Established into a Game Reserve in 1938 and a National Park in 1972, the site covers an area of 9050 square kilometers (3490 square miles) across the eastern side of Zambia, making it the southernmost of the three National Parks found in the Valley of Luangwa River. Any tourist who visits this Park will agree that the concentrations of wildlife species along the winding Luangwa River and its oxbow lagoons are among the highest and most extraordinary in Africa.

Luangwa River, one of the major tributaries of the Zambezi River, is the most pristine major river system in the continent and is considered the lifeblood of this Park offering water to the animals throughout the year. Interestingly, the now popular walking safari originated from this Zambian Park and still offers one of the World’s best ways of experiencing African wilderness first-hand. This unfenced Park is bordered to the west by a steep escarpment and to the east by River Luangwa while the Luangwa Valley lies at the edge of the Great African Rift Valley system, which stretches for 4000 kilometers from the Red Sea to the mouth of Pungwe River in Mozambique.

Flora and Fauna of South Luangwa National Park

South Luangwa National Park lies across two main eco-regions of woodland savannah that include the Zambezian and Mopane woodlands that cover the bottoms of the valleys as well as the southern Miombo woodlands that cover the higher slopes of the valley. The Mopane tree thrives well within the areas of higher temperatures and lower rainfall found in lower altitude areas then than the Miombo trees found on the higher plateau.

This Park is home to a wide range of wildlife, birds, and tree species. The changing seasons within the Park add to the Park’s abundance ranging from dry, bare bushveld during winter to a verdant green Paradise during summer months, and generally hosts over 60 extraordinary species of wildlife and more than 400 distinctive species of birds.  There are woodland savannahs with vast patches of grasslands that allow grazers such as zebras to feed and browsers like giraffes to freely live in the same area.

South Luangwa National Park

Luangwa Valley is bordered to the west by the valley of River Lunsemfwa and offers shelter to extraordinary animals such as Crawshay’s zebras and Cookson’s wildebeests that are endemic or near-endemic to this deep valley. Also, Hippos and crocodiles are found within the meandering Luangwa River with high populations of Thornicroft’s giraffes. Waterbucks, pocus, and large herds of Cape buffaloes and elephants are supported within the area. The major predators in the Luangwa Valley include spotted hyenas, lions, African wild dogs, and leopards.

With around 400 of Zambia’s 732 species of birds found in the National Park including 47 migrants and 39 birds of prey, there are wonderful spots for bird watching in the area, whatever season you choose to visit.

When it comes to tree species, the common species within the valley are the beautiful tamarind tree, Leadwood, Mopane, the giant vegetation ivory palm, and winter thorns among others.

Activities within the National Park

The tourist activities to enjoy within the Park include game drives with open-topped 4WD Vehicles, nature walking safaris, and bird watching.

Best Time to visit South Luangwa National Park

The perfect time to explore this Zambian National Park is December to March because it is the emerald season where several summer migrant bird species are attracted to plenty of food. There are always geese, herons, ducks, storks, and egrets within the dense vegetation, dry plains, and water resources.

Accommodation within South Luangwa National Park

There are several World Class Safari Lodges and Camps within this Park they include Tafika Camp, Nkwali Camp, Kaingo Tented Camp, Kapani Camp, and Kafunta Camp among others.

How to Get to South Luangwa National Park

There are two main ways of reaching South Luangwa National Park and they include flying and staying within one of the Camps, and the flight from Lusaka lasts almost one hour or Safari Lodges and driving to the Park using 4WD Vehicles.

Situated at the heart of western Zambia is the country’s oldest and largest Park gazetted in the 1950s and extending for 22,400 square kilometers (8600 square miles-almost the same size as Massachusetts or Wales) over three Provinces including the southern, north-western, and Central Provinces. With such an enormous size, Kafue is the second largest National Park in Africa and was named after River Kafue. Regardless of its size, it is one of the easily accessible Conservation Areas in the country-about 2 hours drive from Livingstone but remains one of the less-known and generally unexplored places with extensive areas of its virgin bushlands still untouched.

Kafue became a Protected Area in 1924 after the British Colonial Government moved the traditional owners of the area-Nkoyo people of Mwene Kabulwebulwe from their ancestral hunting grounds into Mumbwa District in the East and was awarded the National Park status in 1950 by the legendary Norman Carr (19^th July 1912-1^st April 1997), a British Conservationist working within Southern and Central Africa.

• Climate of Kafue National Park

The average annual rainfall in this Park varies from 510 millimeters on the southern side to more than 1020 millimeters on the northern side, and the average annual temperature is 21 Celsius Degrees but the mean maximum rises to 33 Celsius degrees in October, which is the hottest time of the year.

• Flora and Fauna within Kafue National Park

The largest part of the Park lies in the Central Zambezian Miombo woodlands ecosystems characterized by savannah grasslands dotted with Miombo tree species growing densely in some areas and a few small dambos (grasslands that become marshy in the rainy season) scattered among them. Due to its large size, the wide range of habitats/ecosystems and the fact that it is not frequently visited like National Parks in other countries, the National Park holds an overwhelming diversity of wildlife species that you will never experience in other places. The Zambezian flooded grasslands including the Busanga swamp and plains support herds of herbivores and their predators.

This National Park has an overwhelming range of antelope species including large herds of Puku and red lechwe as well as smaller herds of blue wildebeests and zebras within the Busanga Plains around June to September when it is a dry season. Across the northern part of the National Park is a wide range of mixed bushland ecosystems where Defassa waterbucks, kudus, duikers, elands, Grysbok, bushbucks, elands, and bushbucks are frequently spotted within the Kafue National Park.

Also, the pride of lions and leopards is widespread all over the National Park, especially in the forested areas. Although not frequently seen within the open plains, the park is also a home to the cheetahs, spotted hyenas, and Cape wild dogs and the Park is one of Zambia’s best strongholds for these animals. River Kafue and its tributaries are generally a hive of activities and home to schools/pods of Hippos and some of the largest Crocodiles within Southern Africa. Also, buffaloes, elephants, and antelopes are commonly seen along River Kafue and around Lake Itezhi-tezhi.

With over 490 species of birds recorded within Kafue National Park, it is a wonderful birding spot offering species such as Kori Bustards, barbets, brown-headed Apalis, wattled cranes, Ross turaco, Ibis, secretary birds, Olive woodpeckers, yellow-throated leaflove, storks and geese among others. A boat ride on River Kafue offers opportunities of seeing African skimmers, Pale-billed hornbills, African fin foot, and grey tit while the miombo woodlands offer chances of seeing spotted creepers, Sousa’s shrike, chestnut-mantled sparrow-weavers, black-cheeked lovebirds and miombo pied barbets among others.

• Safari Activities within Kafue National Park

Activities offered within this Protected Area include walking safaris, fishing, bird watching, game drives, balloon rides/flights, boat rides, and guided nature walks among others.

• Accommodation Facilities within Kafue National Park

Kafue National Park has a few accommodation facilities that include Busanga Plains Camp, one of the Park’s gems, and is operated by Mukambi Safaris which also operates other properties in the Park including Fig Tree Bush Camp and Mukambi Safari Lodge. Other facilities include Lla Safari Lodge, Hippo Bay Campsite, Pinnon Lodges, McBrides’ Camp, Kantunta Lodge, Musekese Camp, KaingU Safari Lodge, Mawimbi Bush Camp, Nanzhila Plains Safari Camp, Shumba Camp, Mayukuyuku luxury Bush Camp, Kasabushi Camp and Konkamoya Lodge among others.