South Luangwa

National Park

The South Luangwa National park in Zambia is the must visit park when you travel to Zambia. In our humble opinion it is the most beautiful park in Zambia and perhaps in all of southern Africa. South Luangwa is in the east of Zambia about 700 km from the capital Lusaka.

South Luangwa is bordered on the east side by the Luangwa River and on the west side by the escarpment (mountainous area) which forces the animals that live there to stay in that area in a natural way.

The South Luangwa NP has a huge wildlife population with the highest leopard density of any park in Africa. The chance that you will not encounter a leopard is therefore very small. In addition, you can encounter the following animals in the park: lions, buffaloes, hyena, elephants, hippos, zebra, kudu, puku, impala, jackal and many hundreds of species of birds, each more colorful than the other.

South Luangwa can be reached by car via 2 entrances. Via the difficult escarpment route in the west and via the usually chosen route over the Luangwa River from Mfuwe. From Lusaka it is a long drive that takes about 10 hours. We therefore always advise to spend the night somewhere halfway.

South Luangwa is ideal for looking for wildlife with your own 4×4. The paths have a gravel or hard-sand surface which makes it easy to drive around yourself.

There are a few high-end lodges in the park, but the majority of travelers stay just outside the park in or around Mfuwe. There are several campsites, all located on the Luangwa River, as well as some very affordable lodges.

You pay the entrance fee to the park just before crossing the river In Mfuwe at the park office. The cost for international customers with own transportation is $30 per day per person and $15 per car per day.