The Park
 

Why Visit South Luangwa?

South Luangwa is Zambia’s premier game viewing park where you can enjoy a unique type of habitat seldom seen elsewhere in Africa. Lying on the valley floor, between the meandering Luangwa River and the steep Muchinga Escarpment, this is the best national park in Zambia and one of the finest in all Africa.

The seasonal floodplains create an environment that supports a huge diversity of wildlife including over 100 species of mammals and over 420 species of birds as well as many reptiles, insects, amphibians and plants.
 

 

A totally different experience from parks elsewhere in Africa, Luangwa offers a real immersion to the bush life in an attractive habitat of sausage trees and lagoons. In the stunning light of early morning and late afternoon, one can often see elephants, impala, puku, troops of baboons, flocks of water birds, crocodiles and hippos all through the same view finder of your camera or binoculars!

The park is reputed to have the highest concentration of leopard in Africa. It is estimated that there is one Leopard for every kilometre of river in the Luangwa Valley, so your chances of seeing this elusive nocturnal cat are heightened in this park.

 

Pods of up to 500 hippos are possible to view in the dry season as the river shrinks and they are confined to areas of deep pools. On average during the year there are probably 35 – 42 hippos per kilometre!


World famous walking safaris are a favourite activity in South Luangwa and operate from June until November, and morning and night drives in open topped safari vehicles are available year round. 

 

LOCATION AND GEOGRAPHY TO SOUTH LUANGWA

See Location Map

South Luangwa National Park is situated in the Luangwa Valley which sits at the southern end of Africa’s Great Rift Valley, leading southwards from Lake Tanganyika. It is low in altitude and experiences higher temperatures than the rest of Zambia. The park covers an area of 9,050 square kilometres or 2,235,400 acres.

The main area of the park is bordered to the west by the Muchinga Escarpment and the Luangwa River provides the east and southern borders. Luamfa Area is in the southern area of the park, and the Nsefu sector is on the east side of the Luangwa River which eventually feeds into the mighty Zambezi River. 

The main habitat of Luangwa is seasonal floodplains, oxbow lagoons and the Miombo and Mopane woodlands

Arrival by road:

The road up to the park from Chipata is an adventure. As you pass through rural Zambian villages you will see some of the out of the way scenery often missed by tours that don’t go off the beaten track. Your efforts will be worth it when you arrive at camp and quench your thirst at one of our riverside bars and watch the Luangwa River meandering peacefully past the camp.

 

Directions:

Drive to Chipata (about 15 km from the Malawi border in the Eastern Province of Zambia).

Take the signpost to South Luangwa National Park (coming from Malawi, as you go under the arch at the end of Chipata town turn right, or if coming from Lusaka, it is a left turn just before you would go under the arch signalling the start of Chipata town). Follow the road for approximately 3-4 hours (about 140 km), keep following signs to South Luangwa National Park. The road is mainly dirt with two small stretches of tarmac. Parts of it are being graded each year, but rains have their influences. When you have passed through the Jumbe police check stop, you will be almost onto the good road again! When you reach the tarmac junction, the airport is to the left, you must turn right to come to Wildlife Camp. Follow the good tar road for about 20 minutes and as you come to the BP fuel station, look for the left turn ahead of you. The main gate to the national park is straight on and you need to turn left to Wildlife Camp. Follow the signs for another 3 km. 

For details of flight arrivals please refer to general information.

ANIMAL LIFE IN LUANGWA

Huge varieties of animals can be seen in Luangwa, over 100 species of mammals and over 420 species of birds. For keen birdwatchers in particular, the wet season in Luangwa is one of the ‘must see’ places in the world.

 

Birds

The Birdlife in Luangwa really is something special. There is an abundance of water birds including commonly seen Yellow-Billed, Saddle-billed, Open-billed, White, Black and Abdims Storks. Egrets, Ibises and Herons also abundant on the lagoon areas. 

Stunning colours to be seen everywhere include Lilac-breasted Rollers, Meyer’s Parrots, Lillian’s Lovebirds and Carmine Bee Eaters (the later have huge nesting colonies along the river banks around October time).

Mammals

Commonly seen mammals include: elephants, hippos, lions, leopards, impala, waterbuck, hyenas, giraffes, zebra, baboons, & warthogs. Especially in the dry season, herds of buffalos congregate and march en masse to the river to drink. Other mammals in the park sometimes seen include kudu, sable antelope, jackals and wild dogs. Night safaris offer the chance to see civets, genets, porcupines and mongoose and a greater chance to see lion and leopard.

  

Luangwa Specialities
 

Crayshaw´s Zebras (a variety of Burchells Zebra, without shadow striping and thinner stripes extending down to the hooves and under the belly)
Puku (a locally common antelope but scarce elsewhere in Africa) 
Thornicrofts Giraffe (an endemic sub species, distinguished from other giraffes by a dark neck pattern)
Cookson’s Wildebeest (an endemic sub species, lighter coloured than the Blue Wildebeest)

 

 

NATIONAL PARK FEES AND REGULATIONS
 

All park fees are payable directly to National Park at the main gate (as you enter the park) and none of these rates are included in any of our rates.

ZAWA published the following rates for 2008 but these are subject to change!

For guest joining one of our licensed game drive vehicles the entrance fee is US$25 per person for international guests and $20 for Zambian residents. This permit is valid for one day or two activities with our camp vehicles within 24hours.
For example, if you choose to book a morning drive / walk and a night drive with us, your park entry is only paid once that day. 
Should you begin with an evening drive, your permit allows you to enter the park the following morning until lunchtime.

For self drive vehicles entrance to the park is US$30 per person for both international guests and Zambian residents. Your permit is valid for one day only.
Rates for vehicles is $15 per day 

• Children under 12 enter the park at half price.

• Please note, amounts are only payable in US dollars or Zambian Kwacha in cash, no other currency or credit cards are accepted.

• Entrance regulations are subject to change without notice.

• PLEASE REMEMBER TO BRING ENOUGH CASH TO COVER YOUR PARK ENTRY!

 

As mentioned above, you may take your private vehicle into the park, gates open at 6.00am, but you must be out of the gates by 18.00 pm. Four-wheel drive is advised as many of the roads in the park are not passable by two wheel drive vehicles. 

If you would like to stay later and view animals by spotlight, we offer game drives with our registered safari vehicle and guide which enables you to stay in the park until 20.00 pm.

A full set of regulations is located at the entrance to the park. Please make sure you are aware of these as you enter. 

Maps (A3 size) of the Mfuwe area of the park are available at the entrance gate and are very informative, including lists and spoor prints of the main mammals to be found in South Luangwa. 

HISTORY OF THE PARK

In 1938 North and South Luangwa Game Reserves were created to protect and control wildlife populations, especially elephants. 

 

In 1939 a soon to become well known gentleman called Norman Carr became a ranger in Luangwa. Over the years to come he was to have a huge impact on conservation in Africa. 

He established the first public camp in Zambia, and developed walking safaris which involved visitors in the real bush experience away from the noise of vehicles. These walking safaris put Luangwa firmly on the map in terms of tourism and they remain popular to this day.

Since 1972 several smaller game reserves have combined to form what is now South Luangwa National Park.