Zambia is endowed with 20 National Parks and 36 Game Management Areas (GMAs), that together account for about 30% of the country’s total land area making it one of the largest in Africa. The Department Of National and Wildlife (DNPW) under the Ministry of Tourism and Arts is mandated to manage and conserve wildlife in Zambia. DNPW endeavours to integrate the wildlife policy with economic, environmental and social policies to ensure effective contribution to sustainable national development. It is committed to promote integrated and participatory approaches to wildlife resource management especially in the Game Management Areas to reduce conflict of interests between humans and wildlife. Zambia’s tourism is nature based and the majority of Zambia’s biodiversity is contained within this extensive wildlife estate which accounts for about 80% of Zambia’s Tourism activities.
Access to the National Parks is all year round with an exceptional of a few which become inaccessible during the rainy season. For those parks which have rivers and air strips, accessing them can either be by water or by air. Excellent accommodation facilities ranging from luxurious hotels, lodges and bush camps are found within and outside the National Parks.