Zambia

One of Africa's largest national parks, covering over 22,400 square kilometres of diverse terrain from riverine forest to vast mopane savanna. Remote, under-visited and boasting significant populations of cheetah, wild dog and the endemic Kafue lechwe, it offers an unfiltered African wilderness experience without the crowds of better-known parks.

A small but ecologically rich park in the vast miombo woodland of central Zambia, most famous for the annual migration of up to ten million straw-coloured fruit bats that converge on the musuku fruiting trees from October to December. The bats attract a remarkable diversity of raptors and cats, making the park a destination for serious wildlife observers.

The world's second-deepest and second-largest freshwater lake by volume, formed in the East African Rift Valley. The Zambian shoreline near Kasaba and Tansole offers pristine beaches, crystal-clear water for diving and snorkelling, and fishing villages where the local Tongwa and Bemba people have harvested cichlids for generations.

A remote wilderness of floodplains and riverine forest along the Zambezi River, opposite Zimbabwe's Mana Pools. Canoe trails past elephant herds, tiger fishing and walking safaris through mopane woodland define the experience. The valley floor is shared with populations of buffalo, lion and the world's largest concentration of hippos.

Zambia's premier wildlife sanctuary, where the Luangwa River carves through a valley of towering mahogany and winterthorn trees. Famous for walking safaris that pioneered the concept, it offers some of Africa's most concentrated leopard and lion sightings from permanent lodges along the river banks.

The world's largest sheet of falling water, straddling Zambia and Zimbabwe. Known locally as Mosi-oa-Tunya (the Smoke That Thunders), the falls are at their most powerful from February to May and offer raftable rapids, bungee jumps and walking trails the rest of the year.