The Concise, Unbiased, Expert Guide to Zambia & Zimbabwe
Fair Trade Safaris
Saurabh Khetrapal © Copyright 2021 Fair Trade Safaris
About Saurabh Khetrapal
After spending his formative years in East Africa (Tanzania and Kenya), Saurabh moved to the United States in 1990. During the intervening years, Saurabh has become a highly successful serial entrepreneur who has founded three organizations and is an angel investor in Silicon Valley, CA, and Austin, TX, as well as a prolific philanthropist and traveler across his home continent.
From a very young age, Saurabh has been passionate about projects that help those in need. In high school, he went on weekly visits to orphanages in Dar-es-Salaam (Tanzania) and was a frequent volunteer at nearby leprosy villages where he helped in the construction of hospitals and clinics. As an adult, Saurabh (alongside his family) has lent his support to the South African Baphumelele Educare Centre and Children’s Home for children abandoned/orphaned by the HIV/AIDS epidemic.
Saurabh and his family are also currently assisting community-based organizations in townships and slums across East Africa and Southern Africa. Their financial contributions and mentorship assist local leaders and residents in their aspirations to develop and advance development projects within their communities.
A self-professed wildlife junkie and addict of the African bush, Saurabh Khetrapal has been on numerous safaris across all the major wildlife parks and reserves in Africa since the age of 8. He is deeply passionate about his homeland and its peoples.
Founded in 2019 by siblings Ayaan Khetrapal and Zoya Khetrapal - who were 8 years old and 6 years old at the time - Wildlife Superheroes is a global nonprofit organization that mobilizes our next generation - kids between the ages of 0 and 18 years old - to make a tangible, meaningful, and lasting impact on our most valuable shared asset: Mother Earth and all her beings. Our credo is guided by the age-old principle that Wildlife Superheroes is Of the Kids, By the Kids, and For the Kids.
Empowering Future Generations
Wildlife
Measurable Impact Through Sustainable Tourism Fair Trade Safaris
Fair Trade Safaris is is a luxury travel company with a keen focus on providing guests with extraordinary experiences at remarkably affordable prices – breathtaking wildlife safaris, stunning beach vacations, exhilarating mountain climbing expeditions, sublime culinary experiences, and relaxing retreats. Founder Saurabh Khetrapal – who is originally from East Africa (Tanzania & Kenya) – is a philanthropist at his core. His passion for Africa, conservation, and culture motivated him to create the only luxury travel company that donates 100% of its profits to a variety of fully vetted wildlife conservations, community development, and social impact projects.
It is no secret that the wildlife in Africa is under tremendous pressure; many species are alarmingly at the brink of extinction. So, Fair Trade Safaris collaborates with several conservation / anti-poaching organizations including WildAid, Global Wildlife Conservation, PAMS Foundation, KopeLion, and other similar groups in order to combat wildlife poaching and trafficking and to promote conservation and protection efforts.
Zambia
Best known for the spectacular Victoria Falls, Zambia is also recognized by the cognoscenti as offering some of Africa’s finest wildlife viewing. True, it isn’t as well suited to first-timers or families as Kenya or Tanzania, and it lacks the DIY-amenities that make South Africa and Namibia so popular with self-drivers. But when it comes to offering a raw and immersive bush experience, complete with the opportunity to walk and canoe through the wilds accompanied by vastly knowledgeable guides, Zambia is surely Africa’s most hardcore safari destination.
At A Glance/Highlights
▶ Zambia’s busiest tourist hub, the milewide Victoria Falls is also a springboard for thrilling adventure activities such as bungee jumping, white-water rafting, kayaking and canoeing.
▶ One of Africa’s most alluring and wildest safari destinations, South Luangwa supports impressive concentrations of lion, elephant, buffalo and hippo, and truly excels when it comes to leopard sightings and walking safaris.
▶ The 8,600-square-mile Kafue National Park is the third largest in Africa, and its checklist of 158 mammal species exceeds that of any rival. Its centerpiece is the vast Busanga Floodplain, which offers great dry-season game viewing.
▶ Lower Zambezi National Park is a rewarding all-round safari destination, but its main attraction is undoubtedly the opportunity to spend several days canoeing along the lush tropical river for which is named.
Practical Stuff
Visas and paperwork
US citizens require a visa. Provided their passport is valid for at least another six months, this can be obtained upon arrival at any international airport or overland border.
Getting there
Most visitors fly into Kenneth Kaunda International Airport, 15 miles northeast of the capital Lusaka, or Harry Mwanga Nkumbula International Airport, a similar distance from Victoria Falls. Once in Zambia, distances between points of interest are long, so the easiest way to get around is by air.
When to visit
Zambia’s safari destinations are all very seasonal, and best visited during the dry winter months of May to October. Victoria Falls can be visited throughout the year, but it is most impressive over April to September.
Health and safety
The main risk is malaria; it is advisable to take prophylactic drugs and to cover up at night. Crime is seldom an issue outside of major urban areas, most of which see very few tourists. If you need to stay overnight in Lusaka, Livingstone or any other large town, avoid walking around after dark.
Zimbabwe
As recently as the 1990s, Zimbabwe was one of Africa’s most popular destinations, combining magnificent one-off attractions such as Victoria Falls and the medieval ruins at Great Zimbabwe with a great selection of safari reserves and world-class tourist amenities. More recently it has been relatively neglected by tourists, thanks mainly to an ongoing trend of post-millennial political autocracy and economic mismanagement. Despite this, Zimbabwe remains a safe, friendly and enjoyable country, one that can boast five sensational UNESCO World Heritage Sites, and that is well worth exploring beyond the ever-popular Victoria Falls.
At A Glance/Highlights
▶ The world’s largest and arguably most spectacular waterfall, mile-wide Victoria Falls also ranks as the undisputed adrenaline capital of southern Africa. Highlights include one of the world’s tallest bungee jumps, rafting Grade V rapids in the raging Zambezi Gorge, and canoeing past hippos and other wildlife in the more placid waters above the falls.
▶ Another must for adventurous travelers, Mana Pools National Park offers the opportunity to canoe, walk or drive through a pristine wilderness area inhabited by dense populations of lion, elephant, buffalo and other large wildlife.
▶ Other world-class attractions include the vast and wildlife-rich Hwange National Park, the mysterious stone ruins of Great Zimbabwe, and the surreal rock formations and wealth of prehistoric rock art that characterize Matobo National Park.
Practical Stuff
Visas and paperwork
US citizens with a valid passport can obtain a visa upon arrival at any international airport or overland border.
Getting there
The most popular port of entry with tourists is Victoria Falls. Regular flights connect Victoria Falls International Airport to other regional hubs such as Johannesburg and Cape Town. It is also easy to cross overland from Zambia. There are also international flights to the larger Robert Gabriel Mugabe International Airport, which stands outside the capital city Harare.
When to visit
Zimbabwe can be visited throughout the year. Game viewing is best in the dry winter months of May to October, peaking towards the end of that period as wildlife becomes increasingly drawn to limited perennial water sources. Victoria Falls is most impressive over April to September.
Health and safety
The main risk is probably Malaria, which is most prolific in low-lying regions during the wet summer months, though it is advisable to take prophylactic drugs whenever you visit. The political instability that has haunted Zimbabwe over the last two decades has not manifested as violence against tourists. Crime is mainly confined to major urban areas that or seldom visited by tourists. Nevertheless, some caution is advised after dark in Victoria Falls town.
Kafue National Park
Zambia’s oldest and largest national park, Kafue was gazetted in 1950 and extends across an incredible 8,600 square miles of dry and largely monotonous Brachystegia woodland in the country’s wild southwest. Tourist activity focuses on aquatic landmarks such as the forest-lined Lufupa and Lunga Rivers, the manmade Lake Itezhi-Tezhi, and the seasonal Busanga floodplain.
At A Glance/Highlights
▶ A mammal checklist of 158 species is the most of any African national park. Kafue is especially noted for a diversity of antelope that includes greater kudu, bushbuck, eland, impala, oribi, roan, Lichtenstein’s hartebeest, wildebeest, along with the marsh-dwelling sitatunga, red lechwe and puku.
▶ Of the Big Five, elephant and buffalo are abundant and often seen near water. The park’s trademark black-maned lions are also quite common, and the odds of glimpsing a leopard are above average. Sadly, rhinos are locally extinct.
▶ Kafue’s game-viewing centerpiece is the vast Busanga Floodplain, which hosts large herds of grazers as well as healthy populations of lion, cheetah and sidestriped jackal.
▶ Night drives regularly throw up small carnivores such as serval, African wild cat, genet, civet, white-tailed mongoose and honey badger.
▶ Although the main activity is game drives, most camps offer guided walks Depending on their location, some also run boat safaris to look for hippos, crocodiles and aquatic birds.
▶ Seasonality is a major consideration. Game viewing and accessibility are best in the dry season (May to October). Wildlife is less easily spotted during the rains (November-April), roads may be impassible, and several lodges and camps close.
▶ Most visitors to Kafue take a charter flight from Lusaka or Livingstone to the airstrip closest to the camp where they will be staying.
▶ A stay of three or four nights is recommended.
Wildlife
Common: Elephant, buffalo, lion, cheetah, side-striped jackal, hippo, giraffe, zebra, warthog, wildebeest, impala, puku, red lechwe, oribi, roan antelope.
Uncommon: Leopard, spotted hyena, wildebeest, greater kudu, waterbuck, bushbuck, eland, civet, porcupine.
Rare: African wild dog, sitatunga, sable antelope, Lichtenstein’s hartebeest.
Birds: A checklist of 495 bird species is the most of any Zambian national park. Wetland dwellers include grey crowned crane, wattled crane, black egret, saddle-billed stork and coppery-tailed coucal. Brachystegia specials include racket-tailed roller, pale-billed hornbill, Böhm’s bee-eater, spotted creeper and Arnot’s chat. Two other specialties are Chaplin’s barbet, Zambia’s only endemic bird, and the localized African finfoot, which is often seen on boat trips along the rivers.
Did You Know?
Flanking the Lufupa River as it meanders through northern Kafue, the 300-square-mile Busanga Floodplain, listed as a Ramsar Wetland of International Importance in 2007, stands apart from the rest of the park. During summer, the plain is an accessible quagmire, but when the floodwater retreats in April or May, it reveals a Serengeti-esque expanse of grassland that attracts large herds of grazers as well as plentiful lion and cheetah. Busanga is a key stronghold for localized marsh-dwellers such as red lechwe antelope, grey crowned crane and wattled crane, all of which are likely to be seen on any even game drive.
Top Tips
Kafue is probably best suited to repeat safari-goers looking for a holistic wilderness experience. Despite its vast size and high species diversity, the park hosts relatively low wildlife densities, partly as a result of intensive poaching prior to the turn of the millennium. While the wilderness atmosphere compensates, first-time visitors to Africa will almost certainly get more from South Luangwa in eastern Zambia.
Lower Zambezi National Park
Zambia’s most adventurous and multifaceted safari destination, Lower Zambezi protects a long and atmospheric stretch of the mesmerizing tropical waterway for which is named. Wildlife viewing is excellent, and activities include day and night game drives as well as guided walks, but the standout reason to visit this scenic park is the opportunity to explore one of Africa’s wildest and most pristine rivers by canoe.
At A Glance/Highlights
▶ River trips on the Zambezi range from sedate ‘sundowner’ motorboat safaris to immersive multi-day canoe trips. Either way, breathtaking close-up encounters with the park’s abundant elephants, hippos, crocodiles and water birds are guaranteed.
▶ Four of the Big Five are almost certain to be seen over the course of a few game drives. Buffalos and elephants are common along the river, while lions tend to lurk deeper in the bush, and leopards are frequently encountered after dark.
▶ Most camps operate night drives, which can be very rewarding for nocturnal carnivores, and also offer short guided walks focusing on plants, insects, birds and so on.
▶ The endangered African wild dog sometimes dens in Lower Zambezi.
▶ Tiger fishing is permitted on a catch-and-release basis between March and November.
▶ Lower Zambezi is very much a dry-season destination. The best time to visit is from May to November. Game viewing tends to improve later in the dry season, but October and November can be very hot and humid.
▶ Lower Zambezi is 90 miles southeast of the capital Lusaka by road. However, most visitors fly from Lusaka to the airstrip closest to the camp where they will be staying.
▶ For those sticking to one camp, a minimum stay of three nights is recommended. Four or five nights is more realistic for those undertaking a longer canoeing trip.
Wildlife
Common: Elephant, buffalo, leopard, lion, spotted hyena, hippo, zebra, warthog, wildebeest, impala, greater kudu, waterbuck, bushbuck.
Uncommon: Sharpe’s grysbok, genet, bushbaby.
Rare: African wild dog, roan antelope, Cape clawless otter.
Birds: Some 380 species have been recorded. The lush Zambezi supports a fantastically diverse birdlife, including African fish eagle and half-a-dozen species of kingfisher. Specials with a localized distribution elsewhere in southern Africa include African skimmer, long-toed lapwing, rufous-bellied heron, Schalow’s turaco and Livingstone’s flycatcher.
Top Tips
Most canoe operators stick to the wide main river, where it is easy for inexperienced paddlers to navigate around hippos and other potential hazards. For more skilled canoeists, a maze of atmospheric channels flanking the main river allows you to get closer to the wildlife.
Lower Zambezi is home to the Goba people, pastoralists who fled from their original homeland following the influx of the more militant Matabele in the 1840s. Unable to keep cattle in their new home due to the presence of disease-bearing tsetse flies, the Goba reinvented themselves as agriculturalists and fishers. To learn about the traditions and day-to-day life of these welcoming people, drop into Chiawa Cultural Village, a riverside settlement set in a game management area immediately west of the national park.
Mana Pools National Park
Zimbabwe’s most pristine and exciting wilderness area, Mana Pools extends south from the same wild stretch of the Zambezi whose north bank is protected in Zambia’s Lower Zambezi National Park. Mana Pools is the only African safari destination with comparably dense populations of lion, elephant, buffalo and hippo where visitors are permitted to walk freely. Like its Zambian counterpart, is also offers the thrilling opportunity to canoe on a stretch of the Zambezi that’s positivity teeming with wildlife.
At A Glance/Highlights
▶ Four of the Big Five are present. Buffalo, elephant and lion are frequently observed by day, while leopards are more often seen on night drives. Rhinos are extinct, but Mana Pools is an important stronghold for the endangered African wild dog
▶ The opportunity to explore the Zambezi on a day or overnight canoe trip is not to be missed. Dotted with jungle-clad islands and forest-lined side channels, this lovely stretch of river is alive with hippos, crocodiles and aquatic birds, while elephants and buffaloes regularly come down to drink or swim.
▶ Mana Pools is unique among major African safari destinations in placing no restrictions on walking, with or without a guide. Most camps offer walking safaris that allow you to approach large mammals on foot, accompanied by a professional guide.
▶ The Zambezi offers excellent game fishing, with tiger fish being the main challenge, over March-June and September-November.
▶ The best time to visit is the dry season (May-November). Game viewing improves as the season progresses, but October-November can be uncomfortably hot and humid.
▶ For self-drivers, this remote national park is 250 miles northwest of Harare by road. However, most visitors fly in from Harare or Kariba
▶ A minimum stay of three nights is recommended. Allow a couple more nights for a longer canoeing trip.
Wildlife
Common: Elephant, buffalo, spotted hyena, hippo, zebra, warthog, impala, greater kudu, waterbuck, bushbuck, baboon.
Uncommon: Leopard, lion, African wild dog, Sharpe’s grysbok, genet, bushbaby, eland.
Rare: Cheetah, roan antelope, Cape clawless otter, honey badger.
Birds: Almost 400 species have been recorded, several with a localized distribution elsewhere in southern Africa. These include African skimmer, rufous-bellied heron, Pel’s fishing owl, Lilian’s lovebird, Schalow’s turaco, African pitta and Livingstone’s flycatcher. The Zambezi, together with its lush fringing vegetation, is particularly rewarding.
Top Tips
Although there are no restrictions on unguided walking, it’s questionable whether this can be recommended to visitors with limited experience of the African bush. It should be fine to leave your car briefly in relatively open areas to get a bit closer to birds and other non-dangerous wildlife, but you should avoid disembarking in thick woodland or in the presence of potentially dangerous creatures such as lion, elephant, buffalo and hippo. Setting off on an extended bushwalk is strongly inadvisable unless you are accompanied by an experienced guide.
Did You Know?
Mana Pools is a bilingual name partly derived from a local Shona word meaning ‘four’. It refers to a quartet of seasonal lakes that are fed by the Zambezi in the wet season but recede to almost nothing in the dry season.
Since 1984, Mana Pools has been the hub of a 2,612-square-mile UNESCO World Heritage Site that also includes the Sapi and Chewore Safari Areas. The park was listed as a Ramsar wetland of international importance in 2013.
South Luangwa National Park
Named after the perennial river that flows through it, Zambia’s wild and wonderful Luangwa Valley, a southern extension of the Great Rift, incorporates three national parks. Of these, 3,490-square-mile South Luangwa is the best developed for tourism, and one of the finest places anywhere for leopard sightings. Unlike many other top safari destinations, South Luangwa carries a relatively low tourist volume and retains an untrammeled feel enhanced by the opportunity to do walking safaris and night drives.
At A Glance/Highlights
▶ Pioneered back in the 1950s, South Luangwa’s renowned walking safaris, led by highly qualified armed guides, often throw up excellent sightings of elephant, buffalo and other large mammals.
▶ Of the Big Five, elephant and buffalo are common, and lions and leopards are likely to be seen most days. Rhinos are absent but have been re-introduced to nearby North Luangwa National Park.
▶ South Luangwa is renowned for its night drives. The park’s famously habituated leopards are the prime attraction, but you might also encounter genet, civet, white-tailed mongoose, porcupine, bushbaby, elephant-shrew and other nocturnal creatures.
▶ As the Luangwa’s water retreats towards the end of the dry season, groups of 100+ hippo concentrate in the few remaining suitable pools.
▶ South Luangwa is a highly seasonal destination. The best time to visit is the early part of the dry season, from May to September. Wildlife viewing is also good over October or November, but it can be uncomfortably hot. The wet summer months of December to March are superb for birding but otherwise to be avoided.
▶ Most visitors to the Luangwa Valley fly into Mfuwe, where a small airport is connected to the capital Lusaka by regular flights. All lodges and camps offer airport transfers.
▶ A minimum stay of four nights is recommended, longer if you plan to do an extended walking safari.
Wildlife
Common: Leopard, lion, elephant, buffalo, hippo, giraffe, zebra, warthog, impala, puku, waterbuck, bushbuck, genet, white-tailed mongoose, bushbaby, four-toed elephant-shrew.
Uncommon: Wildebeest, greater kudu, eland, spotted hyena, civet, porcupine.
Rare: Cheetah, African wild dog, sable antelope, roan antelope, Lichtenstein’s hartebeest.
Birds: More than 400 species have been recorded. On the river, look out for African skimmer, great white pelican, Allen’s gallinule and the southern carmine bee-eaters that breed communally in mud banks. Other specials include Lilian’s lovebird, rackettailed roller, grey crowned crane, Verreaux’s eagle-owl and black-throated wattle-eye.
Top Tips
Although South Luangwa is renowned as the home of the foot safari, most camps and lodges focus on game drives and offer guided walks as an alternative activity. A more satisfying and immersive way to experience South Luangwa is to book an extended walking safari, which typically involves hiking between several different bush camps.
Did You Know?
Luangwa hosts several unique subspecies. These include Thornicroft’s giraffe, Crayshaw’s zebra and Cookson’s wildebeest, all of which are more-or-less endemic to the valley.
The Luangwa Valley supported around 4,000 black rhinos in the 1970s. A subsequent onslaught of poaching led to these endangered browsers being declared extinct throughout Zambia by 1998. Black rhinos were reintroduced to the valley in 2003, and have settled in well, but they are currently confined to North Luangwa National Park, which can only be explored on guided foot safaris, making it an excellent tag-on to South Luangwa for adventurous travelers.
Victoria Falls
There are taller and wider waterfalls elsewhere, but the mile-wide, 350ft-high Victoria Falls is the world’s largest single sheet of falling water, kicking up a roaring plume of spray that’s visible from 30 miles distant. Listed by National Geographic as one of the seven wonders of the natural world, Vic Falls is all the more memorable for its thrillingly pristine setting on a jungle-lined stretch of the Zambezi as it flows along the border of Zambia and Zimbabwe.
At A Glance/Highlights
▶ Victoria Falls is the most impressive and primal landmark of its type in the world. For a classic full-frontal view, visit Zimbabwe’s Victoria Falls Rainforest National Park or Zambia’s spray-doused Knife Edge Bridge. It’s also worth hiking into the Zambezi Gorge to see the waterfall from its base.
▶ In daylight, a near-permanent rainbow is refracted through the spray kicked up by Victoria Falls. Altogether more surreal is the unique lunar ‘rainbow’, which lights up the waterfall on and around the full moon between February and September.
▶ For adrenaline junkies, popular adventure activities include a terrifying 364ft bungee jump into the Zambezi Gorge opposite Victoria Falls, and rafting the thrilling series of Grade IV-V rapids further downriver. Other activities include abseiling, river-boarding and white-water kayaking.
▶ Although Victoria Falls isn’t prime game-viewing territory, a surprising amount of wildlife roams freely in the vicinity. Guided walking safaris in Zambia’s riverside Mosi-oa-Tunya National Park come with a decent chance of seeing elephant, buffalo and various antelope.
▶ A must for birdwatchers, guided canoe trips on the placid, jungle-fringed Zambezi above Victoria Falls also frequently glide past elephants, hippos and crocodiles.
▶ Victoria Falls is a year-round destination, but certain months do favor particular activities. The Zambezi is highest and the waterfall most impressive over AprilSeptember, but rafting and canoeing are best from August to January, and bird activity peaks over November-February.
▶ The main bases for exploring Victoria Falls are the Zambian town of Livingstone and its Zimbabwean counterpart, simply called Victoria Falls. Both have airports serviced by daily flights to several other regional destinations.
▶ If you literally just want to see Victoria Falls, a two-night stay is sufficient. Add more nights if you plan on doing activities such as canoeing and rafting.
Wildlife
Common: Hippo, warthog, impala, bushbuck.
Uncommon: Elephant, buffalo.
Rare: Leopard, lion.
Birds: Victoria Falls is a highly rewarding birdwatching destination, with 450+ species recorded in the immediate vicinity. Aquatic birds associated with the Zambezi include African fish eagle, African finfoot, rock pratincole and half-collared kingfisher. The gorge below the falls is good for cliff-nesting raptors such as Verreaux’s eagle, augur buzzard and the localized Taita falcon, while patches of riverine forest harbor the likes of Schalow’s turaco and trumpeter hornbill.
Top Tips
For a full-on immersive Victoria Falls experience, take a boat trip to the so-called Devil’s Pool, where are you can swim in a disconcertingly calm natural pool separated from the raging waterfall by the narrowest of rock lips.
In 1855, the Scottish explorer David Livingstone became the first European to visit Victoria Falls declaring that “scenes so lovely must have been gazed upon by angels in their flight” and naming the phenomenal waterfall after his queen. More evocative names in various local tongues include Mosi-oa-Tunya (Smoke that Thunders), Shungu Namutitima (Boiling Water) and Chongwe (Place of the Rainbow).