What Wildlife Could You See On A Zambia Safari?
Wildlife is diverse and abundant in Zambia, making it a great place to safari in Africa. But what can you expect to see when you get here? There’s a lot! 242 species of mammals, 788 species of birds, 490 species of fish, 156 species of reptiles and 74 species of amphibians.
That’s a total of 1,750 species of wildlife in Zambia. Of course, this would be difficult to cover in one go, so you can see some of the most popular and common animals you’re likely to see on a Zambia safari below!
Who looks after the national parks and wildlife?
Overseeing our national parks is the Department of National Parks and Wildlife (DNPW), formerly Zambia Wildlife Authority (ZAWA). They are responsible for ensuring that the conservation policies are enforced, ensuring our wildlife can thrive and be a great place for guests, such as yourself, to responsibly enjoy the diverse wildlife Zambia has to offer.
Considerations when viewing wildlife whilst on safari
For most, safaris are a once in a lifetime experience and therefore is also a first time experience. This means that you may not know what to expect when you arrive and are encountering our wildlife. The number one thing to remember is to listen to your guides, but here’s some general etiquette for your encounters:
- Keep a safe distance – Your guide will give you briefings of this and will likely give warnings if you’re getting too close, but generally you should be keeping at least 20-30 meters away from most animals. This could be further for some predators. This is to prevent stress to the animals and ensure that they don’t alter their behaviour due to your presence.
- Stay inside the vehicle – If your safari is vehicle based then you should stay within the vehicle unless instructed otherwise.
- Minimise noise and blend in – The aim when viewing wildlife is to see them acting naturally and both loud noises and loud clothing can sometimes be the cause of alterations in their behaviour as it will generally make your presence known.
- Don’t feed the wildlife – The animals are wild and feeding them can do more harm than good, from gaining reliance to being fed to potentially harmful food. There’s no good reason to be feeding the wildlife. We want our wildlife to remain wild!
- Get an expert guide – This is key for a great overall experience. They will know the best starting spots for trying to find different wildlife, know what to look out for as well as having all the information and stories you could hope for to make a great safari.
Best To See In Zambia
If you’re looking for an African wildlife safari, there’s probably going to be a few different countries that you may be interested in visiting. What’s on the top of your bucket list to see will hugely influence where you travel to, so it’s important to know what each country is best for.
Whilst Zambia has the majority of the staple of animals you’ll want to see on your African adventure, there are those that we feel are best viewed with a trip to Zambia.
African Wild Dogs
(Lycaon pictus)
Status: Endangered
Best Viewed At: South Luangwa National Park
Did you know: Also known as Painted Dogs, the Luangwa Valley is considered to have the biggest populations in all of of Africa!
Cheetahs
(Acinonyx jubatus)
Status: Vulnerable
Best Viewed At: Kafue National Park
Did you know: Famous for being the world's fastest land mammal, reaching speeds of up to 75 mph!
Thornicroft’s Giraffes
(Giraffa camelopardalis thornicrofti)
Status: Vulnerable
Best Viewed At: South Luangwa National Park
Did you know: This subspecies of giraffe can only be found in South Luangwa. With only an estimated 550 in the wild and no captive populations.
Straw-colored Fruit Bats
(Eidolon helvum)
Status: Near Threatened
Best Viewed At: Kasanka National Park
Did you know: These bats have the largest mammal migration on the planet. Between October and December each year, 10 million come to roost in Kasanka National Park!
The “Big 5” In Zambia
The so-called “Big 5”, Lions, Leopards, Elephants, Rhinoceros and Buffalos are all present in Zambia and there are opportunities to see them all whilst on a Zambia Safari.
However, we’ll be the first to admit that if you’re just looking to tick these off a list, then Zambia might not be the best fit for you. But that’s also some of the charm of Zambia! We are home to some of the largest protected National Parks in all of Africa, so when you’re spotting these animals, you’re seeing them in their true natural habitat. This makes it harder to guarantee that you’ll see them all, but when you do spot them, it’ll be extra magical.
Lions
(Panthera leo)
Status: Vulnerable
Best Viewed At: South Luangwa National Park
Did you know: South Luangwa Nation park has one of the highest lion densities in all of Africa.
Leopards
(Panthera pardus)
Status: Vulnerable
Best Viewed At: South Luangwa National Park
Did you know: Zambia is one of the best leopard viewing destinations in all of Africa!
Elephants
(Loxodonta africana)
Status: Endangered
Best Viewed At: South Luangwa National Park
Did you know: There are three different species of elephants. During a trip to Zambia you're likely to see African bush elephants.
Rhinoceros
(Ceratotherium simum simum)
Status: Near Threatened (White) | Critically Endangered (Black)
Best Viewed At: North Luangwa National Park
Did you know: Both Black Rhinos and Southern White Rhinos can be found in Zambia. The Black Rhino was previously extinct in Zambia, but has successfully been reintroduced.
Buffalos
(Syncerus caffer)
Status: Near Threatened
Best Viewed At: South Luangwa National Park
Did you know: African buffalos are not to be underestimated, they can be more dangerous to humans than the other "Big 5"!
What Other Wildlife You Could See In Zambia
There is of course a huge variety of wildlife across Zambia and its 20 National Parks. Here’s some more wildlife that you could see on your Zambia safari.
Hippopotamus
(Hippopotamus amphibius)
Crawshay's Zebra
(Equus quagga crawshayi)
Impala
(Aepyceros melampus)
Warthog
(Phacochoerus africanus)
