Zambia Disney Travel Agents Near Me

Overview

Introduction

This desperately poor country is extravagantly rich in wildlife and wild terrain. Its game parks are among the best in the world, and it shares with Zimbabwe two of the scenic highlights of southern Africa: Victoria Falls and the Zambezi River. But Zambia's attractions are a bit difficult and expensive to reach, which means they're unspoiled but also a challenge for independent travelers. We think Zambia is well worth the challenge, particularly if you're interested in pursuing the raw edges of the "real" Africa, and if you're keen on seeing wild animals in a truly wild setting. We do, however, think Lusaka, the capital, is best avoided: It's dreary and can be dangerous.

Geography

Landlocked Zambia is set on a high plateau (averaging 4,265 ft/1,300 m in altitude), with mountains and hills in the east and north. Almost half the land area is savanna and bush, a quarter is forest or woodland and less than 10% is cropland (tobacco, corn and peanuts are the main crops). The Copper Belt, where most of the mines are located, stretches across the northern part of the country. The Zambezi River begins in the west and runs southeast, eventually delineating the Zambian border with Nambia, Botswana and Zimbabwe. The country is also bordered by Angola to the west, Democratic Republic of Congo (formerly Zaire) and Tanzania to the north and Malawi and Mozambique to the east.

History

Zambia first gained European attention in the 1890s when British business magnate Cecil Rhodes sent expeditions into the area to look for more minerals and cheap labor for his South African mines. Rhodes found what he was looking for and claimed the area, which eventually became known as Northern Rhodesia. A British protectorate from 1924 until 1953, Northern Rhodesia joined what are now Zimbabwe and Malawi in the Federation of Rhodesia and Nyasaland. The federation was peacefully dissolved in 1964 and newly named Zambia became an independent, multiracial republic.

Kenneth Kaunda, one of the heroes of the independence movement, was named president of the new country, a position he held for the next 27 years. Kaunda imprinted the nation with his vision of "humanism," a mixture of socialism and Christianity. For a while, it worked. Some of the world's largest deposits of copper lie beneath Zambian soil, and when copper prices were high, the nation used exports to establish a relatively high standard of living. Unfortunately, when the price of the metal tumbled in the 1970s so did living standards.

By 1990, conditions were bad enough to generate civil unrest, leading to a decision to schedule multiparty elections. In 1991, President Kaunda was replaced by Frederick Chiluba, in what is regarded as one of the smoothest and fairest national elections Africa has ever witnessed.

Chiluba instituted a number of free-market reforms, which sent food prices soaring and the national currency plummeting. Subsequent leaders have had no success in improving the economy: Zambia is one of the poorest countries in the world, with most of the population living on less than US$1 a day.

Snapshot

Victoria Falls, spectacular game reserves, white-water rafting and African culture are the foremost attractions of Zambia.

Zambia will appeal to travelers who have visited Zimbabwe, Kenya or Tanzania and are ready to see wilder game parks that get fewer tourists. Accommodations and facilities are adequate, occasionally above average.

Potpourri

As with ski runs or dive sites, the rapids on the Zambezi River have been named by the local guides. Some of our favorites include: Overland Truck Eater, The Terminator, Silent Assassin and the Gnashing Jaws of Death.

Far from any town, an obelisk with a cross marks the site where the explorer David Livingstone died in 1873. His heart was buried at the site by his servants; the rest of his body lies in Westminster Abbey in London. Livingstone Monument is about 250 mi/400 km northeast of Lusaka.

Kafue National Park is the largest game reserve in Africa.

Just off the road between Lusaka and Tanzania, near the town of Serenje, the Nsalu Hill Cave National Monument contains prehistoric wall paintings. Inquire in Lusaka as to which days the cave is open. Nearby is Kundalila Falls, another national monument.

Zambia's national bird is the African fish eagle—it resembles the North American bald eagle, except that the white feathers extend farther down the neck.

Ngonye Falls (Sioma Falls) is actually a spectacular string of nine falls crossing the Zambezi River (about 185 mi/300 km upstream from Victoria Falls).

The black lechwe and Kafue lechwe are two antelope found only in Zambia.

An engineering marvel and a conservation miracle, Lake Kariba is a man-made lake 174 mi/280 km long.

Although there are only four major tribal-language groups (Bemba, Tonga, Lozi and Nyanja), Zambia has seven major ethnic groups comprising 25 distinct subgroups that use more than 70 languages (besides the official language, English).

It probably never happens, but we kept worrying we were going to get bonked on the head by a fruit falling from one of the many "sausage trees" in Zambia. The fruit is about the size of a salami, and its density is akin to petrified wood.