Victoria Falls, Zambia | © Francois Etienne Du Plessis/Dreamstime.com
African countries often need to be in crisis or chaos to be noticed in the West. Zambia is neither. But if you’re a traveler, this East African haven for natural beauty needs to be on your radar.
One of the great joys of travel is finding the places that, for whatever reason, slip under the radar of mass tourism but are every bit as thrilling and fulfilling to visit as the better-known locales.
After listening recently to Margaret Makungo, North American director of the Zambian Tourism Board, represent on behalf of her country at the Ca’Brea restaurant in Los Angeles, I have to think that Zambia just might be one of those places.
Having two-thirds of it in its territory (the rest falls inside the border of neighboring Zimbabwe), Zambia lays claim to Victoria Falls, described as the largest natural falls in the world.
Bigger than Iguazu Falls in South America. Big enough to swallow Niagara Falls whole — and ask for seconds.
It also boasts a feature called the Devil’s Pool, a natural pool which, in the dry season, is shallow enough to let people swim right up to the very edge of Victoria Falls — without getting swept over the 360-foot drop. (There’s also an Angel’s Pool for the less intrepid.)
But while most folks may have heard of Victoria Falls, they might not know that Zambia has about 40 other major waterfalls, said Mrs. Makungo.
And the country would just love for some ambitious developers to come in and transform some of these into tourist destinations.
“We have beautiful waterfalls, and you can go there and have a picnic, but you cannot spend a night at any of them,” she said.
It’s a country the size of Texas with only 13 million people — a population fewer than 14 cities in the world — but with 19 national parks and 36 wildlife management zones.
So few people in so much territory leaves lots of room for unspoiled nature and wildlife, and that’s exactly how Zambia wants to keep it, Mrs. Makungo said.
“We do not want to see so much development in national parks that it ruins the experience for tourists,” she said.
What they do want to see is more Americans visiting Zambia. Americans are the second largest tourist market in the country, after the British, but that translates into a mere 50,000 American visitors per year.
The Zambian government would like to raise that figure by another 20,000 over the next four years, and they think all those national parks and natural beauty give them a major draw.
“We have don’t just have wildlife. We have an abundance of wildlife,” said Mrs. Makungo. “It’s is not just one zebra, one leopard, one eagle.”
They have another reason for wanting more US visitors: We tend to spend more when we’re there, unless expats returning to visit relatives or Europeans looking for a cheap, sun-filled getaway.
“That means that more our of people will have a better standard of living,” said Mrs. Makungo.
And how are those Zambians getting along with one another? There were a couple of telling moments during her presentation that may offer some insight on that.
A member of the audience asked her the name of the largest ethnic group in the country. “What are the called?” the woman asked. Mrs. Makungo’s answer was both proud and pointed.
“Zambian,” she said.
It was one of those one-word answers that speaks volumes.
Another telling moment: when Michael Madison, president of the Southern California chapter of the Africa Travel Association, asked if there any Zambians in the audience, two people stood up on opposites sides of the room, a young black man and an older white woman.
Both were smiling, equally happy to identify themselves as Zambian.
After the presentation, I did a little research of my own on Zambia. Here’s what’s turned up so far:
- Zambia is a landlocked country with eight other nations as neighbors — and currently is on good terms with all of them.
- In the countryside, the cultural traditions of individual tribes survive, but in the cities, they’ve merged not only with one another, but with European influences to form a blended national culture unique to Zambia.
- English is the official language, but the number of languages spoken may be as many as eight — and dialects may number anywhere from 73 to 85, depending on who’s counting, all of them more or less linked to Bantu culture.
- The country is predominantly and officially Christian, but comfortably blends traditional religious beliefs with Christianity. There are Muslim and Jewish communities, as well.
- Zambia depended economically for a long time on copper mining. When the bottom fell out of copper prices, things got tough for awhile. Today, the World Bank has described Zambia as one of the world’s fastest reforming countries economically.
- It’s a country with a reputation for friendly people.
Sounds like Zambia belongs on a lot of people’s destination list…starting with mine.
NOTEWORTHY
If you’re wondering why tourism officials from a country in East Africa would come all the way to Los Angeles to make a pitch for more American travelers, the reason they gave was simple, but it will surprise a lot of you. I know it surprised me:Margaret Makungo, Zambian tourism director for North America: “The majority of leisure American leisure travelers to Zambia come from Southern California. In fact, Southern California is the largest long-haul leisure travel market for all of Africa.”
Given our relative distance from African in general, and East Africa in particular, compared to the eastern seaboard of the United States, I sure didn’t see that one coming. But I will admit, I sat a little taller in my chair when she said it.
The West Coast is in the house, and the West Coast is in Africa. Represent!
Got your passport yet?