South Luangwa National Park Safari Guide
The birthplace of the walking safari and one of Africa's greatest wildlife sanctuaries — legendary for leopards, wild dogs, and raw bush experiences along the Luangwa River.
Top Highlights
Best Time to Visit South Luangwa National Park
June to October for prime game viewing. August to October for peak walking safari season when the bush is driest and animals most concentrated. September to November for the spectacular carmine bee-eater nesting colonies along the river banks. Most camps close January to April.
South Luangwa National Park Safari Budget Guide
Mid-range bush camps $200-500/night. Luxury camps (Chinzombo, Mfuwe Lodge, Robin Pope properties) $600-1,500/night all-inclusive. Budget lodges in Mfuwe village from $50-150/night. Walking safari supplements $50-100/person/day. Night drives typically included in camp rates.
Getting to South Luangwa National Park
Proflight Zambia flies Lusaka to Mfuwe (1.5 hours) daily. Road from Lusaka takes 6-7 hours on good tarmac to Chipata, then 1.5 hours on gravel to Mfuwe. Most camps arrange airport transfers. Self-drive is possible but a 4x4 is essential within the park.
South Luangwa is one of those rare places that safari veterans invariably rank among their all-time favourites. The park's 9,050 square kilometres of wilderness along the meandering Luangwa River support one of the densest and most diverse wildlife populations in Africa, with the bush here feeling somehow wilder and more intimate than the more famous parks of East Africa.
The leopard viewing is world-class — South Luangwa's cats are habituated to vehicles and frequently spotted on night drives, draped in sausage trees, or padding along the river banks at dusk. The park also supports one of the largest wild dog populations in the region, endemic Thornicroft's giraffes found nowhere else on Earth, and prodigious herds of buffalo, hippo, and elephant.
But it's the walking safari that truly defines the South Luangwa experience. Following an armed guide through the mopane woodland at dawn, reading tracks in the dust, interpreting alarm calls, and encountering wildlife at eye level produces an understanding of the African bush that no amount of vehicle-based safari can replicate.
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