Bangweulu Swamps
Chauffeur-driven holidays to Bangweulu
The closer you get to Bangweulu Wetlands, the deeper you penetrate the real Africa. This swamp area has a mysterious appearance and this is where David Livingstone, after having been declared terminally ill, decided to discover the source of the Nile. As far as animal-spotting concerned, you'll be able to enjoy both water and land game.
Come into contact with the local people of Bangweulu
Main roads will be a distant memory in Bangweulu Swamps, an area of around 35,000 km2, as you travel down sandy tracks. You can stock up on fresh vegetables in the villages on your travels, which also form great opportunities to get closer to the friendly locals. The village of Nakapalayo lies between Kasanka National Park and Bangweulu Swamps. Here, visitors can experience authentic Zambian village life. The idea is to promote cultural exchange and assist the income and employment opportunities of the locals by means of 'community-based tourism'.
Abundance of game in Bangweulu
The reserve has three habitats: open water in the north-west, large swamps in the middle and grass plains that flood in the rainy season in the south and east. In the rainy season you can thus only explore this immense reserve by canoe and on foot. Enormous herds of endemic Black Lechwe antelope inhabit the reserve and Bangweulu attracts a large diversity of birds and water birds, making it a paradise for bird lovers. From February to August, Bangweulu Swamps are perhaps the best place in the world to see the elusive and rare shoebill stork, which breed in the papyrus swamps. But you don't have to be a bird lover to be overwhelmed by the wildlife here: the elephants, buffaloes, tsessebes, reedbucks, oribis and situtanga antelopes have also adapted well to this swamp environment.
Livingstone Memorial
David Livingstone was unfortunately unsuccessful in his quest to find the source of the Nile and he died in Chief Chitambo's Village. The sombre Livingstone Memorial is a silent witness to this event.
