700 feet), which is an astounding 642m below sea level. Although Zambia can only lay claim to 7% of its surface area, it stretches north to south a distance of 677 kilometres (420 miles) and averages about fifty kilometers wide (31 miles). The clear waters host more than 350 different species of fish and is well known for aquarium fish exports and excellent angling. Sport fishing is very popular here and catches include the goliath tigerfish and Nile perch. Crocodiles inhabit most of the shoreline except around Mpulungu, probably due to the noise of people and motorboats. Swimming in the lake (in the Mpulungu area only!) is an absolute treat. Warm, clear, salt free water that changes from silky stillness, to high waves for a great body surf – usually with no apparent reason for the change. Storms from way up north probably cause the still waters in the south to agitate. The fertile circulating surface water, although not tidal, provides abundant plankton for its inhabitants which in turn provides much needed protein for both the local and export markets. It is essentially a landlocked sea but in years of heavy rain the lake overflows into the Lukuga River which in turn feeds Congo DR’s Lualaba River
One of the largest man- made dams in Africa – The Kariba, is usually referred to as a lake because of its vastness and scenic beauty.
It offers a great, easy to access destination for relaxing getaways, excellent fishing, fantastic sunsets and a variety of water sports. Views of the Lake stretch for miles and one could even imagine you’re at the Ocean. Located on the southern border of Zambia, Lake Kariba is warm all year round, making it perfect for a sunny retreat! It is Africa’s largest man- made dam at 226 km’s long and in various places, 40 km’s wide! Many people looking for Kariba accommodation are looking to stay on a house- boat as it provides a mobile friendly option of exploring this vast lake, enjoying some fishing and looking out for the game that frequents the banks.
Kafue National Park is an icon amongst Zambia’s National Parks. It was established as a national park during the 1950’s and covers an incredible 22 400 km2.
The park is easily accessed from both Lusaka and Livingstone with a 2-3 hour drive although many prefer to fly in with charter flights. Large areas of the park remain unexplored and hold a rich diversity of wildlife thanks to its size and variety of habitat. Its attraction is its exclusivity and excellent game viewing with barely another soul in sight! Kafue safari presents a huge variety of birdlife (490 recorded) and large herds of red lechwe, puku antelope, wildebeest and antelopes which are constantly watched by big cats, spotted hyena and wild dogs.