A country · 44 places · 9 regions

Zambia, all of it.

44 curated places across 9 regions — photographed, mapped, and noted with the season each is best in.

South Luangwa National Park · via Wikimedia Commons

The 4 biggest regions — Southern Province, Northern Province, Central Province and Luapula Province — read below as chapters, with 5 more waiting past them.

Chapter I · Southern Province · 10 places

Southern Province

Livingstone on the Zambian bank of the Zambezi is the adventure tourism hub for the Victoria Falls region, offering a broader range of activities than its Zimbabwean counterpart across the river. The town grew up around the colonial-era Victoria Falls hotel and retains a relaxed character alongside its role as a base for rafting, microlight flights over the falls, and bungee operations. The Livingstone Museum is the largest in Zambia and holds significant collections related to the explorer David Livingstone.

Livingstone, Zambia

Southern Province, Zambia

✦ June to October · $$

Livingstone

Southern Province, Zambia

✦ May to October · $$

Lake Kariba, Zambia

Southern Province, Zambia

✦ April to October · $$

All 10 places in Southern Province →

via Wikimedia Commons

Chapter II · Northern Province · 5 places

Northern Province

A series of three cascades and rapids on the Luombe River near Kasama. The site holds spiritual significance for local communities and is set within lush riverine forest.

✦ March to July

Meet Chishimba Falls All 5 places in Northern Province →

Chapter III · Central Province · 4 places

Central Province

Kafue National Park is one of the largest national parks in the world, covering 22,400 square kilometres of western Zambia including miombo woodland, grassland, and the Kafue River floodplains. The Busanga Plains in the far north are a seasonal wetland renowned for lion, eland, tsessebe, and the rare red lechwe during the dry-season concentration. The park's enormous size and limited infrastructure give it one of the lowest visitor densities of any major African reserve.

Kafue National Park

Central Province, Zambia

✦ June to October · $$

Blue Lagoon National Park

Central Province, Zambia

✦ July to October · $

Kasanka National Park

Central Province, Zambia

✦ Late October to December for the fruit bat migration · $$

All 4 places in Central Province →

via Wikimedia Commons

Chapter IV · Luapula Province · 4 places

Luapula Province

An immense seasonal floodplain where water and sky merge, home to tens of thousands of endemic black lechwe antelope and the rare, prehistoric-looking shoebill stork. Community fishing camps dot the swamps, and canoe trips with local guides are the main way to search for shoebills.

✦ March to June for shoebill sightings on the floodwaters · $$

Meet Bangweulu Wetlands All 4 places in Luapula Province →