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Family Safari Vacations in Zambia

Seasoned safari enthusiasts and families with older children will love Zambia’s adventurous spirit, outstanding wildlife, and owner-run camps and lodges.

From incredible walking opportunities and night drives to boating, bungee jumping, and fishing on the majestic Zambezi River, Zambia delivers diverse and action-packed safaris with plenty for families of all ages to uncover.

Why choose Zambia for your Family Safari Vacation?

Off the Beaten Track

Once considered a destination for experienced travelers who’d already safaried in South Africa, Tanzania, and Kenya and sought untrodden paths for their next adventure, Zambia has long upheld its off-the-beaten-track reputation. While its camps can now compete with the rest of the continent, Zambia remains a comparatively undiscovered gem. 

Family-Friendly Accommodation

Best suited to children aged 8 and above, Zambia has plenty of independent, family-friendly camps and lodges to accommodate those travelling with children. There are also some terrific exclusive-use options, some built specifically for families, typically including private vehicles, in-house staff, and child-friendly amenities.

Authenticity

Though its camps have upped their game in recent years to cater for families and luxury travellers, Zambia remains a thoroughly authentic safari destination with an adventurous, unmanufactured spirit. This is the land of the walking safari, great explorations, campfires under starry skies, and friendly family-run camps and lodges. It retains a sense of remoteness and is relatively uncharted, aligned with the explorative safari sensibilities of yesteryear.

Diverse Activities

Between day and night game drives, walking safaris, boating on permanent rivers, fishing, birding, cultural excursions, and the high action of Victoria Falls, Zambia offers a huge variety of adventurous activities suited to all ages and interests.

Potential Add-Ons

Zambia is well located for some unmissable add-on destinations. Lake Malawi is a short hop from South Luangwa and provides the option of a post-safari beach trip, not quite as simple when travelling from Botswana, Zimbabwe, and South Africa to an extent. Visitors can also easily combine Zambia with Botswana, Zimbabwe, Tanzania, and South Africa.

Where to go on your family safari in Zambia

What is the best time to visit Zambia?

Zambia’s climate is largely subtropical, with a distinct rainy season between December and April, when the roads are impassable, and many lodges closed. June, July, and August are excellent months to visit, with ideal conditions for walking safaris and excellent game viewing, albeit with a heftier price tag! Expect to wrap up warm, though, as mornings and evenings are cold during peak season. The climate starts to heat up again in September, though we still consider this a good month to visit on balance. By October, the soaring temperatures can make family travel uncomfortable, so we suggest avoiding it unless you’re prepared for potentially very hot days! 

Recommended Family Activities in Zambia

Game Drives

Game drives in Zambia’s biodiverse national parks deliver sensational wildlife sightings, including lion, leopard, buffalo, giraffe, hippopotamus, wild dog, and massive elephant herds. The country's permanent rivers provide a year-round water source, enticing animals to congregate on the banks and drink – a sight to behold from an open-top safari vehicle!

Night Drives

Unusually for national parks, both South Luangwa and Lower Zambezi allow night game drives. During prime hunting hours, guests can head out after dark with an infrared spotlight to search for leopards, prowling hyenas, and elusive species such as aardvarks, pangolins, and civet cats.

Walking Safaris

Zambia delivers an excellent standard of walking safari, led by some of the best, most qualified wildlife guides in Africa. South Luangwa National Park is widely referred to as the birthplace of the walking safari, the activity maintaining a highly accomplished reputation to this day with some superb operators at the helm.

Boating

Boating opportunities abound on the magnificent Zambezi River that flows year-round on the border of Lower Zambezi National Park. Canoe and motorboat excursions provide a front-row seat to life on the river – beady-eyed hippos peering from the water’s surface, a lone Nile crocodile gliding off the river bank, and elephant and buffalo congregating to drink.

Catch-and-Release Fishing

With sustainability at the forefront, freshwater fishing on the Zambezi is offered on a strictly catch-and-release basis. Fishing for tigerfish is a particularly fun way to spend a few hours on a boat, as these fearless piranha relatives are tenacious and known for their dramatic leaps from the water.

Victoria Falls Activities

Victoria Falls is positively brimming with exhilarating activities, giving Zambia the edge in terms of diversity and family-friendly appeal. The sight of the Falls is thrilling alone, but for adventure-seekers, adrenalin-pumping excursions such as rafting, abseiling, jet boating, and helicopter rides add to its appeal.

Wildlife you can expect to see on safari in Zambia

Zambia supports astonishing wildlife densities in its national parks, with some of the best walking safaris in Africa. You’ll see plenty of big game in South Luangwa National Park, where the Luangwa River is a water source for huge herds of elephant and buffalo. The park is also well-reputed for its leopard sightings, with relaxed regulations around night drives allowing guests to venture out after dark during prime leopard hunting time. Bounded by the majestic Zambezi, Lower Zambezi National Park is populated by lion, leopard, African wild dog, spotted hyena, elephant, buffalo, and many antelope species. Highlights of unfrequented Kafue National Park include lion, cheetah, leopard, spotted hyena, hippo, and wild dog.

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Family-Friendly Safari Lodges in Zambia

Zambia has some superb exclusive-use private houses designed with families in mind. These generally come with in-house staff, including private chefs and safari guides. Private residences offer some of the best-value accommodations in Zambia, each day tailored to the family’s specific requirements. Quite simply, Zambia has everything required for a high-spec family experience minus the crowds and without surrendering comfort levels.

 

Zambia Family Trips

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