​Wildlife & Animals – North Luangwa NP

Philip Briggs
Expert
By Philip Briggs

Philip has travelled through Zambia several times and is the author of more than 20 guidebooks to various African destinations.

Philip is the Zambia expert for SafariBookings and author of more than 20 guidebooks to Africa.

Philip is our Zambia expert and author of more than 20 guidebooks to Africa.

North Luangwa has mostly the same habitat and animal populations as its more popular sister park, South Luangwa. There are, however, a few differences. There is no giraffe in the north, but there is more eland, which can often be seen in big herds. Elephant and buffalo are very common. Leopard and lion are around, but they are quite shy.

Abundant
Common
Occasional
Rare
None
ElephantCommon
GiraffeNone
HippoCommon
BuffaloAbundant
ZebraCommon
WildebeestCommon
White RhinoNone
Black RhinoOccasional
LionOccasional
LeopardOccasional
CheetahRare
HyenaCommon
Wild DogRare

Wildlife Highlights

North Luangwa is home to Zambia’s only black rhinos. The re-introduction program has been hugely successful and the population is growing steadily. Crawshay's zebra, an endemic sub-species, is common. The rare Cookson's wildebeest and Lichtenstein's hartebeest are quite easily spotted as well.

Best Time for Wildlife Viewing

The last half of the Dry season, from July to October, is the best time for wildlife viewing in the park. Animals congregate around the waterways, and vegetation is thinner, which makes spotting easier. North Luangwa only operates fully from June to October, with lodges closing the rest of the year.

Wildlife Rating

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