One of TIME magazine’s World’s Greatest Places 2022.
Being named in TIME magazine’s top places for 2022 is a great acknowledgement, and Lower Zambezi National Park deserves every bit of credit. However, what happened to the real rationality behind what makes it such a remarkable place. Everyone knows there is a lot more going for the Lower Zambezi National Park than a 1km stretch of riverfront with a fancy new lodge on it. Just saying- let’s get the story straight.
The Lower Zambezi National Park is 4092 km2 and has 120km of riverfront, and shares the opposite side of the river with Mana Pools National Park, Zimbabwe, a UNESCO world heritage site because of its extreme biological importance and natural beauty. GMA’s or game management areas on each side of these parks provide huge conservation buffer areas and extend the protected area to a total of more than 20 000km2.
Thousands of elephants and hippo’s, buffalo, and various species of antelope congregate along the valley floor, the floodplains and the associated riverine forest fringes, and in the dry season the game concentrations are just mind blowing.
The Lower Zambezi National Park has one of the highest leopard, elephant and hippo densities in Africa, and the lion population is also thriving. At the moment there is a pack of 38 African Wild Dogs (Painted Wolf) including a new litter of pups, born in June 2022. This is currently one of the largest packs in Africa, and because they are the 2nd most endangered carnivore species in Africa, it points to the successful conservation efforts in and around the park.
Conservation Lower Zambezi (CLZ) is the NGO that manages the conservation projects of the park and the surrounding GMA’s. Community development, human-wildlife conflict, anti-poaching and environmental education are major projects that directly benefit the people of the valley.
The Lower Zambezi National Park has always been managed as a low tourism density – high tourism value destination, and there are only 8 sites (camps/lodges) along the 120km stretch. This means that you can often do a full 3-4 hour activity, covering a huge area and encounter very few other people, if any at all. None of the roads are tarred and self drive vehicles can only enter in a 4×4 and are rarely seen. Lower Zambezi is therefore a fly-in fly-out destination due to its remoteness, and adds to its exclusivity.
The safari camps and lodges inside the National park are seasonal (April- Nov) and some outside the park are open year round. They are all privately managed, many are owner-run, and employ thousands of people from the local communities, who have a vested interest in the conservation of the Zambezi valley. These camps and lodges have the highest standards of accommodation, dining, guiding and facilities. Very few destinations in Africa offer such variety in world class activities, namely; game drives, walking, canoeing, boating and fishing. No two activities are ever the same.
The Lower Zambezi’s vast network of quiet backwater channels carve out hundreds of islands that are accessible only by canoe, or by walking. It is unarguably considered the best calm water canoeing in Africa, suitable for all ages between 16 & 100. The canoes are comfortable with padded seats and backrests. Calm water means that you’re not going to get wet and you don’t even need to paddle. Each canoe trip has a qualified lead guide and each canoe has a dedicated paddler. At first thought, a canoe trip might not sound like something you’re terribly interested in, but often becomes an outstanding highlight of the entire safari. Huge blocks of uninterrupted wilderness allows for superb walking conditions, and the landscapes and wildlife make it a photographers dream with changing vegetation from palm forests, to mahogany and winter-thorn forests, floodplains and oxbow lakes.
These days there are so many great options when it comes to safari destinations, and what might be good for some might not be good for others. There is no single best, just a collection of “bests” that can be put together to make an ideal itinerary. Therefore it is extremely important to know all the variables, and the facts that become important in a successful safari. No matter whether you are a safari first timer or a hardened fanatic, the Lower Zambezi National Park is guaranteed to capture and inspire you, and give you that extra bit of Wow factor… and that’s a fact!