ZAMBIA HAS A VAST ARRAY of impressive places to visit. For the independent traveller, conditions are sometimes a bit rugged, but with a bit of determination, and some African cheer, all of the locations described below are easily accessible by bus, train or hitching.
You'll get a chance to escape from the hordes of tourists and backpacking isn't really about white-gloved, five star service now is it? It's about missing the one o'clock bus (because it went at ten o'clock that day) and spending the afternoon in a shebeen swapping stories with the locals. Or spending an extra day on the lake just so you can see that amazing sunset one more time. Zambia has enough of the amenities to be comfortable, but is certainly still rustic enough for some good old fashioned adventure. Just be warned, most travellers choose to spend a lot more time in Zambia than they had originally 'planned'. For more information and facts about Zambia, please see the Travel Facts and Info page.
Click on the following exciting Zambia destinations and our Rhino below will tell you all about it, then look at the corresponding number on the Map of Zambia and see where it is --- then come and see it for yourself!
- Kafue National Park
- South Luangwa National Park
- North Luangwa National Park
- Liuwa Plains National Park
- Kasanka National Park
- Lower Zambezi National Park
- Mosi-oa-Tunya National Park
- Bangweulu Wetlands
- Capital City of Lusaka
- Kapiri Mposhi
- Town of Mongu
- Lake Tanganyika
- Mpulungu
- Mbala
- Ndola/Kitwe
- Chipata
- Lake Kariba/Siavonga
- Chimfunshi Wildlife Sanctuary
- Shiwa N'gandu
- Kapishya Hot Springs
- David Livingstone Memorial
- Kundalila Falls
- Livingstone/Victoria Falls
Zambia Facts:For more interesting facts about Zambia, Click HERE!
- Zambia with an area of 752,614 sq km is part of the Southern Central African plantation and lies between 1,060 and 1.363m above sea level
- Zambia has a population of about 10 million people, half of which is under the age of 15 years and 45% of the population lives in towns. The annual growth rate is 3.7%
- Zambia has 73 identified language groups, all of these are Bantu speaking and each of these has it's own cultural identity including social systems and it's own tradition territory
- Zambia has numerous colorful traditional ceremonies, among the better known are the Kuomgboka, Umutomboko, Likumbi, Lyamize and the Nc'wala ceremonies.
- Zambia is a Christian nation but everyone in the country has a right to religious freedom. Religion has a central role in Zambian life and church attendance is high
- Zambia's Copper mining industry is one of the main sources of wealth contributing over 65% of the country's foreign exchange earnings.
MOST OF THE NINE MILLION
inhabitants of Zambia are African, Bantu in origin, with Asians and Europeans comprising the minor communities. The African population contains a large diversity of tribes, speaking 73 dialects in all, with the Tonga, Lozi, Bemba and Ngoni being the four most prominent language groups. The European population live and work mostly in the urban areas, or on the farmlands close to the railway line, while a high percentage of the Asian community is to be found on the Copperbelt and other urban centers.
Each tribe is rich in history and culture, possessing their own unique characteristics that has kept the tribes individualistic throughout the centuries of time. Tribal "cousin-ship" — harmless steriotypical intertribal rivalry makes up a good portion of the Zambian humor... The Zambian people are very gentle and extremely hospitable, and maybe would have been content to remain as they were for generations, without technology and "progress", indefinitely. At times, technology and progress seems to just complicate matters.
THE TONGA are among the most numerous of the Zambian people and archaeological evidence has been unearthed to prove their existence for at least 900 years. They and the Ila group constitute the main tribes of the Southern Province. The past century has been rough on the Tonga-Ila. They were the butt of so many cattle raids by the Matebele (now mostly in Zimbabwe), the Makololo and later the Lozi. These days the Tonga-Ila have recovered sufficiently for the Southern Province to be one of the major cattle areas of Zambia.
Some 500 to 600 years ago, one of the areas where the Tonga now live, the middle Zambezi Valley, was a flourishing trade center. At a site known as Ing'ombe Illede, fragments of pots and other goods have been excavated that show there was a fairly brisk trade between the valley people and Arabs on the east coast of Africa, as well as India and China. One form of currency used then was a copper ingot cast in the form of a cross about 30 centimeters long. The copper for these crosses came from mines further south.
THE LOZI. It is believed that the Lozi dynasty migrated into the western area of Zambia from Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) from the Luba-Lunda Kingdom of Mwata Yamvwa, which was one of the greatest central African chieftainships in the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries. They had been settled in their new home for perhaps two centuries when invaders from what is now the Republic of South Africa swept in and conquered them about 1830. These invaders, the Makololo, were part of a mass migration of people fleeing from the great Zulu conqueror, Shaka.
The Makololo changed the whole face of the then Barotseland. Although they ruled only some of the people for about 35 years, they left their language, Sikololo, as the lingua franca of the Barotse plains, and imposed much of their cultural tradition on the area. The Lozi rose against them in 1864 and all but annihilated them. People who visit Western Province will probably stay in modern hotels in Mongu, the Provincial administrative capital. The Lozi craftsmen are famous for their hand woven products such as trays, baskets and mats.
THE KUOMBOKA PAGEANT takes place at Lealui and Limulunga near Mongu in the Western Province. Just to the west of the province capital, the high ground gives way to the flood plains of the Zambezi River. It is here that for centuries past, the tribal chief, the Litunga, established his headquarters at Lealui. Since the headquarters' site was in the centre of land that becomes completely submerged by the swollen river, an annual evacuation to higher ground became necessary. This was done ceremoniously and the custom exists to this day.
When the Litunga decides to leave, usually in early March, or February if the rains are heavy, the drums send out the signal for the move and the people pack all their household goods in canoes ready for departure. The flotilla of canoes is headed by the Litunga'a royal barge, the "Nalikwanda", with its thirty paddlers in colorful array. The Litunga's wife, the Moyo, has her own barge. The procession takes about five or six hours to reach the new capital, Limulunga, where a huge crowd celebrates with traditional dancing and singing well into the night.
THE BEMBA. Heading northeast almost to the opposite end of the country, one comes to the land of the Bemba-speaking people. Like the Lozi, the Bemba, and the Zambian Lunda tribe, almost certainly migrated from the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) Kingdom of Mwati Yamvwa some centuries ago. The Bemba, who form the second largest grouping in Zambia, and the Lunda, reportedly recognize an almost legendary place called Kola as their land of origin. The paramount chief of the Bemba-speaking people is known as Chitimukulu. There are several versions of the origin of Chiti, who was the first great Bemba chief in Zambia. Some say he was the son of a liaison between the goddess-founder of the Lunda tribe and Mukulu, a mortal chief.. Whatever the case, Chiti led his people as far south as the country of the Lala, also a people of Luba-Lunda descent, in what is now the Copperbelt. He then went east across the Luangwa River, into an area that is now the Luangwa Valley When Chiti died he was given the name of his father Mukulu, the great one. Hence all the paramount chiefs are called Chitimukulu. Whenever a Chitimukulu dies the body lies in state for a year, suitably mummified, before being interred in the Royal burial ground.
When copper mining began in earnest on the Copperbelt, the Bemba speaking people came down for jobs in force. Thus the language of the Copperbelt towns and cities is Bemba. At the turn of the century, about a generation before large-scale copper excavation began, the Bemba made their last military stand against the encroachment of colonial rule, and it took some time before they were finally subdued.
THE NGONI. like the Makololo who invaded the Barotse, were 'also a South African people fleeing the conquests of Shaka. While the Makololo went west, however, the Ngoni went east. Both these people adopted the revolutionary fighting tactics of Shaka, and defeated the tribes they encroached upon with relative ease.
The day the Ngoni arrived into what is now Zambia was marked by two historic events. A ceremonial beer drinking took place just before crossing the Zambezi-of such magnitude, that stories of the occasion are told to this day. The second was a total eclipse of the sun, which added considerably to the excitement. The date was 20th November 1835. After subduing the Chewa and other people the Ngoni, led by their Chief Zwangendaba, settled down to a fairly complete pacification of the area. They kept up their martial system of periodically forming regiments of the male youths of the conquered people into their service. This guaranteed the ways of the Ngoni up to their defeat by the colonial government in 1897-98. After this the system slowly declined, and finally ceased after 1920, when the last aged regiment was formed.
The Paramount chief of the Ngoni is known as Mpezeni, after Chief Zwangendaba's eldest son, who ruled the tribe and its conquered people after his father's death. With the breakup of the military system, the power of the Ngoni declined. The Chewa, Tumbuka and other tribes asserted themselves, and today in Eastern Province many of the traces of Ngoni ascendancy have disappeared.
Culturally the area excels in dancing. The performer, who always attracts most attention at such national celebrations as the Independence pageant every October, is the VIMBUZA dancer. When he performs, all other dancers watch, and he is generally acknowledged as the Zambian favorite Other favorites are the colorful masked dancers, the Nyau, however because they are a cult, entrance is difficult. Those who are accepted have to practice the intricate routines for years, and train themselves to a high peak of physical endurance.
THE LUVALE. people are among the tribes in Zambia that came from the North of Lake Tanganyika and their first Chief was a woman named Kenga Naweji. After many years of settlement with many successions they immigrated to countries along Congo River now known as Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC).
Separate from Luunda Kingdom which had already established itself for many years in Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) by conquering many tribes along the Zambezi River and around Zambezi watershed, was Chinyama Chamukwamayi, the first born son of the Great Chief Kondi Mated. At that time Chinguli Cha Kondi, the younger brother to Chinyama Chamukwamayi, was heading westwards with his army and conquering many tribes as far as the Atlantic Ocean.
Valuvale, Valuchaze, Vambunda, Vachokwe and Vaviye tribes live in North-Western Provinces. They are the descendants of Chinyama Chamukwamayi and Chinguli Cha Kondi who were brothers to Chieftainess Luweki who remained on the throne in Luunda and was married to a hunter from the East named Chibinda Ilunga. Their first born child was a son and was called Mwata Yamvwa. Ever since the name Mwata Yamvwa has been kept alive.
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