Lower Zambezi Canoe Safari: Drifting Past Elephants

This morning you transfer to the airport and board a scenic light-aircraft flight to the Lower Zambezi National Park, one of Africa's finest and most beautiful wildernesses, the great river shining below and the dramatic escarpment rising beyond. On arrival at a bush airstrip you are met by your guide and transferred to your riverside camp, with game likely on the way in. After settling into your tent overlooking the Zambezi and enjoying lunch, you rest through the heat of the day, watching elephants and hippos from your deck. In the late afternoon you set out on your first activity, perhaps a gentle introduction to the river by boat or a game drive along the floodplain, enjoying sundowners as the sun sinks behind the escarpment. As the day ends, you dine beside the great river to the sound of hippos and frogs. Rest well in the wild Zambezi.

Today you experience the signature adventure of the Lower Zambezi, the canoe safari. After breakfast, you set out with an expert river guide, drifting silently downstream in a stable canoe, gliding at eye level with wild Africa. You pass elephants feeding among the islands and wading at the banks, thread carefully between pods of grunting hippo, and glide past crocodiles basking on the sandbars, all against the backdrop of the great escarpment, with fish eagles calling overhead and bee-eaters darting from the banks. Your guide reads the river, shares his deep knowledge and keeps you safe, and the silence, closeness and gentle rhythm of the paddle make it thrilling and deeply peaceful at once. You pause on a beautiful sandbank for a riverside lunch, then continue by canoe or return by boat. As the day ends, you dine beside the river. Rest well.

Today you explore the Lower Zambezi by land and water. You rise early for a morning game drive through the riverine forest and open floodplains, searching for the park's celebrated predators, prides of lion, elusive leopard, and the packs of endangered wild dog for which the park is famous, alongside herds of elephant and buffalo, zebra, kudu and impala. You return to camp for brunch and rest through the heat, watching the river. In the late afternoon you glide out on a boat cruise, drawing close to elephants swimming between islands, pods of hippo and prolific birdlife, enjoying sundowners on the water as the sky flames over the escarpment, perhaps rolling into a night drive as you return. As the day ends, you dine beneath the stars beside the great river. Rest well, lulled by the sounds of the wild Zambezi.

Today you enjoy a final full day immersed in the beauty and wildlife of the Lower Zambezi, tailored to your wishes. You might set out on a longer canoe safari, drifting for hours past elephants, hippos and crocodiles and picnicking on a wild sandbank, or combine a morning game drive with an afternoon on the water. Keen anglers can try their hand at catching the legendary fighting tigerfish, a thrilling catch-and-release challenge, or bream. You watch the endless procession of wildlife coming down to the river, listen to the deep peace broken only by birdsong and hippo, and soak up the extraordinary beauty of this wild river wilderness. As the sun sinks, you savour a final sundowner and a farewell dinner beside the Zambezi, reflecting on your exhilarating adventure. Rest well, cherishing your last night on the great river.

After a final morning beside the great river, perhaps a last gentle paddle or a quiet coffee watching elephants at the banks, you bid farewell to your guides and camp and transfer to the airstrip for your light-aircraft flight out of the wilderness, connecting to your onward journey via Lusaka. You leave having experienced the Lower Zambezi at its finest, canoeing the great river past feeding elephants and wallowing hippos, driving the floodplains in search of lion, leopard and wild dog, cruising and fishing the shining water, and drinking in its glorious sunsets and deep peace, all guided by expert professional guides and warmed by genuine Zambian hospitality. The images stay vivid long after you go, the canoe gliding past an elephant, the escarpment glowing at sunset, and the river turning to gold. Zambia offers wild river adventure in abundance, and you depart already dreaming of a return.