The Lower Zambezi National Park

This is the newest of Zambia’s National Parks, an area of some 4,092 square kilometres that lies directly across the river from the Mana Pools Reserve in Zimbabwe. This means that both banks of the Zambezi are protected at this point and offers a huge area of wilderness for the animal and birdlife to exist in relative peace. Indeed one of the biggest attractions of the park is the chance to get close to the game, exploring the many channels of the Zambezi River. There is great variety of terrain, from lush and overgrown riverbanks to flood plains and mopane forest. Set back from the river, the land rises into hills and at the north end a large escarpment acts as a natural barrier for the animals.

The Park is especially good for elephants, herds of up to 100 can be seen at any one time. Lion, leopard and buffalo are also relatively common, while fish eagles fly overhead. Another attraction of the area is fishing, with Tiger Fish and Bream being fairly common, and a type of catfish, the vundu, growing to up to 50kg. A popular way to see the Park is by canoe, giving peaceful access to many of the waterways and back waters. As you would expect from such a diverse habitat, the range of bird life is large ranging from the fish eagle to crested guinea fowl, the Narina Trogon to Lilians lovebird.

The best time to visit the park is between June and September, but most lodges are open between April and November. For fishing, September and October are recommended.