The Lower Zambezi is Zambia’s river wilderness, a stretch of the Zambezi valley where the game comes down to the water and most of the day is spent on or beside the river. The national park covers 4,092km² opposite Zimbabwe’s Mana Pools, with an escarpment along its northern boundary that acts as a physical barrier to wildlife movement, holding the game on the valley floor.

Enormous herds of elephant move through a riverine fringe of ebony and fig, with buffalo, waterbuck, kudu and zebra alongside them and lion and leopard among the predators. Because the river here is fairly calm and predictable, canoeing, boating and seasonal fishing are as much a part of a stay as game drives. Access is by light aircraft to the Royal or Jeki airstrips from Lusaka, or by road on the T4, and lodges generally operate from about April to November.