What To Expect From Your Zambia Vacation: A Travel Review

Zambia is a centrally landlocked country in the continent of Africa. It is officially referred to as the Republic of Zambia. Geographically, it is located at the crossroads of the Southern, Eastern, and Central African continents. Its neighboring countries include the Democratic Republic of Congo (Zaire) to the North, Botswana, and Zimbabwe to its South, Angola to its West, and Malawi to the East. The county's capital is Lusaka, another one of the most populous and economically strong cities of Zambia after Copperbelt Province. 

The country's terrain is a mix of plateaus and a few hills and mountains with river valleys, brooks, and streams dissecting them and paving the way for fresh water to flow. A major river that drains almost the entire country is the Zambezi River, from which the government derives its name. Owing to the significant portion of plateaus covering a major part of the country, Zambia experiences a tropical climate throughout the year, which is also because it lies on the African continent.

The World Bank recognizes Zambia as one of the fastest economically reforming countries in the world. The country is abundantly blessed with natural resources such as minerals, flora and fauna, freshwater bodies, and breathable and arable land. Zambia ranks in the Forest Landscape Integrity Index 39 with a score of 7.5. Zambia is well recognized as one of the safest countries for tourists, which is a catalyst for its vast tourism sector, mainly facilitated by its rich and abundant natural wonders. Zambia's forestry and wildlife are among the most beautiful in the entire world. Moreover, they are untouched, so a tourist can enjoy nature in its raw form, enriched with wildness and originality.

Travel Review - Zambia

As explicitly stated, with the help of facts and figures about the country, Zambia is abundantly blessed with beautiful forestry, wildlife, and whatnot. This makes it a popular place to plan a trip among nature lovers. The country offers its tourists a variety of options to explore - dense national parks, exquisite waterfalls, vast lakes, rich rivers, cultural cities and towns, and even historical sites, including monuments and museums.

1. Chaminuka Game Reserve

The Chaminuka Game Reserve is an estate spread across 40 kilometers of land that offers a tourist the abundance of a variety of wildlife and bird life species, including innumerable mammals, amphibians, and reptiles. The Game Reserve is situated about 50 kilometers far from the town of Chaminuka in the northeast direction. The Chaminuka Game Reserve allows its tourists to accommodate themselves in the comfort of spectacular and luxury lodges. Relatively few of these lodges are situated such that the tourist can enjoy beautiful views of the wildlife park and the lake Chitoka located in the park that is the best place for you if you are looking to give yourself a rest from the daily hustles of life and want to enjoy a glorious and peaceful evening along with witnessing the setting sun.

A few recreational activities that you can enjoy while your stay at the Chaminuka Game Reserve are - 

• Game Drive - As suggested by the name, the game reserve is famous for its meticulous game drives for the tourists to enjoy a wildlife safari where they can witness about 72 species of wildlife which includes exquisite and endangered species of mammals and amphibians as well.
• Bush Walk - Apart from enjoying a wildlife safari in a vehicle, Chaminuka Game Reserve also gives its tourists the alternative to explore the national park on foot. This allows the tourist to connect with the flora and fauna of the place locally and more closely. 
• Bird Watching - Chaminuka Game Reserve is home to more than three hundred birds flying freely all over the reserve, making them easier to spot. The Chaminuka Game Reserve can be considered a place next to heaven for bird-watchers and bird lovers as it allows you to spot, identify and view them closely ideally.

The Chaminuka Game Reserve is about a twenty-minute cab ride from the airport in Zambia's capital city Lusaka, the Lusaka International Airport. It is well connected to almost all parts of the world, easily reachable, and connected to all aspects of the country.

2. Lower Zambezi National Park

Lower Zambezi National Park is yet another meadow of wilderness where you can enjoy wildlife safaris just like the Chaminuka Game Reserve. The Lower Zambezi National Park, in contrast to the Chaminuka Game Reserve, provides a direct experience on a river bank, making it even more beautiful and enjoyable for a tourist. The National Park is situated on the western bank of the Zambezi river and covers a massive whopping area of four thousand ninety-five square kilometers. 

This national park is considered one of the best to view wildlife closely and in its raw form as almost all animals are highly active and entirely spottable on the sides of a water body. Thus, the part of the national park beside and around the river valley is the one where most of the wildlife is concentrated and the place where you should focus for your wildlife safari.

However, compared to the Chaminuka Game Reserve, the Lower Zambezi National Park is underdeveloped, which means that it lacks facilities to provide to its tourists, like extraordinary arrangements for recreational activities or luxurious lodges to stay in. But it looked from a different perspective. This also means you can witness nature and wildlife in its authentic and raw form here at best.

The Lower Zambezi National Park is connected to all the big cities of Zambia and can be reached by road conveniently. Being on the riverside, you can choose from options if you want to travel by water.

3. Victoria Falls

Victoria Falls is located near the border of Zambia and Zimbabwe. It is one of the world's largest waterfalls and is thus declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site. The grandeur of the waterfall is such that the Victoria Falls is also popularly known as the most excellent curtain of falling water in the world. It is an important tourist attraction for Zambia and Zimbabwe and one of the most important economic drivers for both countries' tourism sectors. The exquisite water body, apart from being a treat to the eyes, is also a source of living for the endangered and rare species of wildlife that reside in the waterfalls and can be spotted anytime.

Since December 2016, the governments of both the countries, Zambia and Zimbabwe, have made it easier for tourists to access the waterfall by enabling the KAZA Visa entry acceptable at all possible entry ports of the waterfall in both countries so that a tourist is not compelled to inhibit a VISA of both the countries at a time.

However, in recent years, UNESCO has warned the world that the Victoria falls might lose its World Heritage Site tag due to its deteriorating character due to its precipitation variability, whose driving force has been credited to global climate change and global warming. 

4. Kasanka National Park

The sky above Kasanka National Park comes alive with roughly 10 million straw-colored fruit bats every year from October to December. The Great Wildebeest Migration in East Africa is not the world's most significant animal migration.

The mood around this event is more exciting than the sheer number of bats, which is astounding. Giant birds of prey fly through the spectacular skies and eat bats for breakfast. Of course, you can also view the typical Kasanka highlights, such as the uncommon, swamp-dwelling sitatunga antelope, which grazes in the morning mist in the marshes. This is a must-do activity if you're a true safari aficionado.

Wrapping up

Zambia is a ten-on-ten place for nature lovers. We recommend visiting at least once in your lifetime, and you will not regret it. The natural resources that the country possesses are just so exquisite for one to skip them. Once you see nature in its most raw and wild form, you will keep visiting Zambia repeatedly; such is the mental hold the country's beauty has over its visitors. The wildlife, forestry, water bodies, and clean air are gifts to the human body that one should not miss.

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