Lower Zambezi National Park, one of Zambia’s top safari spots, stretches 120 km along the Zambezi River. Home to elephants, hippos, crocodiles, big cats, and abundant wildlife, it offers day and night game drives, river cruises, canoeing, and guided walks. Lodges sit at the water’s edge, often unfenced, providing prime wildlife views.
One of Zambia’s top safari destinations, the Lower Zambezi National Park protects 120 kilometres of Zambezi riverfront and its wild hinterland. It’s a place of snorting hippos and lazy-eyed crocodiles, home to elephants and big cats, buffalo, baboons and antelope.
Still largely unknown and little visited, the Lower Zambezi National Park offers a first-class safari experience and combines easily with Victoria Falls and even South Luangwa, home to the best walking safaris in Africa.
There are a handful of safari camps – either in the park itself or set in an adjoining private concession. You’ll fly in from Lusaka or Livingstone, transfer by 4X4 to your lodge and plan your stay. Expect a wide range of safari experiences: day and night game drives, guided nature walks, river cruises and canoe expeditions. You may have the chance to visit local communities and even throw a line overboard for a tiger fish or two.
The Lower Zambezi National Park is a destination with broad appeal: there are honeymoon lodges as well as family-friendly villas. Bird watchers are richly rewarded throughout the year and wildlife photographers have a spread of subjects and scenery. Accommodation sits in prime position at the water’s edge with beautiful views of the river – and its wildlife. Lodges are unfenced with their viewing decks usually overlooking pods of hippo; it’s not unusual to see elephants moving through camp.
Lower Zambezi guides are highly trained and offer flexible safari programmes. You could start with an early morning drive, go on a short guided walk after brunch and then sit back on an afternoon river cruise. Internet access, sundecks and swimming pools provide the diversions between activities.
Talk to Safari Online about a Lower Zambezi safari; it’s easy to combine with Victoria Falls and other safari destinations in Zambia and Botswana. We’ll recommend the best tour or accommodation for your requirements or will tailor-make an itinerary for you.
Primarily a dry season destination, the Lower Zambezi National Park is at its best from May through August. Temperatures are at their lowest (daytime averages of 28°C/82°F in June and July), there is virtually no rain and the malaria risk is at its lowest. It is still dry in September and October but prepare for hot temperatures (October’s daytime average is 36°C/97°F). Animals are concentrated at the water’s edge and game viewing tends to be very good at this time.
The rains begin in November, forcing many camps to close, reopening in April after the rains have ended. Travel to the Lower Zambezi is not generally recommended at this time: the risk of malaria is at its highest, much of the wildlife has dispersed and there are days of extremely heavy rain.
If you are also planning to visit Victoria Falls, a degree of compromise is needed to see each destination at its best. Victoria Falls is in peak flow from February to May but much of the Lower Zambezi is closed then. And when game viewing is peaking in intensity at the Lower Zambezi in September and October, much of Victoria Falls is dry, especially the Zambian side. We recommend combining the Lower Zambezi and Victoria Falls between May and August.
With the backdrop of the teeming Zambezi River, it’s no surprise to learn that Lower Zambezi lodges sit overlooking water. Such a setting means that game viewing can be enjoyed even from the comfort of an armchair – and that’s before you go out on game drives, boat trips, canoe safaris and guided walks.
For such a wild destination, there is a surprisingly generous range of accommodations located in the park and on adjoining private concessions. Honeymooners and romantic travellers will find wonderful, tucked-away retreats with table-for-two dining. There are traditional tented camps as well as exclusive-use villas – ideal for families and groups. And the more luxurious lodges have beauty and massage treatments on offer as well as educational and photographic classes.
Browse our recommended Lower Zambezi lodges below or simply contact us for advice on a suitable accommodation for your needs and budget.
Set at the heart of the park, this owner-run camp only has 4 suites, thus assuring each of its guests a personalised safari. There’s an emphasis on walking safaris but you can go game viewing by 4X4, motor boat & canoe as well.
A dramatic setting on the Zambezi River gives this lodge an unbeatable location for wildlife-filled safaris. It’s one of the more luxurious accommodations – massage & beauty treatments & private dining are available & the suites are very well-appointed.
A setting within the park means unfettered game viewing at this intimate tented camp. There are only 9 suites, one of which is an indulgent Honeymoon Suite complete with panoramic views. You’ll explore by 4X4, boat & on foot with expert guides.
Anabezi Camp is made up of twelve spacious, secluded tents, raised on timber platforms to give you a magnificent view of the Lower Zambezi National Park. Where the Zambezi River and Mushika Flood Plain meet, is also the meeting spot for hundreds of animal species.
With lions roaring in the distance and hippos snorting nearby, the 15 luxurious thatched suites, elegant design and gourmet cuisine of Royal Zambezi Lodge provide a perfect base from which to explore this wild and beautiful area.
One of Zambia’s most rewarding wildlife experiences, a Lower Zambezi safari is best included as part of a wider tour to Zambia and beyond – Botswana, South Africa or Namibia.
Within Zambia, Victoria Falls provides a suitably grand start or finale to your safari, and it’s easy: the Livingstone – Lusaka – Lower Zambezi flight connection is a tried and tested one. Many tours include Zambia’s safari showpiece too – the South Luangwa National Park. The open savannah landscape of the South Luangwa makes an excellent contrast with the river and floodplain environment of the Lower Zambezi, promising a wide diversity of animals and birds.
Browse our recommended tours below, each including a Lower Zambezi safari. Alternatively, if you’d like a more personalised approach, simply contact us and we’ll tailor-make an itinerary based on your needs and budget.
Our team of destination experts will design a holiday to meet your budget and interests. Let’s start planning your tailor-made African safari today!
A Lower Zambezi safari is usually part of a larger itinerary in Zambia, taking in Victoria Falls and the South Luangwa via domestic flights. International access to Zambia’s Lusaka and Livingstone (Victoria Falls) airports means that Zambia can easily be combined with destinations further afield. It’s a one-stop flight to South Africa where you can add Cape Town, the Kruger or the Garden Route to your tour. One of our favourite combinations however is Maldives, home to golden-sand beaches and tropical-blue water.
