The other side of Victoria Falls, the birthplace of the walking safari and huge rivers with hardly any tourists: Zambia is the wild, authentic safari almost nobody tells you about.
Zambia is the African safari in its purest form: huge, wild and surprisingly empty of tourists. Landlocked and wedged between eight countries of southern and central Africa, it offers the less-photographed half of Victoria Falls, gigantic national parks and rivers like the Zambezi and the Luangwa that are the very heart of wildlife. It's the ideal destination for anyone who has dreamed of Africa and wants to experience it without the crowds.
Its great hallmark is the walking safari, born here in the 1950s: walking through the savannah with an expert guide and an armed scout, following tracks and reading the land, is a far more intimate experience than the classic 4x4 safari. Add canoe safaris on the Lower Zambezi, night drives in South Luangwa (one of the best places in the world to see leopards) and the adrenaline of Livingstone: rafting, bungee and the legendary Devil's Pool at the edge of the falls.
It's a trip that calls for some planning and budget: distances are long, many parks are reached by light aircraft and safari lodges aren't cheap. But Zambia more than rewards those who make it. People are warm and easy-going, English gets you out of any jam, and the feeling of having a river full of hippos or a herd of elephants almost to yourself is something few destinations in the world can still offer.
The currency is the Zambian kwacha (ZMW). In July 2026 one US dollar was worth about 18 kwacha (verified July 2026), so it makes sense to think in USD for the big expenses. The dollar is king in tourism: safaris, lodges, park fees and activities at Victoria Falls are almost always quoted and paid in dollars (bring new notes, issued after 2013, in good condition). For day-to-day spending (markets, taxis, local food, SIM cards) use kwacha: change money at banks or bureaux de change in Lusaka and Livingstone, never on the street. Visa/Mastercard cards work in hotels and supermarkets in the cities, and there are ATMs in urban centres, but outside them cash is essential. Tipping isn't compulsory but is appreciated: 10% in restaurants and around 5–10 USD a day for guides and lodge staff is the norm.
Full converter for ZMW →There are no direct flights from Latin America: the usual route is through an African hub. The most common connections go via Johannesburg (South African / Airlink), Addis Ababa (Ethiopian Airlines) or Istanbul and Doha (Turkish, Qatar), often with a first hop to São Paulo or Europe. The main airport is Kenneth Kaunda International (LUN) in Lusaka, although for Victoria Falls many people fly straight into Livingstone (LVI) or cross over from Victoria Falls (Zimbabwe). Good news on visas: since January 2025 Zambia has waived visas for Argentines and almost all of Latin America, with stays of up to 30 days that can be extended (verified July 2026); all you need is a passport valid for 6 months and an onward ticket. Inside the country distances are enormous and secondary roads are poor: to get between parks people use light aircraft (Proflight Zambia), lodge transfers or 4x4 vehicles with a driver; between Lusaka and Livingstone there are comfortable buses (Power Tools, Mazhandu) that take about 7–8 hours.
The big split in Zambia's year is between the dry season (May to October) and the rainy or 'green season' (November to April). For safari, the best time is the dry season, especially June to October: vegetation thins out, animals gather at rivers and waterholes, and the roads are passable. September and October are the peak for sightings (and for heat: October can be stifling). June and July are cooler, with cold nights in the bush, and a bit less busy.
For Victoria Falls, timing matters a lot. From February to May the flow is at its peak and the spectacle is overwhelming, but the cloud of spray can block the view and soaks you. From August to January the water drops: you see more of the gorge and, above all, Devil's Pool opens (roughly mid-August to January). The 'green season' (Nov–Apr) brings green landscapes, migratory birds and lower prices, but many remote lodges close for the rains and some roads become impassable. If it's your first safari, aim for the dry season; if you're after photography, the falls in full flow or lower prices, weigh up the shoulder months.
The heart of Zambian food is nshima: a thick dough of white maize flour, similar to a firm polenta, eaten by hand by rolling it into small balls to go with stews. It's served with 'relishes' or ndiwo: stews of vegetables (such as ifisashi, made with peanuts, tomato and leafy greens), beef, chicken or fish. It's filling, cheap and on every table; trying it at a market or local restaurant is diving headfirst into the country's culture.
Other classics worth trying: michopo (beef or goat grilled outdoors, ideal with a beer), kapenta (small dried fish from Lake Tanganyika or Kariba, sautéed), and in season, mopane worms (a protein-rich snack for the bold). The local beer is Mosi, named after the falls (Mosi-oa-Tunya), fresh and very easy to drink. The cities have a good range of international food; in the bush you eat at the lodge, almost always from carefully prepared menus included in the price.
Zambia is one of the safest and most stable countries in Africa: no armed conflict and very friendly people. Crime against tourists is low and mostly limited to opportunistic theft in Lusaka and busy parts of Livingstone; use the usual common sense (don't show off valuables, avoid walking through dark areas at night, keep an eye on your bag on buses and in markets). In the bush the biggest 'risk' is the wildlife: always follow your guides' instructions. The emergency number is 999 (police 991, ambulance/fire 993); also note down the number for Speciality Emergency Services (SES), the country's main medical rescue company.
On health, two key points. First, yellow fever: if you're coming from, or had a layover (over 12 hours) in, a country with transmission, you'll be asked for a vaccination certificate on arrival; it's worth having it anyway and carrying the yellow card. Second, malaria: there's a risk in almost the whole country, higher in the rainy season, so see a travel medicine doctor about prophylaxis (atovaquone-proguanil, doxycycline or mefloquine) and use repellent, long sleeves at dusk and a mosquito net. Hepatitis A and B and typhoid are also recommended, along with keeping routine vaccines up to date (tetanus, MMR). Don't drink tap water: stick to bottled or filtered water. Make sure you take out good travel insurance with medical evacuation cover, because quality hospitals are in the big cities and many areas are remote.
Zambia can be surprisingly cheap day to day and very expensive for safaris: it's a destination of contrasts. A backpacker using public transport, eating nshima at markets and sleeping in hostels or campsites can get by on about 40–60 USD a day. A mid-range trip (simple hotels, the odd light-aircraft flight or transfer, individual activities in Livingstone) comes to around 100–180 USD a day. Admission to Mosi-oa-Tunya park at the falls costs around 20–25 USD; a Devil's Pool tour, about 100–170 USD; the bridge bungee, around 160 USD (verified July 2026).
The big expense is a lodge safari. Accommodation inside the parks (South Luangwa, Lower Zambezi, Kafue) is usually sold as 'all inclusive' packages with meals, activities and guides: from about 250–400 USD per person per night for the more affordable options up to 700–1,500 USD or more at luxury lodges. Add internal light-aircraft flights (Proflight), which can cost 150–350 USD per leg. A classic 3–4 night safari with transfers included rarely comes in under 1,500–2,500 USD per person. Tip: travelling in the 'green season' or in June (mid-season) makes lodges much cheaper, and combining Livingstone (cheap and accessible) with a single safari trip gives you the best of Zambia without breaking the bank.
Zambia is a mosaic of more than 70 ethnic groups living together in peace, something the country is proud of. English is the official language and is spoken everywhere, so as a Latin American traveller you'll get by without trouble (a little basic English is enough; Spanish isn't used). In everyday life people speak languages such as Bemba, Nyanja or Tonga; learning a greeting like 'muli bwanji?' ('how are you?' in Nyanja) always gets a smile. The culture is calm, hospitable and fairly conservative: greetings and courtesy are valued, it's best to dress modestly outside tourist areas and to ask permission before photographing people.
On the practical side: plugs are British-style, with three flat pins (types D and G), at 230V, so bring an adapter. Connectivity is good in the cities and at most lodges (wifi), but drops off sharply in remote safari areas, where there's often no signal: part of the magic is disconnecting. It's worth buying a local SIM (MTN, Airtel or Zamtel) as soon as you arrive: it's cheap, gives you data and makes bookings and transfers easier. Traffic drives on the left. And one overarching tip: Zambia is best enjoyed slowly, unhurried and with a good attitude; for many, the kindness of its people is the best part of the trip.
In the heart of southern Africa, landlocked and wedged between eight countries, Zambia is a land of high plateaus, huge rivers and vast savannahs. It is home to one of the planet's grandest natural spectacles: Victoria Falls, which local peoples have always called Mosi-oa-Tunya, 'the smoke that thunders'. But its history is much more than that roar of water. It is the story of the hunter-gatherers who left their traces by the Kalambo River hundreds of thousands of years ago, of the Bantu farmers who brought iron and millet, of kingdoms such as the Lozi of Barotseland and the Bemba of the crocodile clan, and of the Scottish explorer David Livingstone, who in 1855 renamed the falls in honour of his queen and opened the door to European colonisation.
This is the complete history of Zambia: from the ancient settlement of the Luangwa Valley and the Zambezi plains to the precolonial kingdoms, from Cecil Rhodes's British company, which gave its name to Northern Rhodesia, to the copper belt that made it one of Africa's mining economies, and from independence in 1964 under Kenneth Kaunda, with his philosophy of Zambian Humanism, to today's democratic Zambia. It is a country of walking safaris and leopards by the Luangwa, and of a people still looking for ways to turn the copper beneath their feet into prosperity for all.
Read the full history of Zambia →Pick a region and open each destination to see what to do, prices and how to get there.
These are the sources we cite most across this country's guides, with how many times each appears. Hard data —tickets, opening hours, requirements, transport— comes from the official source and carries the date we checked it. Restaurant and hotel picks come from guides and reviews, and we say so on each page.
