As one of Africa's top Safari destinations, Zambia has a lot to offer to both the first-timer as well as the seasoned traveller. With so many attractive places and activities, Zambia is a good place to visit.
In this article, we are going to look at 15 of the best places to visit in Zambia. Because our interests and preferences are different (and that's a good thing), the list is not in any order of which place is better than the other.
Take a while to find out which places would do very well for you, if you get to go to Zambia and visit.
Best Places To Visit In Zambia
1. Livingstone
Named after David Livingstone - one of the most prominent explorers of the African continent, Livingstone is also Zambia's former Capital.
Livingstone is very well known as the entrance to the incredible Victoria Falls, which he was the first European explorer to discover. Popular for its easy access to Zambezi National Park of Zimbabwe - and the rest of the Zambezi River, Livingstone has become popular with tourists visiting all the nearby attractions in both countries.
Related articles: Victoria Falls Facts. 9 incredible facts that make Vic Falls Special
2. Mosi-Oa-Tunya National Park
Mosi-oa-Tunya is home to some of the most attractive sections of Victoria Falls. As the second-biggest single waterfall on earth, it’s easy to see why that part of Zambia’s mighty river has gained a UNESCO Heritage tag.
Related article: Africa's UNESCO World Heritage Sites
Mosi-oa-Tunya National Park is also rich in wildlife such as white rhinos, giraffes, zebras, elephants, and more. Walking along the slender platform for the Knife-Edge Bridge that curves over the falls is a supreme experience.
You will need a good pair of walking boots and a big dose of courage but the excitement is like no other. The park is very popular and you will find many other visitors who are enjoying the natural beauty and wonders of Mosi-oa-Tunya.
3. Samfya Beach
Located in northern Zambia, Lake Bangweulu is verbally interpreted as ‘The Place Where the Water Joins the Sky’. The way that the grey-blue waters vanish into the horizon, mixing in totally with the colour of the sky, makes for a sight of 'water joining the sky'.
On the southern shore of Lake Bangweulu, is Samfya Beach - one of the few white sand beaches in Zambia. The beach is popular with various beach activities and makes the long drive (about 700 kilometres) from Lusaka worth it.
The lodges on the waterfront provide good accommodation for your stay.
4. Lusaka
As the capital city of Zambia, Lusaka is the throbbing socioeconomic centre of the country. From new high-rise construction that is changing the face of the city, to the bustling activity of the local Zambians as they go about their daily rush, you will be able to feel the energy in Lusaka.
Aside from social life, a visit to the National Museum and the Cathedral of the Holy Cross will be both enlightening and fun.
5. Ndola
Ndola is the mercantile sub-center of Zambia’s Copperbelt region which is one of the industrious kingpins of the nation. This well-kept town of clean streets and municipal green spots makes a nice change from the insane energy of the country’s capital, Lusaka.
Despite having obvious lived-in vibes, there are a few lovely little tourist points to watch. These places include a termite-attacked Mukuyu Slave Tree, where Arabian merchants would have hawked their human goods in centuries gone by.
You can also see the striking fascinating lake of Chilengwa, constantly puzzling locals with its curious absence of a water source.
6. Lake Kariba
Lake Kariba was formed as a result of the creation of the Kariba Dam which supplies Hydro-Electric Power to Zambia
Lake Kariba spreads over an area of nearly 2000 km and for many years Lake Kariba’s shoreline has provided a weekend entrance from Zambia’s capital city Lusaka.
It is located less than two hours drive (approximately 100km).
One of the best ways to bathe in the sun and experience the stunning sunrise and sunset is on a houseboat, of which there are plenty of opportunities available for rent.
7. Nyika Plateau National Park
The Nyika Plateau National Park is located at the easternmost point of Zambia, which is one of the highest places in the country. The sights from the plateau are incredible; uneven grasslands with valleys, slopes with plenty of wildflowers, rolling green hills, stony outcrops, and tiny tropical forests nestled in the valleys.
Elephants, zebras, and the red duiker are a few animals that can be seen in the park, although most of the surface area of the park is in nearby Malawi.
The only way to access the park is from the Malawian side, which has sole accommodation. It is a perfect getaway for those who prefer quiet endless savannah horizons.
8. Lower Zambezi National Park
One of Zambia’s more isolated wildernesses, the Lower Zambezi National Park is a place yet intact by the invasion of mass safari and ecotourism. A combination of muddy banks and miombo gallery woods, the 4,000-square-kilometer region is known for its immense floodplain.
This seasonal wetland attracts groups of lions and elephants, buffalo, and leopards. All assemble here to water and feed.
Lower Zambezi can’t be accessed by paved road, so a 4X4 or a chartered flight connection is essential. The chartered flight offers incredible views from above of many of the animals and the expanse of the landscape.
9. Blue Lagoon National Park
Located above the Kafue Flats, this huge floodplain of a reserve throbs between the cracked and sun-baked desert in the dry season and a green watering hole in the rainy season. Situated only 100 kilometres from Lusaka, Blue Lagoon National Park where visitors will find otherworldly pleasure.
When the pearly waters begin to swell most guests will appear. They go ardently to find rare birds in the canopies of acacias that stand on the little oxbow lakes and lagoons.
You can also marvel at the wonderous lechwe antelopes as they jump around in the forests.
10. Sindabezi Island
Most people go to Livingstone to watch Victoria Falls but the tiny private island of Sindabezi is also worth a trip.
Enjoy scenes of the Zambezi alluvial plain and the neighbouring Mosi-oa-Tunya National Park, and have local dishes on an elevated floating platform in the middle of the river.
The beauty of Sindabezi is in its hard-to-reach location. The only way to reach there is nothing but the boat.
11. South Luangwa National Park
One of the abodes of the eminent walking safari, the South Luangwa National Park stretches out between the elevated mountains of eastern Zambia. It’s trodden by herds of elephants and hippos, countless buffalos and long-necked giraffes, miombo jungle, and waving savannah plains.
The biodiversity makes it something of a picture of real Africa, and the amalgamation of lion packs does well to add to the reputation.
You’ll be able to travel through the vast land in the company of pastoralist guides and can learn all about animal tracking, anti-poaching, and more.
12. Lake Kashiba
Lake Kashiba or sunken lakes are one of Zambia’s most remarkable lakes. Formed from limestone corrosion which led to small openings being filled with water, the lakes are situated in Mpongwe which is a town in Ndola, Copperbelt Province.
The water is so lucid that you can watch fish swimming. The beauty of the lake is further strengthened by the bluish colour of the water, giving it the visual notion of an enormous natural swimming pool, with no noticed river entering or leaving it.
It is said to be nearly 100 meters (330 feet) deep, although this has yet to be accomplished.
There are many local legends encompassing the lake, such as the existence of a monster called ‘Ichitapa’ or ‘lsoka lkulu’.
13. Kitwe
Kitwe has flourished in the last century to become one of Zambia’s most crowded cities. Now, more than half a million inhabitants call this one their home; most of whom perspire and do hard labour in the copper mines that first fetched money to this part of Central Africa.
When you appear, you’ll be able to experience the outcomes of the blossoming mining industries here. They appear in the form of metal rigs over the dusty ground and pop up in the shops of the city’s Obote Ave Market – search for the strange handmade copper trinkets.
Kitwe is also an ideal place for further investigation among the cities of the greater Copperbelt.
14. Chingola
Deep in the Zambian heartlands, a little Copperbelt town Chingola, is a lovely place. It’s topped with the dangling branches of acacia trees and the irregular spiny cactus and ticks over to the reasonable thrum of copper mining machinery and the chitchat of local prospectors.
Now, several good hotels and restaurants attract a humble crowd of tourists each year. They come to visit the huge open shaft mines that encompass the settlement. Some come to play a round of golf on the nearby golf course which is one of the most acclaimed in the whole Copperbelt area, nay, the whole country!
15. Solwezi
Solwezi is located in the north-western part of Zambia. As a mining centre, Solwezi has grown from an unassuming town to a flourishing industrial town - which has contributed to the burgeoning tourist activity.
Visitors to Solwezi come to watch the rock works as well as Zambia's ancient Stone-Age carvings. The stone engravings are found in the various caves and canyons, as well as the nearby Kifubwa River.
Final Thoughts
These are some of the best places to visit when you are in Zambia. Depending on your preference, you might prefer some better than others. We leave it up to you to decide which one you would rank best in the 15 places.
This list is by no means exhaustive because Zambia has a lot to show in terms of culture, history and nature. We hope this list gives you an idea of what you would choose if you went to Zambia.
If the article has left you even more curious, feel free to look around our website for more information as well as ask us.
