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Lower Zambezi national park

A truly stunning location and one of the last true wilderness sanctuaries left in the world

lower zambezi national park
Lower Zambezi, a park of exceptional beauty with a perfect combination of open plains, dense palm groves, thickly wooded clusters, mountains and deep sandy riverbanks

offering exceptional guided canoeing trips, world class fishing and fly-fishing, fantastic game viewing, once-in-a-lifetime wildlife photography, and sunset river cruises

Wildlife

Buffalo graze on islands, often swimming between them, while impala are everywhere and kudu, eland, waterbuck, bushbuck, zebra and grysbok are common.

The area is notable for its huge old bull elephants

Leopard, wild dog and spotted hyena are the major predators, with some unusually large prides of lion.

The birdlife is rich – 378 species have been recorded here, including many species of eagle, kingfisher, heron, stork and bee-eater.

Animals

The Lower Zambezi National Park covers an area of 4092 square kilometers, but most of the game is concentrated along the valley floor

There is an escarpment along the northern end which acts as a physical barrier to most of the parks animal species and most game is found close to the river.

The floodplain is host to many of the bigger mammals, elephant, buffalo, hippo, waterbuck, kudu, zebra, and crocodiles, impala, warthog and occasionally, roan as well as eland. Nocturnal animals here are hyaena, porcupine, civet, genet and honeybadger.

Enormous herds of elephant, some up to 100 strong, are often seen at the rivers edge. " Island hopping" buffalo and waterbuck are common. The park also hosts good populations of lion and leopard.

Birdlife

The birdlife along the riverbanks is exceptional.

Many a fish eagle can be seen and heard for miles around.

Nesting along the cliffs are white fronted and carmine bee eaters. Another unusual the red winged pratincole, the elegant crested guinea fowl, black eagle, and vast swarms of quelea.

In summer the stunning narina trogon makes its home here. Other specialities are the trumpeter hornbill, Meyers parrot and Lilian’s lovebird

What to do Lower Zambezi National Park

Safari Lodges Offer luxury accommodation to camping

Fishing is good along the river, Tiger fish and bream catches are common as well as vundu, a member of the catfish family, weighing up to 50 kilograms.

Canoeing is a must. Float down the river at your leisure and they’ll pick you up in a speedboat at the end of the day to bring you back.

Canoe safaris run 3 - 5 day trips, overnighting at very comfortable bush camps on the banks of the river. These are highly recommended.

The river has a strong enough current to take you easily down the river with little effort. The river guides will take you down remote channels between the islands where your opportunities to get close to game are very high. Hippos are always in sight, elephant, zebra, puku, impala, buffalo, kudu and baboons can be seen browsing on the banks from the laid back comfort of your canoe

Climate:

· Wet season
- late December to March.

· Dry Season
- April to early December.

The first rains begin late December and last until mid-March. During this time, rain lasts one to two hours, mainly at night.

After the first rains (December to March), the weather becomes warm and pleasant.

The weather is temperate between April and June.

The winter nights - July and August - are cold, with warm, pleasant days.

September to December brings hot days and warm nights.

October is hot both during the day and night, and is the best game viewing period.

Getting There

Zambia is one of the few countries in the world that has never known war lower zambezi Sunset

One can drive into the National Park on one’s own but it is very underdeveloped and not really structured for vehicle visitors yet.

Please note that there is a pontoon to cross the Kafue Riveri. This pontoon is open from 06h00 in the morning to 18h00 in the evening and is a payment pontoon. Cost is US$20 per foreign registered vehicle

The existing lodges and canoeing operators provide the best access to the park. They all offer pick-ups from either Lusaka or Chirundu (where there is a small motel) or Kariba in Zimbabwe.

The Lower Zambezi National Park is accessible all year round by boat.

The Chongwe River demarcates the western boundary of the park and can be accessed from Chirundu along a rough road (4x4 recommended), crossing the Kafue River by pontoon just beyond Gwabi Lodge.

A pontoon crosses the Zambezi from Luangwa Town to Kanyemba in Zimbabwe and to Zumbo in Mozambique. All at the Zambezi/Luangwa confluence.