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South Luangwa Safari - Compare 62 Tours

4.6/5  –  74 South Luangwa Safari Reviews

South Luangwa National Park is Zambia’s most popular – and arguably best – all-round safari destination. Extending across 9,050km²/3,494mi², it is named after the Luangwa River, a wildlife-rich tributary of the Zambezi River that forms its most prominent geographic feature. It is widely regarded to be the home of the walking safari, a thrilling activity that was pioneered here in the 1950s and remains one of the park’s most popular attractions. Home to four of the Big Five (only rhino are missing), South Luangwa is also renowned for its productive night safaris, incredible concentrations of hippo, and the presence of many large mammal subspecies unique to the Luangwa Valley.

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7 Questions About South Luangwa Tours

1. What wildlife can I see in South Luangwa NP?
2. Is it safe to do a walking safari in South Luangwa NP?
3. Can I join a night drive on a South Luangwa safari?
4. How does South Luangwa NP compare to North Luangwa National Park?
5. How close to Victoria Falls is South Luangwa NP?
6. What is the best way to reach South Luangwa NP?
7. What is the best time of year to visit South Luangwa NP?
 
 

7 Questions About South Luangwa Tours

Answered by Philip Briggs

What wildlife can I see in South Luangwa NP?

“Most of Africa’s more iconic safari favorites are present in South Luangwa and likely to be seen by visitors. Large herds of elephant and buffalo are a feature of the park, as are the pods of 100 or more hippo that gather in the pools along the river toward the end of the Dry season. When it comes to large carnivores, you’d be very unlucky to spend a significant period in South Luangwa and not enjoy close-up sightings of lion and leopard, and it is also quite reliable for the Endangered African wild dog. Other common wildlife includes warthog, impala, puku, waterbuck and bushbuck, along with a trio of large mammal subspecies – Thornicroft’s giraffe, Crawshay’s zebra and Cookson’s wildebeest – whose main range is focused on the Luangwa Valley. Highlights of a bird checklist comprising more than 400 species include African skimmer, grey crowned crane, southern carmine bee-eater, Lilian’s lovebird and black-throated wattle-eye.”

1

Is it safe to do a walking safari in South Luangwa NP?

“Yes, it is safe to do a guided walking safari in South Luangwa. It is also a genuinely thrilling experience to track elephants, lions and other such animals on foot, and in our view it would be a shame to visit this park and miss out on this opportunity. The standard of guiding in South Luangwa is among the highest anywhere in Africa, so you can be confident you’ll be in the hands of a well-trained and experienced professional. That said, there is obviously an inherent element of danger attached to walking in Big Five (lion, leopard, elephant, buffalo and rhino) territory, so it is vital you listen closely to what your guide says and obey instructions at all times.”

2

Can I join a night drive on a South Luangwa safari?

“You can and you most certainly should. Few safari destinations anywhere in Africa compare to South Luangwa when it comes to night drives, which are offered by almost all camps and lodges inside the park, as well as a few operators based just outside it. For most visitors, the biggest selling point of a night drive in South Luangwa is the likelihood of seeing its famously relaxed leopards in action. But night drives also tend to be very rewarding for other nocturnal creatures, from porcupines and bush babies to genets and white-tailed mongooses.”

3

How does South Luangwa NP compare to North Luangwa National Park?

“Ecologically, North Luangwa, as its name suggests, is essentially a northern extension of South Luangwa. Both national parks are bounded and/or bisected by the Luangwa River, and protect a similar fauna and flora to each other. In terms of large mammals, there are two main differences between north and south. North Luangwa now protects an introduced population of black rhino, making it the only true Big Five park in Zambia. But South Luangwa generally supports higher wildlife densities than its northern counterpart, making it better suited for first-time safari-goers. When it comes to tourist development, South Luangwa is serviced by a huge variety of lodges and camps catering to most budgets, whereas options in North Luangwa are limited to a few exclusive camps dedicated largely to walking safaris. South Luangwa is also more accessible than North Luangwa by road or scheduled flight. Overall, this means that a South Luangwa safari is better suited to budget and mid-range visitors, or to those who don’t want to focus on wildlife viewing on foot, whereas North Luangwa specializes in exclusive walking safaris.”

4

How close to Victoria Falls is South Luangwa NP?

“South Luangwa National Park and Victoria Falls rank as Zambia’s two most popular tourist attractions. Both lie on the greater Zambezi riverine system, but they are not exactly next-door neighbors. On the contrary, the shortest road route between Victoria Falls and Mfuwe (the main gateway to South Luangwa) is 1,150km/715mi long, and requires at least 16 hours to drive non-stop. For this reason, almost everyone who includes Victoria Falls and South Luangwa on the same tour package travels between them by air.”

5

What is the best way to reach South Luangwa NP?

“South Luangwa NP is most easily reached by air. Plenty of scheduled light aircraft flights connect Lusaka’s Kenneth Kaunda International Airport (LUN) to Mfuwe Airport (MFU), which lies about 25km/16mi from the main entrance gate to South Luangwa. There are also flight connections to several other popular destinations in Zambia, including Harry Mwaanga Nkumbula International Airport (LVI), which stands on the outskirts of Livingstone some 16km/10mi from Victoria Falls. Although South Luangwa is somewhat remote from other major attractions in Zambia, it is possible to drive there via the gateway town of Mfuwe, which lies just outside the main park entrance gate. Coming from Lusaka, the only fully surfaced route to South Luangwa entails following the T4 east to Chipata, then branching northwest onto the D104 to Mfuwe. This route is around 700km/435mi in total, and takes about 10 hours to drive, so you might want to think about breaking it up at Petauke or Chipata.”

6

What is the best time of year to visit South Luangwa NP?

“The best time to holiday in South Luangwa is in the Dry season (May to October), which includes the southern hemisphere winter months. Advantages of traveling at this time include lower temperatures and humidity, greatly reduced mosquito activity (which also lowers the malaria risk) and the unlikeliness of any activities being spoiled by rain. The Dry season is also the best time for wildlife viewing in South Luangwa, particularly from July to October, when animals concentrate closer to the river and the thinned-out vegetation improves visibility. Visiting South Luangwa in the rainy season can be problematic, as some internal roads become impassable and many lodges close between December and March. That said, it is a fantastic time for bird-watching, as large numbers of migrants descend on the park and can be seen from boat trips on the river.”

7

South Luangwa Safari Reviews

4.6/5 74 Reviews
Expert
Mike Unwin  –  
United Kingdom UK

Mike is an award-winning wildlife writer, former editor of Travel Zambia magazine and author of the Bradt Guide to Southern African Wildlife.

Valley of Adventure
5/5

My last visit to South Luangwa was during the height of the January rainy season – marketed as the ‘emerald season’ – and far removed from a standard safari experience, with heavy rain and widespread flooding severely limiting our...

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Expert
Emma Gregg  –  
United Kingdom UK

Emma is an award-winning travel writer for Rough Guides, National Geographic Traveller, Travel Africa magazine and The Independent.

Possibly Africa’s finest walking safari destination
5/5

Intense, absorbing wildlife encounters are pretty much guaranteed at South Luangwa during the dry season, when elephants, antelopes, gazelles and giraffes converge on the Luangwa River. When I visited, we saw leopards, mating lions, wild...

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Graeme  –  
United Kingdom UK
Reviewed: Jul 29, 2019
5/5

Game density and diversity are both excellent in the park, with four of the Big Five present as well as hippos, giraffes, greater kudu, spotted hyenas and many other incredible species. The park's vistas over the river are beautiful,...

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Guillaume d'Autichamp  –  
France FR
Reviewed: Oct 31, 2018
5/5

South Luangwa is Zambia's flaghsip park for so many good reasons : Wildlife is extremely abundant and leopard sighting is probably the best in africa (not to mention the hippo density which at 25000 is the highest in the world) We...

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Riccardo  –  
Italy IT
Reviewed: Oct 30, 2018
A park to visit at least once in life!
5/5

South Luangwa National Park, located in eastern Zambia at only one hour driving from Chipata, has been my first safari ever. My expectations were very high and I can now say that the experience has absolutely reached them! The two guides,...

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Greg Sensei  –  
Canada CA
Reviewed: Aug 3, 2018
Wildlife immersion in its truest sense.
4/5

We stayed at the Kaingo lodge (www.kaingo.com) for a few nights. While it was expensive and hard to access, it was a safari in its purest sense. We saw lots of wildlife, including many lions and our first leopards on our time in southern...

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All 74 South Luangwa Safari Reviews