After living in Lusaka for 2 years, I decided to compile a list of our favorite places. I plan to cover many of these in greater detail in future blog posts, but here is a quick overview for your Must-See Lists if you’re heading to Zambia.
South Luangwa National Park. For some crazy reason, we waited until the end of our two-year tour to visit this park, and I wish we had gone sooner. Had we known just how amazing it was, we would’ve gone back several times. We had friends visiting for a week and wanted to squeeze in a safari trip, so we booked a couple days in March at Flatdogs Camp in their incredible luxury tents. And when I say “tents”, think less camping and more glamping. Our tent had a queen size bed and two twin beds, (which was perfect for our family of four), a full bathroom with s
hower, and a relaxing patio where we sat and watched hippos playing in the Luangwa River. It was amazing! We wanted to have time to relax by the pool, and do some shopping at local favorites Mulberry Mongoose and Tribal Textiles, so we chose to only do one day of game drives through the park. The morning game drive began at 6am with coffee and breakfast before we headed into the park. We spied baboons, monkeys, elephants (including babies), impala, giraffe, guinea fowl, wild dogs (my personal favorite), and beautiful birds galore. We returned in time for lunch and a dip in the pool, and that evening we headed out for sundowners and a night drive through the park. Such a unique experience! We found a pride of lions just before sunset, a leopard along the banks of the river, more wild dogs, and hippos. Did you know that hippos come out of the water at night to graze? It honestly looked like a field full of giant cows when the spotlight shown over the field. It’s easy to see why South Luangwa was one of my favorite places on Earth (so far), and I truly hope that we get the opportunity to return someday.
The most obvious must-see destination in Zambia is Victoria Falls. As one of the 7 Wonders of the World, it’s on a lot of bucket lists. We made our first trip during the dry season, and the Zambian side of the Falls was literally just a trickle. Instead of the thunderous water cascading over the side, we were looking at the African Grand Canyon. It was a beautiful sight. That’s also the perfect time to make a trip to Devil’s Pool if you’re brave enough (I was not…). To get the full experience, we returned at the end of rainy season to see the dramatic difference. And wow, was it different! You can hear the roar of the water as you enter the park. The first glimpse of the waterfall through the trees is breathtaking. Then, as you get closer the mist rises up and transforms the experience. We wore rain jackets and parkas, and we still got drenched from head to toe crossing the Knife’s Edge Bridge to the rest of the scenic overlooks. Many times, the mist was so thick that the views of the water were completely obstructed, and then the wind would change, and you’d see the massive waterfall for a 
quick second before being pelted again with water. Best travel tip – bring a waterproof case for your camera! There will be no place on your body dry enough to keep your camera/phone from getting soaked. I’m so thankful that we were able to see this Wonder in both the dry and the rainy season to fully appreciate the magnificence. While visiting Victoria Falls, make sure to leave time for a few side trips. If you have a full day, cross the border into Botswana for a truly epic safari experience in Chobe National Park. If you’re short on time, the Mosi-oa-Tunya National Park is beautiful and is small enough to self-drive. And don’t forget sundowners along the river at the Avani Resort where you’re likely to run into a few zebra or monkeys in the parking lot.
Another favorite, and closer to the city, is Lilayi Lodge and the Game Rangers International – Elephant Orphanage Project. The elephant orphanage hosts a daily viewing at 11am. These poor baby ellies are rescued from all over the region where their mothers and herds have either been victims of poaching or abandoned for numerous other regions. The project does a great job educating the local communities as to why the elephants are so important to Zambia and helping them to view elephants as a species to be protected rather than a thre
at to their crops and livelihoods. Watching the elephants consume their specially concocted bottles, and learning about the high level of care required to maintain these animals and return them to the wild is incredibly eye-opening. The staff and rangers are extremely knowledgeable and passionate about conservation work. After the feeding, continue to make your way through the game park, but drive slowly and you might catch a glimpse of a giraffe, zebra, impala, or warthog. The road will lead you to Lilayi Lodge which boasts beautiful chalets for overnight stay, and an excellent restaurant for lunch or dinner. If you’re in town for a while, check out their occassional wine tastings for a memorable night out.
One of my favorite things to do each week was go to the Sunday Market at Arcades Mall. As a resident, you get to know many of the local vendors, and it’s great to support their craft. You tend to see the same wares over and over again, so it’s fun to try to find something new. As a tourist, the vendors can be pretty persistent, but I wouldn’t necessarily call them pushy compared to markets in other places throughout the world. You’ll find a lot of hand-carved wood items, tons of chitenge (fabulous local fabric) products, copper jewelry, gemstones (especially amethyst and aquamarine as they are mined locally in abundance), paintings, and many other unique objects. Be sure to stop at the Southern Sun Hotel for Sunday brunch before heading to the market. They have beautiful patio seating with a pond full of fish and baby crocodiles, bottomless buffet (including excellent lattes, mochas and cappuccinos), and the only real American bacon in town. My daughter lives for bacon! If you happen to be in Lusaka the last Saturday of the month head over to the Dutch Reformed Church Market in Kabulonga. Vendors come from Livingstone, South Luangwa, and other far-reaching locales to display their goods at this market which tends draw a larger crowd and provide more diverse goods than the typical Sunday market. Pro tip – Try the dumplings from the Chinese food stand!
Another place that we often took visitors was Chaminuka Lodge and Game Reserve. The highlight here is the Cheetah Experience where you can pet and walk the two resident cheetahs in their natural environment. The power and grace of these gorgeous creatures is incredible to witness up close, and it is a once-in-a-lifetime experience for most people. Stay and have a buffet lunch, go on a game drive, or fishing on the lake. We took a relaxing horseback ride through the game park, and it was amazingly serene and relaxing.
Another great day t
rip from Lusaka is Tiffany’s Canyon. The canyon is filled with gorgeous blue water, and there are tons of activities to keep you busy. Rent speed boats, kayaks, paddle boats, or play on the giant water inflatables. Our kids were a little too small for the inflatables, but they had a blast at the pool, the playground, and playing in the sand. They loved the giant playground situated in the kids’ pool, and we would return again just for that. They do have an onsite restaurant, be we opted to bring our own food and use one of the many grills provided, and it was perfect for our group. Because it was a special occasion (Cruz’s 5th birthday) we decided to stay the night in the lodge, but it’s an easy 1 hour drive back to Lusaka.
Lusaka National Park is Zambia’s smallest national park, but you can’t beat the convenience. It’s only about 10km outside the city, and if you pick up a park map it’s easy to drive yourself. The wildlife is a bit sparse, but we’ve seen giraffe, zebras, impalas, sable, water buck, and Cruz’s all-time favorite – the dung beetle. They also have a protected area for the endangered white rhino which can be viewed in their enclosure on the weekends. They used to have two rhinos, but in 2017 one of them killed the other in a territorial dispute, so they are sadly down to one. This park doesn’t have any predators, so bring a picnic and enjoy the scenic lookout tower and eat al fresco.
Kalimba Reptile Park is a nice little escape just outside the city. They have a small area of habitats with native snakes on display along with a few enclosures to view juvenile crocodiles up close. Follow the path down toward the fishing pond, and you’ll find the real treasure. There are dozens of full-grown crocs, and they are enormous! I had no idea they would be so big! When you’re ready to sit back and relax, order some croc burgers or croc nuggets (service is slow – so be warned), let the kids enjoy the playground or pool, and play a round of mini golf.
Chikumbuso Women and Orphans Project is near and dear to my heart and an absolute must-visit in Lusaka. (Full disclosure – I was the Executive Director during my time in-country, and am now serving as president of their board of directors, so it’s a personal project for me and you’ll be hearing a lot about it in future posts.) Chikumbuso was founded in 2005 as a way to help women who had lost their husbands to HIV/AIDS. The women were taught to crochet and have perfected the art of making handbags from plastic shopping bags. The project quickly expanded to include a school for orphans and vulnerable children in the community as well as a sewing and tailoring program for single moms and at-risk youth. Visitors from around the world visit Chikumbuso every year, and they are always delighted to find a welcoming environment, a tour through the community hall, workshop, and onsite store, and a booming school with over 300 students in grades K-7 attended by fantastic teachers and staff and a well-stocked library. If you visit Zambia without engaging in a cultural experience such as Chikumbuso, you will truly be missing out.
Lower Zambezi National Park never made it onto our to-do list, and now I’m really wishing we had gone! It’s a short 3-hour drive from Lusaka and has so much to offer. I had heard that the diversity of animals wasn’t as high as other parks such as South Luangwa, so I didn’t do a lot of research into visiting Lower Zambezi while we were there. However, after seeing photos from friends’ trips, I realize how wrong I was. They have huge herds of elephants, hippos, buffalo, lions, even leopards and wild dogs. What more could you want?! How about stunning game lodges situated right on the Zambezi River? Yep, we should’ve gone. My husband did go on a boys’ trip tiger fishing on the Lower Zambezi River, and loved it of course, but we never took advantage of the national park and all it had to offer.
Clearly you can see that our family enjoyed our time in Zambia. Two years went incredibly fast, and we will always cherish our memories from this beautiful piece of Africa that we called home.