Zambia has some noteworthy unique selling points. Aside from being the shared home of Victoria Falls, it is the home of the original walking safari, according to Dani Rose, Head of Marketing for Zambian Ground Handlers, a Zambian DMC. She was speaking during an Africa Hub destination training webinar ahead of the OurAfrica.Travel show.

“There are 20 national parks, and 30% of Zambia’s land is protected. It is also one of the most water-rich countries in Africa, with several rivers running through it. Plus, it’s home to one of the biggest mammal migrations on earth – the bat migration.”

Rose said there was something for everyone – honeymooners, families, adventure seekers, and the recently retired. “The age for walking safaris is 12-plus, but a lot of camps welcome younger children,” she said.

Emirates Airline, Kenya Airways, Ethiopian Airlines, Qatar Airways, Airlink, are among those that fly to Zambia. “Proflight flies into Johannesburg daily from Lusaka, and SAA, Airlink and Zambia Airways also have flights to Johannesburg,” Rose said. 

Travellers can visit Zambia all year round, but she warned that October was the hottest time of the year, with temperatures reaching 45˚C. “The dry season is May-October, and the green season November to April. The bat migration takes place from the end of October through to the end of the year,” said Rose. (The bat migration is the largest mammal migration on earth, when eight million bats arrive to feed on the fruit of the forest trees in Kasaka National Park, west of South Luangwa Park.) Watch the video here.

Some of the key regions Rose listed were: South Luangwa National Park (with over 60 mammal species and 450 bird species), the Lower Zambezi National Park, the Kafue National Park, and the Mosi-Oa-Tunya National Park, home to Victoria Falls.