Around one and a half times the size of Delaware, South Luangwa is considered by many to be the crown jewel of Zambia’s national park system. It has a stellar reputation among seasoned safari enthusiasts as one of the most phenomenal game parks in all of sub-Saharan Africa, but is being challenged by Kafue and certainly Lower Zambezi National Parks these days. South Luangwa National Park is one of four national parks (as well as several game reserves) in the Luangwa Valley, the terminus of the Great Rift Valley that stretches from the Red Sea down through East Africa. (And in all fairness, the Great Rift Valley splits at the southern end, forming both the Luangwa Valley as well as Lake Malawi to the east.) Drinking Leopard, South Luangwa National Park (Jason Maynard)Sunset in South Luangwa National Park (Jason Maynard)
One of the reasons everyone in the safari business knows South Luangwa is Norman Carr, a conservationist who was instrumental in setting up Zambia’s national parks. He was a legendary game ranger and then a safari guide. He retired in South Luangwa and ran a safari camp, drawing attention and admiration to the area. Cookson's Wildebeest (an endemic species) in South Luangwa National Park (Jason Maynard)
South Luangwa National Park can be accessed easily via commercial aircraft into Mfuwe airport. Flight time from the capital Lusaka is just over an hour, but this is an international airport and you can fly in from Johannesburg, Addis Ababa, or Doha or Dubai (to name a few). The large park—which follows the Luangwa River and the valley formed from it—has many oxbow lagoons and smaller river tributaries which are great for game viewing. A very high percentage of camps in the park are located on the Luangwa River or along those tributaries or lagoons. The riverine ecosystem has large areas of flat grassland spread out from the rivers, making wildlife viewing exceptional. Big cape buffalo in South Luangwa National Park (Jason Maynard)
There are convenient lodges near the Mfuwe Gate, as well as luxury lodges still connected to the electrical grid if you push in a bit further. I was fortunate enough to stay at several lodges in various areas of the park. The further from the main gate we traveled, the better the game viewing in my experience. We saw leopard, hyena, and lion. But we also were able to spot some of the Luangwa Valley’s endemic subspecies: Cookson’s wildebeest and Thornicroft’s giraffe, as well as Crayshaw’s Zebra (which has expanded beyond the valley and as such, can no longer be considered endemic). Crayshaw's Zebra in South Luangwa National Park (Jason Maynard)Hyena stretching after a nap in the Luangwa Valley (Jason Maynard)
You can take walking safaris in the park, go on night drives with a spotlight, local village visits, and boating safaris along the river. On one of our night drives, we spotted a leopard who had already killed its dinner, and lay contentedly eating while we snapped photos with the spotlight on the big cat. The leopard had eaten so much of the ungulate that our guide could not identify the species. Leopard enjoying dinner during a spotlight game drive in South Luangwa National Park (Jason Maynard)
I thoroughly enjoyed the various endemic species, the great night drives, and the beautiful scenery all throughout the park. I did not get a chance to do a mobile walking safari, where you hike through the bush from one camp to another going deeper and deeper into the park. South Luangwa is one of the few places where you can do a mobile walking safari, so hiking and wildlife enthusiasts should check it out!
It is time to get to Zambia!
Yawning Lioness (South Luangwa National Park) (Jason Maynard)
Excellent travel advice and service
This is my second experience working with Adventure Life. I’m sold. Jess Heuermann is an experienced traveler and provides a lot of useful information when planning a trip. These are the questions I like to ask at the outset - What’s it like to go here, there, what would you suggest, what do people report, can we add any additional side trips? Jess took the time to answer my questions and seek additional information to share with me. Petchie Colina is outstanding in helping with travel logistics and final preparations. Adventure Life has excellent guides and offers private guides and small group adventures. We enjoyed the opportunity to talk with the guides and drivers to learn more about their countries, cultures and histories. A highlight was having the guides pick local restaurants where we could share meals together. Highly recommend.
Claire Cordon
5 days ago
Our six-day tour in Iceland went smoothly with one exception. We had asked for two rooms each night. Somehow we were booked with one room with three beds. It could not be fixed at the first hotel in Reykjavik because the hotel was fully booked. Once informed of the problem, however, Adventure Life rebooked for two rooms for the remainder of the trip. As an 85-year-old traveler, I appreciated that one could participate at different physical levels at many of the stops. Iceland is a great place to visit but on the expensive side.
Mary Warren
6 days ago
Jess was very easy going and answered all our questions. It’s not easy dealing with 6 people at once but she did an outstanding job!
Diane Foster
1 week ago
Kassandra and the Adventure Life team have been incredible! Kassandra was very knowledgeable and attentive to our asks while making sure we kept within our budget. This was our first experience with a travel agent and we were blown away by the booking/initial exploration service. We will use Adventure Life again.