Travel deep dive
The Lower Zambezi, a Safari on the River
Downstream of the town of Chirundu, the Zambezi flows wide and slow between two national parks: Mana Pools on the Zimbabwean bank and the Lower Zambezi National Park on the Zambian one. On the Zambian side a strip of floodplain shaded by tall winterthorn trees lies between the river and the steep wall of the escarpment, and elephants, buffalo and hippos move between the water and the woodland. What sets the park apart is the river itself: much of a stay is spent on it, by canoe and by boat.
Updated 2026-10-08
The floodplain and the escarpment
The park runs east along the river from the Chongwe river, its western edge, with channels and islands breaking the main stream and the hills of the escarpment rising behind. In the dry season the winterthorn trees drop their pods, and elephants walk the floodplain to feed on them; buffalo, waterbuck and impala graze near the water, and lions and leopards follow them.
Canoeing the channels
Canoeing is the park's signature. Guided canoe trips follow the quiet side channels between the islands, gliding past hippos, crocodiles on the banks and elephants feeding at the water's edge, with herons, kingfishers and fish eagles all around. The guides choose the channels and keep a careful distance from the hippos, and some camps run trips of several days, paddling by day and sleeping in camps on the bank.
Boats, drives and walks
Boat trips on the main river at the end of the day bring the sunset over the Zimbabwean hills, and the river's tiger fish are caught and released on fishing trips. On land, drives on the floodplain and into the woodland of the hills show the park's lions, leopards and herds, and guided walks take a closer look at the bush.
Seasons and staying
The park is visited in the dry season, from about May to October, when the camps are open and the animals keep to the river; the heat builds towards the end of it. Most camps close for the rains. The camps lie along the river, inside the park and in the area just west of it, and every canoe trip, boat trip, drive and walk is arranged through them.
Getting there
Light aircraft fly from Lusaka to the park's airstrips in well under an hour, and from South Luangwa for visitors combining the two. By road, the park is reached from Lusaka by way of Chirundu, with the last stretch along the river or by boat to the camps. It lies in Lusaka Province, and pairs naturally with South Luangwa on a trip through Zambia's parks.