Lower Zambezi National Park

Lower Zambezi National Park stretches along Zambia’s southern border opposite Zimbabwe’s Mana Pools, creating a vast riverfront ecosystem where elephants, lions, leopards, and hippos share floodplains and albida forests. The park is famous for water-based safaris—canoeing quiet channels, drifting past buffalo herds, and casting for tigerfish—alongside classic 4x4 game drives and guided walks. Lodges are mostly small and owner-run, so even peak season feels wild and unhurried, with lantern light and hippos grunting in the channel.

Why visit Lower Zambezi

Wide channels, albida forests, and escarpment backdrops make every drive or canoe stretch feel cinematic. Start with lions and leopards along the floodplains, shift to the river when the heat rises for elephants on islands and carmine bee-eaters on sandbars, then end with a boat cruise or night drive for leopards and civets. Vehicle numbers are capped and lodges share sightings, so you linger at hides and dens without a queue.

Best time to see wildlife

June–October concentrates game on the river and keeps water levels steady for canoes and boats. May offers cool mornings with fewer guests. November–April turns the valley green with migrants and storms; a few bush tracks go 4x4-only or close, but birders and photographers get rich colors and fewer vehicles.

Safari planning tips

Most travellers fly from Lusaka to Jeki or Royal airstrips, then boat into camp; self-drivers need high-clearance 4x4s and dry-season roads. Pack light layers for sunrise drives and a dry bag for river gear. Night drives run only with licensed guides, and boating stays on set channels. If you plan to fish, check catch-and-release is included and carry polarized lenses for spotting in shallow water. Pair the park with South Luangwa for walking or Mana Pools for a cross-river angle on the same herds.