South Luangwa National Park

Visited: Dec. 2022 Reviewed: Mar. 27, 2024 Submitted in:

On one of the best trip of lifetime, me and Marina Meger got built a landy for discovering Africa, Marina hired me for a southern Africa tour and i had to accept the offer. The trip started far back in 2019 before COVID-19 came in and when we reached Lusaka, Marina wanted to discover the eastern part of Zambia, so we had to drive and it took us two days to reach South Luangwa via Chipata, a close town to the Malawi border. To make a long story short, we discovered an abundance of wildlife in the area. and the mopani tree.

Arriving at the gates of South Luangwa is like stepping back in time. There is no first world rush, sign in, pay and you're on your way to more fun than you could imagine. The road from the entrance twists and turns, a small water hole here and there, Yellow Billed Stork, Fish Eagle...plenty of birds to be seen here. During the heat of the day there is not much movement by the larger mammals. Resting, conserving energy is instinctive for later in the day when survival at night is paramount. Lions see better at night than during the day - a reflective mirror in their eyes directs light to fall onto their rods twice enabling excellent night vision. Other mammals are not so fortunate and the night is a time of knife edge survival. If you venture a little further, past the old airstrip, the roads are less busy with day visitors and one really starts to see the denser stretches of bush, look into the shadows for the larger animals as they rest up. The road crosses an old bridge and a series of plains open up as you drive south, occasionally the river is visible to your left and the game varies as the biome changes from dense riverine bush to open plains with warthog snivelling in the grasses and impala grazing on short tufts of bitter grass. some of the small forested areas that line the river banks are ethereal and mysterious, they seem to hold the spirit of the Luangwa in their grasp...tall trees stand sentinel on river San as the sun streams through their branches creating long shadows and beams of light that pierce the darkness. And just as soon as you feel this mysticism the vehicle breaks out into the sunshine and there is mopane woodland all around you. Ahead, a massive bull elephant crosses the road, completely ignoring the vehicle. He ambles slowly across, will you look at the size of him!! Ive seen thousands of elephant over 15 years in Africa, never the size of him though. I speed up to get a better view....when I arrive at the point where he crossed the road....gone! Vanished??!!?? A 5 ton animal has disappeared into the bushes and I can't even see bushes moving to mark his movement, not a bird stirs....? This is the magical mysticism of South Luangwa.

South Luangwa is not visited much in February and the lodges are practically empty or closed. Animals are less visible now than they are in the dry season but the experience is still amazing. Leopard dining on bushbuck. Elephant herds crossing the river trying, unsuccessfully, to climb the river banks. All this made for an extraordinary sight. _____________________________________________________________________________ Le South Luangwa est très peu fréquenté en février et les lodges sont quasi vides ou bien fermés; Les animaux sont moins visibles qu'en saison sèche mais l'expérience est tout de même formidable. Léopard dînant d'un bushbuck ou troupeau d'éléphants traversant la rivière à la nage pour essayer de grimper sur les berges d'abord sans succès, ont constitué un extraordinaire spectacle.

There is a good chance of seeing terrapins, leopard tortoises and also all kinds of insects. The animals don’t like to get their feet wet either so they often use the same paths as we do. We come across elephants, lions, giraffes, lots of antelopes and even wild dogs. During this time of the year their puppies are out of the den. The Emerald Season is also called the Secret Season. It is so very true!

I will never forget a particular evening sunset in South Luangwa... we sipped on our G&T's, overlooking a wide river with the sounds of hyenas in the distance. Hippos roaring just below us, all while surrounded by a swarm of colorful carmine bee eaters flying in and out of their homes in the side of the river bank. In this moment, the bush felt all-encompassing. The immense African sun setting into all shades of orange... we truly felt as if we had landed in a dream world. This park doesn't boast the big 5 but there are many other reasons that this park is a special place for all wildlife enthusiasts. In general, I was shocked by the abundance of wildlife in South Luangwa and pleasantly surprised by the variety of species. In fact, as soon as we entered the gates of the park we were greeted by hundreds of hippos splashing in the river. Truly a haven for hippos and crocs there seemed to be some lurking in every body of water. I was also thrilled to have ample opportunities for spotting leopards - seems as if every visitor returns home with a leopard story! I also felt like October was a great time to be in the park. Everything felt desperately dry but this made most of the wildlife quite visible. I would like to return after the rainy season to see the baby animals and the difference in vegetation. Overall, I would highly recommend a visit to SL and look forward to returning again one day!

South Luangwa is a one of the biggest national parks in Zambia and is a complete wilderness with the highest concentration of hippos in Africa. You are guaranteed to see the big five and more in this park. In the South Luangwa you see game on walking safaris, game drives and even from the comfort from one's room depending on the location of the lodging facility. Its easy to seen all the wild life in the dry season without much effort around waterholes. In the wet season, because the vegetation is lush, you do have to take trails but will certainly see the game. There are several accommodation facilities both camps and lodges within and outside the park. Accessibility could be either by plane or road.

South Luangwa NP is one of the best wildlife areas in Zambia. It's a 90 min drive on a good tarmac road away from Chipata and it's accessible all year round. The camps and lodges in the area cater for all budgets and visitors. The best way to experience the park is together with a local guide. They know were the animals are. Leopard and Wild Dog sightings are common in South Luangwa. Most of the time even from close range in broad daylight. On night drives it is difficult to take good photos but you have a chance to see the nocturnal animals like porcupine, genets, civets, owls and many more. This park is home to the endemic Thornicroft Giraffe / Giraffa Camelopardalis thornicrofti, Cookson's Wildebeest / Connochaetes taurinus cooksoni and Crawshay's Zebra / Equus quagga crawshayi. Of cause it has several lion prides and many more common game species. Even when in a hurry, a day visit is already worth the journey.

This park has a wide variety of wildlife, birds and vegetation. One of the finest ways to experience this pristine wilderness first hand is by going on a walking safari. This has become known as THE wilderness experience of the South Luangwa! The day will be spent walking in the game rich area of the Luangwa riverine habitat, with ebony groves, many lagoons and of course the Luangwa River itself. This is something everyone should experience! There are 60 different animal species and over 400 different bird species that you must see! This area is very remote and wild. The terrain and habitats are varied and the game is not used to man. And that makes this even more exciting!!

Wow, this park totally surprised me. I wasn't expecting to see so much wildlife, especially so many lions. It wasn't nearly as crowded, either, which made for a great time and some up-personal viewing! I was there right at the beginning of the dry season, so many of the water holes were still around. I'd def go again but would probably do it a few months later for better viewing.