Zambia's outdoor life is centred on the South Luangwa National Park — one of the greatest wildlife concentrations in Africa and the birthplace of the walking safari, introduced here by Norman Carr in the 1950s. Walking with an armed guide through Luangwa bush — where leopard hunting at noon, elephant at the river, and lion on the flood plain are the day's itinerary rather than its exception — is a fundamentally different experience from vehicle-based game driving. Victoria Falls on the Zambezi, shared with Zimbabwe, is the largest curtain of falling water on earth by volume during the high water months of March to May, and the viewing trail through rain-forest spray to the edge is one of the great short walks in Africa. The Lower Zambezi National Park delivers canoe safaris on the river itself, where hippo, crocodile, and riverine elephant are encountered at water level. Then the hidden gems start showing up. No rush.