Africa: Just what the doctor ordered

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.