Chambeshi, also Chambezi, river of Zambia, 480 km (300 mi) long, a headstream of the Congo River. Rising on a plateau some 1,830 m (some 6,000 ft) above sea level in northern Zambia between Lakes Tanganyika and Malawi, it flows southwest, entering Lake Bangweulu in the wet season. During the dry season, however, it skirts the southern border of the shrunken lake, from which it merges directly with the Luapula River.