North Luangwa National Park

Wildlife & Animals

Expert

By Alan Murphy

Alan has authored the Lonely Planet guide to Zambia.

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.

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.