Eastern Zambia

South Luangwa National Park

Where the walking safari was invented, and leopards are ordinary

South Luangwa sits in a wide valley cut by the Luangwa River, about nine thousand square kilometres of it, and it is the park that changed how people go on safari. Norman Carr began taking guests out on foot here in the 1950s, and the walking safari has been the Luangwa's signature ever since — no engine, an armed scout ahead, and a pace that lets you read tracks rather than drive past them.

It is also one of the most reliable places in Africa to see leopard. The valley is dense with them, and because night drives are allowed, you go out after dark with a spotlight and find the animals that spend the day asleep — leopard, civet, genet, honey badger, porcupine.

The river shapes everything. It shifts course constantly, leaving oxbow lagoons behind it, and those lagoons hold the hippo and draw the game in the dry months. Two subspecies live here and nowhere else: Thornicroft's giraffe and Crawshay's zebra.

Best time to visit South Luangwa National Park

June to October

The dry season empties the bush of cover and concentrates everything on the river and the lagoons. September and October are hot — properly hot — and the best game viewing of the year. From December to March the rains come, much of the park becomes impassable and many camps close; what is left is green, full of birds and newborn antelope, and very quiet.

Getting there

Mfuwe has an airport with scheduled flights from Lusaka, which is how most people arrive. By road it is around two hours from Chipata, and Chipata is half an hour from the Malawian border at Mchinji — which is why a Luangwa safari slots so neatly onto a Malawi trip.

Common questions

Is South Luangwa worth adding to a Malawi trip?
For most people, yes. It is the nearest world-class big-game park to Malawi and the border crossing at Mchinji is straightforward — you can be in the valley the day after you land in Lilongwe. Malawi has excellent parks of its own, but nothing with the Luangwa’s density of predators.
How many days do you need in South Luangwa?
Two full days is the sensible minimum, which gives you four game drives and a walking safari. Three is better, because the valley changes a lot between morning and evening and you stop feeling rushed.
Are walking safaris safe?
They are led by a licensed guide with an armed National Parks scout, in single file, and the whole point is to keep a respectful distance and read what the bush is telling you. It is a different activity from a game drive rather than a riskier version of one.
Do you need a Zambian visa?
Most nationalities do. It is normally issued on arrival at the border or the airport for around fifty US dollars, but rules change, so check with your nearest Zambian mission before you travel.

4 tours include South Luangwa National Park

All tours →