The Lower Zambezi National Park covers 4,092 square kilometres and is defined by its dramatic northern escarpment and a 120-kilometre stretch of the Zambezi River, directly opposite Zimbabwe’s Mana Pools National Park.
Officially designated as a national park in 1983, Lower Zambezi is one of Zambia’s most spectacular wilderness areas. It is renowned for its rich wildlife, pristine landscapes, and the rare opportunity to enjoy both land- and water-based safari experiences.
Reaching the park with our overland truck proved more challenging than we had expected. Finding suitable accommodation for a large vehicle was not easy, and communication with potential camps was often difficult. Eventually, we settled on Gwabi River Lodge. From there, it was about a 2.5-hour drive to Chongwe Gate (🎟️20 USD🚙5 USD), where we began our full-day game drive (120 USD/pax) through the park.
The Nsenga people traditionally inhabited the valley, but widespread outbreaks of sleeping sickness during the 1940s and 1950s left much of the valley floor sparsely populated. Following large-scale evacuations, the area was first gazetted as a Controlled Hunting Area in 1951 before later becoming the Zambezi Game Management Area. It was officially declared a national park in 1983, while much of the tourism infrastructure and the network of game-viewing roads were developed during the 1990s.
The park has also become an inspiring conservation success story. Once heavily affected by ivory and bushmeat poaching, Lower Zambezi has undergone a remarkable recovery thanks to coordinated anti-poaching efforts. Poaching rates have fallen dramatically, with some years recording as few as a single poached elephant.
Despite these impressive conservation achievements, we had the impression that many of the animals were still more cautious and less relaxed than those we have encountered in other national parks during our three years of travelling across Africa. Whether this reflects the park’s history, lower tourism pressure, or simply our experience on that particular day, it was a noticeable difference that added another layer to our visit.
Parking location – Gwabi River Lodge: 15.9514910S 28.8605747E (🚻,🚿,💦,🏊,🍽️,🅿️)