Zambia’s South Luangwa National Park: the birthplace of the walking safari

Nestled in the Luangwa Valley at the tail end of the Great Rift Valley and fed by the Luangwa River, South Luangwa National Park has been dubbed one of the finest wildlife sanctuaries in the world. Home to over 50 animal species (many of which are rarely seen in other game reserves) as well as 400+ bird species, the park’s almost 3,500 square miles of pristine wilderness is where the walking safari first originated.

Get up-close with elephant, buffalo, zebra, baboons and giraffe (including the Thornicroft's giraffe, indigenous to the park) on early morning walks led by expert guides. Spot lion, hyena, waterbuck, impala, kudu, puku, bushbuck and Cookson’s wildebeest, a sub-species unique to the Valley. Feel the earth tremble beneath your feet as a herd of giraffe gallops past and watch as a pod of hippos surfaces, looks you in the eye and disappears beneath the water’s surface. Marvel at a hordes of crocodiles sunbathing along the muddy banks of the Luangwa River and when the sun falls, keep an eye out for leopard, lion, bushbabies and honey badgers on a night drive.

Known as one of the “last hidden jewels of Africa,” Zambia’s Luangwa Valley is a paradise begging to be explored. Relax your mind, energize your body and ignite the adventurer within as we explore the birthplace of the walking safari, South Luangwa National Park.

Did You Know…

The concentration of game around the Luangwa River and its ox bow lagoons is among the most intense in Africa.
The changing seasons add to South Luangwa National Park’s richness, ranging from dry, bare, bush in the winter to a lush, green wonderland in the summer months.
South Luangwa is home to over 400 different bird species including forty raptors. It’s an ornithological paradise!
Once known as "The Crowded Place" and "The Kingdom of the Elephant," the Luangwa Valley boasted 100,000 behemoths. The elephants loved the tracts of mopane woods that dotted the landscape. Despite losses to poaching during the 1980's, 15,000 elephants still roam the area, making the park a prime destination for viewing the beasts.
There are estimated to be over 30 hippos per mile of the Luangwa River!

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