South
Luangwa, one of the finest game sanctuaries in Africa, hosts a wide variety of wildlife, birds and vegetation. The changing seasons add to
the Park’s richness ranging from dry, bare bushveld in the winter to a
lush green wonderland in the summer months. There
are 60 different animal species and over 400 different bird
species.
The rivers are bursting
with hippos, crowned cranes, grazing antelope
and scurrying baboons.
Further out on the plains you’re bound to see the large elephant herds, reaching up to 70 in number.
Buffalo are abundant and spread throughout the
valley.
Zebra can be seen running in small herds. Thornicroft’s
Giraffe,
unique to Luangwa Valley should be easily spotted. The park has 14 different
antelope species, and several predators including
leopard, lion, cheetah and a number of smaller
carnivores, most of which are easily seen on
day or night game drives or walks.
Much wilder
and more remote, the North Park in the Valley is
untouched wilderness and you are unlikely to see any
other visitors.
The crystal clear
Mwaleshi river trickles down the escarpment in a
series of small waterfalls. It recedes in the dry
season, leaving many pools along the way, drawing
the animals from the bush to its banks in search of
water. No game drives are permitted in the Mwaleshi
area, access is by organised walking safaris only.
