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Write a User ReviewSecret retreat in the Luangwa Valley
For many years, Luambe suffered from far higher rates of poaching than other parts of the Luangwa Valley, and wildlife tended to be sparse and skittish. In recent years, however, following the opening of an exclusive tented camp on the riverbank within the park, wildlife volumes have increased greatly.
When we drove through the park in October 2021, we had a close-up encounter with Thornicroft´s giraffe, a Luangwa Valley endemic that had been poached out entirely a few years back. Other wildlife we saw included puku, impala, warthog, hippo, zebra and elephant. We didn't see any large carnivores, but the guides at the tented camp are
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skilled trackers, and most guests will see lion, leopard and various small nocturnal predators.Overall, Luambe is a great option for those who want to experience the Luangwa Valley, but hope to avoid the tourist volumes associated with South Luangwa, but also prefer not to do a walking safari in North Luangwa.
Hidden wilderness on the famous Luangwa
This scrap of a park on the Luangwa River between South and North Luangwa National Parks is very little known, even compared to North Luangwa. There’s just one small and appealingly simple dry-season lodge and campsite. You and your fellow guests will therefore have an entire park (albeit a small one) to yourselves. Set up by a German conservation foundation, the lodge is an excellent choice for anyone interested in grassroots wildlife conservation and in meeting members of the local rural community.
Poaching has been a significant problem in Luambe in the past and the wildlife-watching experience is definitely coloured by this, although with luck you may see leopards. However, in recent years a game scout recruitment and training programme has begun to pay dividends.
The heart of the Luangwa Valley, away from the crowds
Luambe is one of Zambia’s smaller national parks. It is located in the wildlife-rich Luangwa Valley sandwiched between the better-known South and North Luangwa National Parks. Poaching has been a problem here and wildlife viewing isn’t really on a par with South Luangwa – Zambia’s most popular park. It does however give an opportunity to see the Luangwa Valley away from the crowds. A single camp on the bank of the Luangwa River, consisting of only four safari tents, services the whole park. You won’t see any other vehicles on a game drive. I wished we could have stayed here, but it had just closed for the season when we visited. We were self-driving from South to North Luangwa – quite a popular but adventurous route taking us through Luambe. We saw the endemic Thornicroft’s giraffe, elephant and a variety of antelope. There were lots of hippos in the river and I got quite excited when we spotted lion tracks on the road. Enough to whet my appetite to stay here a couple of nights another time.