KAZA LAUNCHES AFRICA’S FIRST CROSS-BORDER BIRDING ROUTE ACROSS FIVE NATIONS

The Kavango Zambezi Transfrontier Conservation Area (KAZA TFCA) has unveiled Africa’s first cross-border birding route, positioning the region as a single avitourism destination shared by Angola, Botswana, Namibia, Zambia and Zimbabwe. Known as the Great Kavango Zambezi Birding Route, the initiative was introduced in February 2026 and presented to the global tourism industry during ITB Berlin 2026, marking a new chapter in how the region markets its shared conservation landscape.

The route connects 12 key birding areas across the vast KAZA ecosystem, offering access to more than 650 bird species across the world’s largest terrestrial transfrontier conservation area. By following the region’s major river systems, including the Kavango, Zambezi, Chobe, Kwando and Kafue rivers, the route traces natural migration corridors that sustain both resident and migratory bird populations across Southern Africa.

According to KAZA TFCA Executive Director Dr Nyambe Nyambe, the initiative demonstrates the strength of regional collaboration in tourism development. By marketing their shared conservation estate as a single destination, the five partner states are able to present a scale of biodiversity and wildlife experiences that no individual country could offer independently.

For travellers and birding enthusiasts, the cross-border route creates opportunities to explore diverse ecosystems within a single itinerary. Visitors can move between destinations such as Botswana’s Okavango Delta wetlands and Zimbabwe’s Hwange National Park woodlands, highlighting the ecological diversity that defines the KAZA landscape. The initiative also introduces a unified destination brand under the theme “Rivers of Life”, reflecting the interconnected waterways that shape the region’s ecosystems.

The birding route has been designed with the tourism trade in mind, bringing together more than 100 birding route ambassadors, including tour operators, guides, lodges and tourism stakeholders across the five countries. In addition, 69 professional birding guides have already completed certification programmes through partnerships with organisations such as BirdLife Botswana, BirdLife South Africa, BirdLife Zimbabwe, BirdWatch Zambia and the Namibia Nature Foundation to strengthen guiding expertise in the region.

Spanning over 516,000 square kilometres, the KAZA TFCA includes 36 protected areas and is home to Africa’s largest elephant population, as well as globally recognised sites such as the Okavango Delta and Victoria Falls. By introducing a structured avitourism product across this vast conservation landscape, the new birding route signals a growing shift toward cross-border tourism experiences designed to attract international nature travellers while strengthening conservation-led tourism economies across Southern Africa.