The Lower Zambezi National Park is a large, scenically attractive park that lies on the northern bank of the Zambezi River, opposite Zimbabwe’s Mana Pools National Park. Miombo woodland covers the hills, with mopane and acacia dominating the valley floor. A wide variety of game species occur, such as elephant, buffalo, roan, waterbuck, kudu, bushbuck, and hippo, but numbers have greatly reduced by poaching. Lion and leopard are the main predatory species in the park. Enormous herds of elephant are often seen at the river's edge, crocodiles bask in the Zambian sunshine and the birdlife is phenomenal: from small, coulorful bee-eaters to mammoth shoebill storks.
It becomes very hot in the summer. The beauty of the Lower Zambezi lies in its state of absolute wildness. This phenomenal setting lends itself to a slow, peaceful pace of life. Canoeing here is a must. The lodges in the park provide hourly or day long canoeing trips. Float down the river at your leisure and they’ll pick you up in a speedboat at the end of the day to bring you back.
At the Lower Zambezi National Park one can experience close encounters with big animals from a canoe or boat, bush walks and animal tracking, wading waterbuck and buffalo, beautiful scenery, tiger fishing, night game drives, elephants swimming and superb safari lodges located along the river.
Game viewing is best in mid season, from Jun-Oct. Naturally, the river should be at its highest in June (when all the rainwater in the catchment area has reached downstream) - but the levels are heavily controlled by the hydro-electric scheme at the Kariba dam wall - so can rise overnight if more electricity output is needed. There are no operations inside the park during the rains as roads become impassable and the wildlife moves to the security of the hills rather than the vulnerability of the river banks. |
