IT’S not every day that afternoon tea is
interrupted by a visit from a giant bull elephant.
The three-ton beast ambled towards the china tea service, lifted
his trunk and took an almighty turbo-charged sniff at the cakes on
display. Unimpressed, he turned towards the bar and, placing one
giant leg carefully in front of the other, walked towards the human
watering hole, gently nudging aside tables and chairs. The trunk
then set about sniffing the top of each bottle behind the bar
before contorting itself into an arch, picking up a fistful of
sliced lemons and depositing it into the beast’s giant,
chomping jaw.
Shorty – so-called because of his disproportionately
stumpy legs – and his herd have been coming to Zambia’s
South Luangwa national park for more than 20 years to feast on the
fruits of the mango tree that shades Mfuwe Lodge’s bar area.
And the fact their favourite snacking spot is now surrounded by one
of the largest game lodges in the country isn’t going to
deter them.
In Zambia, little changes from one decade to the next. Villagers
walk for several hours each day to get drinking water, as their
ancestors did. The rains still come once a year and wash away the
country’s roads, and rural villages are then rebuilt out of
reeds and baked mud. The land is still ruled by tribal chiefs and
it is they who solve marital disputes, set punishments for rogue
villagers, and give permission for development to take place.
It’s this timeless tradition that sets Zambia apart from
the rest of tourist Africa. The tourist board’s slogan
couldn’t be more appropriate – this is ‘The real
Africa’ – unspoilt, undeveloped and, much to the
intrepid traveller’s delight, largely unvisited.
Despite being nestled between longstanding trouble spots such as
Angola, Zimbabwe and the Congo, Zambia remains one of the few
African nations never to have suffered a civil war. With more than
70 different tribes in the country, none is prominent enough to
dominate, so instead they co-exist in peace. This peaceful air is
noticeable on arrival. The undertones that linger in battle-scarred
South Africa and Zimbabwe are notably absent here, making it an
ideal choice for the first-timer to Africa.
Zambian National Tourism Board tourism promotions manager Donald
Pelekamoyo agrees: “Zambia’s peaceful past is what makes it
such an attractive destination for first-time visitors to Africa.
So many other African safari destinations have negative
connotations. The fact that visitors can also visit one of the
natural wonders of the world, Victoria Falls, makes it an ideal
holiday option.”
Product, from walking safaris in unspoilt wilderness to
white-water rafting some of the world’s most challenging
rapids, is diverse. During my visit I met serial safari goers who
ranked Zambia’s Wildlife among the best. I had certainly
never seen such a density of game in such a short space of time as
I did in Zambia. A word of caution however: if your client’s
sensibilities don’t extend to large insects or the sight of a
blood-stained predator tearing apart an antelope, Zambia is not for
them.
With tourism still in its infancy, the country has had the
advantage of being able to learn from its more established
neighbours. It offers ultra-luxurious game lodges to rival
neighbouring Botswana’s, an extensive list of adrenaline
activities to match South Africa’s and an abundance of
wildlife to rival Kenya’s – but without the convoy of
vehicles that huddle around each sighting. And with activities from
game drives to canoeing and world-class game fishing to white-water
rafting on offer, Zambia offers massive earning potential for
agents.
Away from the bush and wildlife, another must is a trip to
former capital Livingstone to visit Victoria Falls. Locally known
as Mosi-oa-Tunya, or The Smoke That Thunders, the falls form part
of Zambia’s breathtaking border with Zimbabwe and lie just 30
miles east of Botswana’s Chobe National Park. At 1,688 metres
wide, the falls rank alongside the Grand Canyon as one of the
natural wonders of the world.
Thrill seekers can indulge in bunjee jumping, white-water
rafting, jet boating or river boarding with the 110 metre drop of
the falls as their backdrop. There’s also a Flight of Angels
over the falls by helicopter, microlight or a light aircraft. All
excursions are prebookable from the UK.
Livingstone has two Sun International properties plus numerous
budget lodges, and the town’s close proximity to the border
of both Zimbabwe and Botswana make it a popular stopover for
independent travellers.
In a country so diverse it’s surprising tourism is not a
much bigger industry. As the search for unique, unspoilt wilderness
continues, surely it’s only a matter of time before Zambia
takes off.
