Zambia

The African country of Zambia is often ignored by travellers visiting Victoria Falls who, instead, generally choose to spend their time on the other side of the Zambezi River in neighbouring Zimbabwe. Travellers who don't go over the border in to Zambia are, however, really missing out. Aside from being an excellent alternative base for visiting the Victoria Falls and the Zambezi River, Zambia is a beautiful country in its own right and is home to some superb national parks teeming with a wide variety of African wildlife. The people of Zambia are also extremely welcoming and friendly and, if you are looking to visit somewhere a little more off the beaten track during your gap year in Africa, then Zambia is an excellent option.

Zambia - Victoria Falls

The two-kilometre wide Victoria Falls are one of the world's most spectacular waterfalls (arguably the most spectacular) and a visit to Zambia wouldn't be complete without spending at least a couple of days there. The spectacle of the Zambezi River suddenly plunging over a hundred metres down in to a magnificent gorge is an unforgettable experience of a lifetime. The Zambia side of the river offers some excellent alternative viewing points to those on the Zimbabwe side. From the Zambia side of the river it's possible to walk right down to the base of the Falls by making use of suspended walkways, which makes for a hair-raising but exhilarating experience. There's also plenty of opportunity in Zambia for adrenaline-junkies to indulge in just about very extreme sport they can think of in this unique setting - from white water rafting through to bungee jumping.

Zambia - Livingstone

Close by to Victoria Falls on the Zambia side is the town of Livingstone - otherwise known as the adventure capital of Africa. Livingstone was originally a boomtown which developed after the Zambezi Gorge was first bridged in 1904, and its stunning backdrop makes it Zambia's most attractive town. Livingstone is also the setting of Real Gap's ‘Orphan Teaching Programme Zambia.' Most schools in Zambia are extremely under-resourced and volunteers on this programme can help out in a number of ways. Volunteers can work as a teaching assistant or sports coach, care for children orphaned by the Aids virus or assist with one of the food distribution schemes in Zambia. The overall aim of the programme is to try and give the children in this part of Zambia a better start in life by keeping them off the streets and enhancing their educational experience as much as possible. Volunteers on the programme also benefit from the unique opportunity to immerse themselves in the culture of Zambia and experience life in this part of Africa on a far deeper level than other travellers. Gap year travellers who volunteer on this programme in Zambia return home with a real sense of achievement and often having made life-long friendships along the way.   

Zambia - South Luangwa National Park

Zambia is also home to some of the best game reserves in Africa. One of Zambia's finest game reserves is South Luangwa National Park, located in eastern Zambia. South Luangwa's terrain varies from thickly vegetated woodland to open grassy plains covering an area approximately half the size of Wales. Within this terrain a wide variety of Zambia's impressive wildlife can be found including elephant, lion, crocodile, hippopotamus and - if you're lucky - leopard. In total there are over 60 species of animal in this part of Zambia, and over 400 species of bird. In fact South Luangwa is considered one of the finest safari locations in Africa, not just Zambia, because it contains such a dense and varied concentration of wildlife within its borders.

Zambia - Kafue National Park

Wildlife enthusiasts visiting Zambia on their gap year should also try and pay a visit to Kafue National Park, located 100 miles or so directly north of Livingstone. Kafue is the largest park in Zambia, (covering an area roughly the size of Belgium), and is one of the world's largest game reserves. As with Luangwa, the terrain in this part of Zambia varies greatly - from grassy plains to dense forest - and an impressive range of Zambia's wildlife can be seen there. As with most of Zambia, Kafue remains a relatively undiscovered tourist destination - particularly when compared with some of Africa's more famous game reserves such as South Africa's Kruger National Park or the Masai Mara in Kenya. This fact makes Zambia a great option for wildlife enthusiasts who fancy visiting a game reserve far less frequented by other travellers.

If you fancy visiting Zambia on your gap year and have any questions you would like to ask regarding Zambia, then call one of Real Gap's expert team of travel advisers who'll be happy to answer any queries you may have.

Zambia gap year - Gap year programmes in Australia


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