Things to do
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Kabwata Cultural Village
A compound of round thatched huts in a southern suburb houses carvers, basket weavers and textile makers who work and sell on the spot, many of them from Zambia's rural provinces. Bargaining is expected and the quality varies from tourist curio to serious carving. Mornings are busier and more of the workshops are open; it is the one place in the city to watch the work being done.
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Lower Zambezi National Park
Escarpment drops to a floodplain along the Zambezi east of the capital, where elephant cross the channels and the far bank is Mana Pools in Zimbabwe. Canoe safaris past hippo pods are what sets the park apart from drive only reserves. Camps run from June to October and close for the rains, and access is by light aircraft or a long drive through Chirundu.
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Lusaka National Museum
Two floors near the city centre cover Zambian history from precolonial chiefdoms through the copper economy to independence, with a gallery of contemporary Zambian painting upstairs. The art section is the stronger half and changes more often than the fixed displays. An hour covers it, and it pairs naturally with the craft stalls a short drive away.
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South Luangwa National Park
Walking safaris began in the Luangwa Valley, and the park still runs them from bush camps with an armed scout and a guide. Leopard are seen here with a regularity few reserves match, along with the endemic Thornicroft's giraffe on the river flats. Flights land at Mfuwe from the capital, and the road journey east takes the better part of two days.