Places of Interest, Rock Paintings, Geological Marvels, Water Falls

What could beat these places of interest? The rock paintings, the geological marvels and water falls? Take a stroll along the mighty Zambezi River. There is the Victoria Falls for starters. The Railway Museum, the Mukuni Cultural Village. Come face to face with the new Adventure Centre of Southern Africa.

Livingstone town has a fair share of Zambia’s interesting places. See the historical buildings built at the turn of the previous century. But then the Batoka Gorge is unique. Imagine the hard basalt rock cut down to 100meters by water. But then that’s only Livingstone and the Victoria Falls area.

Other places of interest are found in many other places in Zambia. From the international aspect there is;

1. Dag Hammerskjold Memorial. This marks the spot, where the aircraft carrying Dag Hammerskjold, author and former Secretary General of the United Nations, crashed on September 18th, 1961. He was on his way to the Congo to resolve the civil war that had broken out there. An annual memorial ceremony takes places here. For United Nations this is really one of places of interest.

2. Another is the Von Lettow Vorbeck Memorial at the North end of the Chambeshi River Bridge on the main road from Mpika to Kasama. It marks the spot on which General Von Lettow Vorbeck, Commander of the German forces in East Africa during the 1914 war, surrendered. Incorporated in the monument is an 1890 breach loading field gun of the type used by the German army in this campaign.

On the local historical angle the following are some of the places of interest.

1. Take for instance in the Lower Zambezi there is Chirundu Fossil Forest just off the main Lusaka Chirundu road. Attributed to the Karoo period, 50 “grand” years ago, are fossil trees. These trees did not rot but were naturally preserved. A great wonder indeed.

2. Another is the Collier Monument at the former Roan Antelope Copper Mine in Luanshya set amid the original outcrop where in June, 1902, the prospector William Collier shot an antelope and first discovered copper at what is now the Luanshya Copper Mine.

3. Kasamba Stream Grinding Grooves on the western shore of Lake Bangweulu, just south of Samfya, is an outcrop of rock which bears a large number of artificial grinding grooves dating back possibly to the Iron Age. It is thought they were used for grinding and polishing axes.

4. Kundabwika Rock Painting A large rock bearing an elaborate schematic painting in red, lies 96 kms from Mporokoso in the Northern Province.

5. One of the places of interest is Lunsemfwa Wonder Gorge At the junction of the Lunsemfwa and Mkushi Rivers, is a site of great beauty where both rivers have cut narrow gorges over 300m into the Karoo sedementary rocks and presents one of the finest and most spectacular views to be found in Zambia. Besides the Batoka Gorge near the Victoria Falls this another geological marvel. A small “Grand Canyon”?

6. Mkomo Rock Shelter To the north of the Great East Road, sixty four kilometers west of Chipata, are rock paintings of the Iron Age.

7. Nachikufu Cave This cave in Mpika depicts some of the most interesting rock paintings in the country and is the site of a field museum exhibiting a fascinating sequence from the Stone Age in Northern Zambia some 18,000 years ago to the recent Iron Age. From an archaeological view Nachikufu Cave is one of the places of interest that would provide material for archaeological studies.

8. Niamkolo Church On the shore of Lake Tanganyika about kilometer and a half to the east of Mpulungu. The London Missionary Society built this church in 1895 and is the oldest surviving stone built church in Zambia.

9. Nkala Fortified Camp Just outside the borders of the Kafue National Park at the top of Kapilika Nakalomwe Hill, built as a police camp in 1901. The plan of the fort can still be seen from the ruined walls.

10. Nsefu Cave and Rock Painting These painting near Kanona can be seen clearly from outside the fence and anyone wishing to enter the cave may do so on payment of a small fee to the caretaker. The main cave contains evidence of occupation during the Stone Age and the paintings are the most extensive to be seen at any single site in Zambia.

11. Nsalu Cave and Rock Painting This semi-circular cave, cut into Nsalu hills contains some of the best examples of Africa’s schematic rock paintings. It stretches about 20 meters wide, 20 meters deep and eight meters high. Excavations carried out in the 1940’s showed the site was first occupied by middle Stone Age people although the majority of remains discovered relate to the hunting people of the late Stone Age and date back from about 12,000 years ago to 1,000 AD. The significance of the schematic drawings at Nsalu remains a mystery.

    Some archaeologists believe they were connected with initiation ceremonies but research into the subject continues. When you consider places of interest this is one site worth your visit. It’s a short detour off the Great North Road. 30 kms north of Kanona turn left, travel a further fourteen kilometers, turn right. This road leads to the caves in rugged hilly country.

These places of interest found in Zambia are both historical and of national heritage. If you have interest in historical sites such as rock paintings don’t miss out on this safari marvel. Your safari / tour operator will guide you.

And as for accommodation and, while still in the comfort of your own home, check out here for your hotel bookings