Things to do in Zambia

Stand before the world’s largest curtain of falling water, where mist rises so vigorously it can be seen kilometres away.

Take a short boat trip to Livingstone Island and, during dry-season low water, slip into a natural rock pool just centimetres from the 100-metre precipice.

Follow an armed scout and expert guide on foot through dense mopane woodlands and open savannah.

Paddle a Canadian canoe past pods of grunting hippos and elephants wading onto islands, with the escarpment rising in the distance.

Explore the seasonally flooded Busanga Plains, where red lechwe, puku, roan and sable antelope wander vast grasslands dotted with islands of trees.

Drift slowly across Africa’s largest man-made lake as the sun sinks behind the Matusadona Mountains, turning the water to silver and orange.

Inside Zambia’s oldest and largest museum, examine original letters, personal effects and medicines that belonged to explorer David Livingstone.

Walk through a working Leya village with a local guide, greeted by singing children and drumming elders.

Observe semi-wild chimpanzees roaming enormous forested enclosures at this pioneering sanctuary.

Spend a night in a colonial-style English manor built brick by brick by eccentric aristocrat Sir Stewart Gore-Browne in the 1920s.

Between October and December, up to ten million straw-coloured fruit bats cloak the musuku forest at dusk, blotting out the sky as they depart to feed.

Trek down a steep escarpment to the roar of a 235-metre waterfall plunging into a gorge.

Lounge on uncrowded beaches where tropical fish flicker in the azure shallows and rainforest-clad mountains drop straight into the lake.

Just 30 minutes from the capital, this private reserve offers sightings of giraffes, zebras and rare white lions.

Wander through galleries chronicling Zambia’s journey from early hominid remains and kingdom-era trade to independence and contemporary art.

Stroll through a botanical garden and wildlife sanctuary where rescued primates, lions and antelopes are cared for.

Pole a mokoro canoe through papyrus-lined channels to spot one of the continent’s most sought-after birds—the prehistoric-looking shoebill.

Watch thousands of blue wildebeest trailing across a vast, flat grassland under infinite skies, often shadowed by hyenas and cheetahs.

Leap 111 metres from the historic steel arch bridge with the roar of the Zambezi directly below you.

Tackle world-class rapids with names like ‘The Washing Machine’ and ‘Oblivion’ through a deep basalt gorge.

Follow a forest path past three successive falls where the Luombe River tumbles over rocky ledges.

Feel the ground tremble under the cascade that spans a 160-metre-wide lip, often compared to Victoria Falls but seldom visited.

Spread a towel on a long, sandy beach beside an immense freshwater lake that stretches to the horizon.

Dig into Zambia’s staple maize porridge accompanied by ifisashi—greens cooked in groundnut sauce—alongside grilled bream or village chicken.

Join thousands of Ngoni dancers and warriors as they celebrate the first harvest with King Mpezeni at his Mtenguleni palace.