Zambia:
"Zambia - the real Africa".
This is the slogan used by the Zambian National Tourist Board to advertise the country. And it is true.
Zambia is the real Africa.
It is colourful and diverse, opportunistic, exuberant and friendly - it is charismatic.
A great amalgamation of Western influences, traditional cultures and natural splendour; densely populated, but with huge areas of undeveloped wilderness; - and largely untainted by commercial tourism.
Zambia is not a "self-drive country". By Western standards, its cities are chaotic, its roads are pot-holed and its infrastructure is crumbling; its people are poor, - but they are open and friendly.
The national parks have minimal infrastructure, but offer unsurpassed wilderness experiences: The Luangwa Valley (the southern tip of the Great African Rift) the Zambesi River with its mighty Victoria Falls; the Kafue National Park. A number of safari operators with exclusive camps in the most pristine locations make the natural plethora accessible.
And all of it is vibrant in a way that only Africa can be. "Zambia - the real Africa."