There's a certain look people get when they've returned from somewhere that's rearranged their sense of scale. Not the how-big-is-this-national-park kind of scale. The internal kind. The one that changes how you measure space, time and your own importance while standing on a riverbank, wondering how on earth a place like this still exists. Cristina Armesto, one of our Travel Experts, had that look after visiting Zambia. And although I'd been on the same trip, I was curious to find out which moments had made the biggest impression on her. After all, two people can follow the exact same itinerary and come home with entirely distinct stories.
Naturally, I Went Digging
I wanted the stories that had stuck. The peculiar details. The things Cristina would mention when given every opportunity to deliver a perfectly sensible summary of where she'd been and what she'd seen.
She gave me elephants, walking safaris, extraordinary people, lunches in improbable places and a buffalo called Barry. And while I kept looking for the one experience that explained everything, Cristina seemed determined to give me 20.
Which, in hindsight, should have told me all I needed to know.
Why Zambia?
Zambia had been on Cristina's radar for years. As a Travel Expert, she knew its reputation: relatively few visitors, exceptional guiding, walking safaris with serious heritage and wilderness areas that have escaped much of the commercialisation seen elsewhere.
It had all the makings of a destination she'd love. But knowing what makes a place special and experiencing it for yourself are two separate things.
And then there's the Zambezi River, which had a particularly strong claim on her curiosity. The combination of wildlife, water-based adventures and the Muchinga Escarpment made the Lower Zambezi National Park an obvious draw. South Luangwa National Park, meanwhile, promised the kind of walking safaris Zambia had become famous for.
Two regions. Two very contrasting propositions. And a rather compelling reason to experience both. She had high expectations. Zambia had a reputation to live up to.
She'd heard the destination described as one of Africa's most authentic safari experiences. Now, authentic is one of those words our industry has used so enthusiastically that it occasionally needs rescuing from itself.
But Cristina wasn't chasing an adjective. She wanted to know what the reputation looked and felt like in person. As it turned out, getting her to explain the answer in a neat little paragraph was going to be quite a challenge.
Trying (and Failing) to Simplify Zambia
I have a habit of pressing our Travel Experts for a defining moment. You know the one. That single sighting, conversation or afternoon that justifies the entire journey. Usually, I can get an answer. Cristina, however, had other ideas.
"I had so many that it's difficult to choose one," she told me, before launching into a wonderfully enthusiastic list of experiences that made my attempts at editorial efficiency entirely pointless.
There was boating, canoeing, fishing, walking and game drives. There were unexpected meals, guides she'd grown fond of and some fairly memorable elephant behaviour.
The Lower Zambezi featured heavily in her stories, which wasn't terribly surprising. It's difficult to compete with a river that seems determined to involve itself in almost every part of your journey. And Cristina had discovered that the Zambezi was capable of serving up a few surprises.
A Perfectly Logical Place for Lunch
Let's begin with lunch.
Ordinarily, an afternoon on the river might involve watching wildlife along the banks, passing pods of hippos or admiring the scenery. Cristina, however, found herself arriving at a surprise restaurant. In the middle of the Zambezi. Not a metaphorical middle. The actual middle.
There, a welcoming team had arranged a lunch that made dining ankle-deep in a river seem like an entirely sensible way to spend an afternoon.
She described it as a "magical water restaurant", and I rather like that. Particularly because she was just as taken with the people who welcomed her as she was with the remarkable setting.
There's something delightfully absurd about being served lunch where hippos might ordinarily have considerably more claim to the premises. Yet there it was. An elaborately arranged meal, a river running around it and a team who made the whole production appear perfectly reasonable.
Apparently, Zambia has some rather unconventional ideas about restaurant locations.
A Different Kind of Gym Buddy
Then there was the gym.
A sentence I never expected to type in a safari story involving existential reflections on the African wilderness.
Cristina was exercising in a modern gym overlooking the Lower Zambezi's wildlife-filled surroundings. Outside, waterbuck and impala wandered past, hippos and crocodiles occupied the river, and elephants moved between the channels, going about the important business of being elephants.
And somewhere among all this activity was Barry.
Barry the buffalo, who had apparently decided that a nap in the bush was a far better use of his afternoon than anything resembling exercise. I can't say I disagree.
She described exercising with "goosebumps all over". And really, can you blame her? It's one thing to know your lodge has a gym with a wildlife view. It's another to attempt a workout while half the animal kingdom appears to be conducting its daily business outside the window.
I imagine it's difficult to remain invested in your fitness goals when an elephant herd is crossing the channel. Although Barry, to his credit, seemed entirely committed to his recovery day.
A Family Affair
Speaking of elephants, Cristina had quite a few stories about them.
One involved a herd of more than 50 crossing the Zambezi together, with mothers guiding their tiny calves through the water and helping them navigate the current. An entire procession of trunks, ears and little heads bobbing above the surface.
And then there was a moment that stayed with her for an entirely different reason. She watched an elephant family form a protective circle around a baby so the little one could sleep, safely surrounded by the adults.
No dramatic chase. No predator making an appearance. Just a very small elephant, having a nap, while its considerably larger relatives took care of security.
Cristina called it "a super cute moment of pure love and instinct". Which might not be the technical language of wildlife biology, but I suspect most of us would have been too busy melting into a puddle to come up with anything better.
The People Who Made It Personal
For all her enthusiasm about Zambia's wildlife, Cristina became notably animated when we got onto the subject of the people. And one lodge kept coming up: Lolebezi.
Now, this is a property that certainly knows how to make an impression. Its contemporary architecture, impeccably designed interiors and spectacular riverfront setting give it plenty to boast about. Cristina was suitably impressed by all of it. But when I asked what had really stayed with her, she went straight to the welcome.
Around 20 team members greeted arriving guests with traditional singing and dancing, their smiles and enthusiasm making an immediate impression. "It was impossible not to feel involved and moved by that welcoming," she recalled. And I think that's worth dwelling on.
Luxury safari lodges have mastered the art of creating phenomenal spaces. Impressive architecture, outstanding cuisine, thoughtful touches – there's no shortage of places that look magnificent in photographs. But the way people make you feel is harder to capture in a property description.
For Cristina, Lolebezi's team gave the lodge its personality. And that warmth continued throughout her stay, making it her standout property of the trip.
She was equally enthusiastic about several of the guides she'd met along the way. There was Henry at Sausage Tree Camp, Michael and Chamba at Lolebezi, and Shedrick in South Luangwa.
Cristina spoke about that particularly lovely thing that sometimes happens on safari: finding a guide whose company you genuinely enjoy, whose knowledge you trust and with whom you quickly feel comfortable. It's an important distinction.
A good guide can tell you what you're looking at. An exceptional one changes how you look at it. And judging by Cristina's enthusiasm, Zambia had introduced her to several of the latter.
South Luangwa, Where You Find Your Feet
After the water-based adventures of the Lower Zambezi, South Luangwa introduced Cristina to another side of Zambia. This is one of Africa's great walking safari destinations, with a guiding tradition that has helped shape the country's reputation among more adventurous safari-goers.
Cristina had been looking forward to experiencing it firsthand. And what struck her most wasn't simply the novelty of leaving the game-drive vehicle behind. It was how quickly the guides made her feel at ease in doing so.
She described walking with knowledgeable, assured guides who made her feel "safe, confident, and surprisingly comfortable far outside your comfort zone".
I love that last part. Because walking through an African wilderness is, by any reasonable definition, something that ought to make you acutely aware of your surroundings.
A walking safari asks you to pay attention to things that can slip past unnoticed from a vehicle. Tracks in the sand. Subtle movements. Sounds you might otherwise overlook. The signs of animals that have passed through long before you arrived.
Your guide reads those details, helping you understand what's happening around you while making sure you're in capable hands.
South Luangwa had plenty to offer beyond the walking, too. Cristina spoke enthusiastically about its leopard sightings and the region's distinctive wildlife, including Thornicroft's giraffe and Crawshay's zebra. But it was the walking experience, and the people guiding it, that seemed to leave the strongest impression.
The Things You Can't Learn From an Itinerary
Cristina has spent years helping guests explore Africa. She knows her destinations, understands how various safaris compare and has a rather extensive mental catalogue of places worth visiting.
But no matter how knowledgeable you become, there's always something to be gained from getting out there yourself. And that's where trips like this earn their keep.
A lodge might look excellent on paper, but it's the people, atmosphere and little surprises that give it character. The sort of details that rarely find their way into a property description, yet can make all the difference when recommending somewhere to stay.
Then there are the practicalities. Travelling between Zambia's wilderness regions requires careful planning, flights aren't always frequent, and connections can command a premium. Knowing how to bring the right experiences together is every bit as important as knowing what makes them worth visiting.
And that's what Cristina brought home: a sharper understanding of the places, people and practical details that help her match the right safari to the right guest.
So, What Was the Verdict?
I started this story wondering what it was about Zambia that could rearrange someone's sense of scale. And somewhere among Cristina's many, many answers, I found myself returning to the contrast between the enormous and the charmingly ordinary.
There's the sheer size of the wilderness. The Zambezi winding past the towering Muchinga Escarpment. Elephant families crossing the river. Landscapes that continue for miles, apparently unconcerned by how much of them any one visitor manages to see. Then there are the smaller things.
A baby elephant being watched over while it sleeps. A guide who makes you feel immediately at ease. Twenty people singing you into a lodge. A buffalo who has somehow acquired both a name and a permanent place in someone's holiday memories.
It's a marvellous collection of stories. And perhaps that's why she couldn't settle on a single defining moment. Zambia had given her far too many.
When I finally asked whether she'd recommend it to her clients, her response was wonderfully unequivocal: "Yes, yes, yes!" Well, that's encouraging.
But I think my favourite answer came when I gave her one last opportunity to add anything I'd missed. No elaborate reflection on the nature of safari. No additional wildlife sighting. No polished piece of travel advice.
Just five words.
"When are we going back???"
Well, Cristina. I think that settles it.
Your Zambia Safari Story Starts Here
From the wildlife-filled waterways of the Lower Zambezi to the walking safaris of South Luangwa, Zambia has a wonderful habit of giving you stories you hadn't anticipated.
And with firsthand knowledge, a few favourite guides and plenty of recommendations up their sleeves, our Travel Experts know how to help you make the most of it.
Featured Image: Michelle Welvering
