The Republic of Zambia, known as “the butterfly in Africa’s heart”, is a landlocked country to the south of Africa. Its borders are the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Tanzania, Malawi, Mozambique, Zimbabwe, Botswana, Namibia and Angola. Lusaka is the capital, located in the southeast of the country. 

Until around AD 300 the area of modern Zambia was inhabited by Khoisan hunter-gatherers when technologically-advanced migrated tribes began to displace or absorb them. During the Bantu expansion, major waves of Bantu speaking immigrants arrive in the 12th century; Tonga people were the first to settle in Zambia coming from the east near to the “big sea”. Nkoya people coming from the Luba-Lunda kingdoms located in the Democratic Republic of Congo and northern Angola. Nsokolo people settled in the Mbala district and around 19th century Ngoni people arrived from the south.

Zambia map

Francisco de Lacerda is the earliest account of an European visiting the area in the late 18th century, followed by other explorers in the 19th century among them, the most prominent David Livingstone, who had a vision of ending the slave trade through the “3 C’s” (Christianity, Commerce and Civilisation) and also he was the first European to see the superb waterfalls on the Zambezi River around 1855. The town of Livingstone is named after him, and his journeys highly publicized were motivated for explorers, missionaries and trader after his death in 1873.

The sporadic visits of European explorers gradually claimed and occupied by the British as protectorate of Northern Rhodesia towards the end of the 19th century. After the independence on 1964, the country moved towards a system of one party rule with Kenneth Kaunda as president, dominating Zambian politics until multiparty elections in 1991.

The English is the official language of Zambia which is used to conduct official business and is the medium of instruction in schools. Over seventy indigenous languages are included in the country, such as Lamba, Kaonde, Tumbuka, Ngoni, Ila, Senga, Chewa, Chibemba, Nsenga Chinyanja, Lunda, Chitonga, Silozi, Nkoya and Luvale. The total number of languages spoken in Zambia varies from 43 to 70, due to the dramatic process of urbanization, including the assimilation of words from other indigenous languages and English.

The climate of Zambia is tropical, but most of the country is classified as humid subtropical or tropical wet and dry due to the influence of altitude. Two main seasons are the characteristic in this country: the rainy season is the summer and the dry season corresponding to the winter.

Zambia is a land of the legendary African walking safari, home of one of the natural wonders - the Victoria Falls, the wild Zambezi River, breath-taking lakes and wetlands, a profusion of birds and abundant wildlife all in a friendly country.

With a superb wildlife, Zambia is also blessed with 17 magnificent waterfalls among them, the great Victoria Falls. The country offers tours into the remote undeveloped rural areas where you can get a glimpse of village life. The largest water resources in all of southern Africa with 5 massive lakes and plentiful rivers offering excellent fishing are here.

The highest action activities are development here from the legendary Walking Safari deep in the wilderness to world class River Rafting, Bungi into the deep gorge below the Victoria Falls, Canoeing Safaris down to the Zambezi, River Surfing, excellent Tiger Fishing and breath-taking African sunsets.