The Luangwa Valley

The Luangwa Valley

Pulsing through a broad rift valley on its journey south towards the Zambezi, the Luangwa River threads a vibrant lifeline between four of Zambia’s wildest and most remote national parks. The undisputed jewel in this chain is South Luangwa National Park. Long renowned as the place in Africa for walking safaris, its lavish spread of dappled woodlands, lazy river channels and lily-covered lagoons has abundant wildlife and is perfect for exploring on foot. On a walking safari your senses are fine-tuned to every crackle of leaf, whiff of dung or the slightest movement. Anticipation floods your body with adrenaline and you feel a primitive, instinctive bond with your surroundings. But what truly sets South Luangwa apart from walking safaris in other parts of Africa is the expertise of the guides. Every few minutes they will pause to reveal a nugget of bush-lore or identify one of South Luangwa’s 400-odd bird species. There are several, mainly up-market, camps and lodges in South Luangwa National Park – all offering traditional game drives (by day and night) in addition to walking safaris. Your chances of spotting leopard are excellent. There are also over 15,000 elephant and a similar number of hippo. Unique to the region are Thornicroft’s giraffe and Cookson’s wildebeest. North Luangwa National Park has fewer facilities and mainly caters for off-the-beaten-track walking safaris. 

South Luangwa National Park

Bordered by the Muchinga Escarpment to the west and the Luangwa River to the east, South Luangwa National Park covers an area of 9050km2 (3493 sq miles). It comprises a rich mosaic of habitats – from dense mopane forest and riverside woodland to open grassland plains and sheltered pools. Thriving on the mineral-rich soils deposited by the Luangwa River and its tributaries, the park contains some fine mahogany, ebony, marula and tamarind trees. Also widespread is the sausage tree – so called for the enormous pendulous fruits that hang from its branches. It is the sheer density of wildlife, however, that elevates South Luangwa into the ranks of Africa’s great game areas such as the Serengeti, Okavango, Etosha and Kruger. Once known as ‘The Crowded Place’, its elephant population used to exceed 100,000 before the poaching scourge of the 1980s. Nevertheless, over 15,000 of these magnificent creatures still roam the park, along with most of the large mammals you would expect to find in a thriving African reserve. In fact, only the rhinoceros, which sadly succumbed to the poachers, will elude visitors.

History
Many years before South Luangwa was declared a national park in February 1972, the region was well known to European explorers, hunters, traders and missionaries. In 1866, Livingstone crossed the Luangwa River just to the south of the present-day Chibembe camp. However, it was during the mid-1900s that another visionary man, Norman Carr, came to influence the development of South Luangwa National Park. Originally appointed as a game ranger for a fledgling trio of game reserves established during 1938, Carr worked with the local Senior Chief Nsefu to extend reserve boundaries and to ensure that villagers received income from the region’s first safari camps. In addition to tirelessly promoting conservation issues, he went on to pioneer the concept of walking safaris and, in 1986, he built Kapani Lodge. It was his home until his death a decade later.

Wildlife
Benefiting from a huge area, diverse habitats and deeprooted conservation, South Luangwa National Park supports abundant and varied wildlife. At one end of the scale are large herds of elephant and buffalo, hippos that virtually clog the rivers, and prolific big cats. At the other end of the scale are dung beetles, termites, antlions, frogs and a myriad other mini-beasts. In South Luangwa, courtesy of its well-practised combination of vehicle and walking safaris, you will encounter both extremes – the typical safari ‘megafauna’ as well as the subtle details at your feet. Since much of the accommodation in the park is located near a river, the first animal you are likely to become familiar with is the hippopotamus. Emerging at dusk to graze on land, hippos spend much of the day lounging about in rivers with just their eyes, nostrils and ears visible. While submerged, shoals of personal aquatic hygienists (in the form of hungry fish) pick off parasites and dead skin from the hippos’ hides. Above water, oxpecker birds perform a similar service to ears and nostrils – presumably a ticklish experience judging by the extraordinary grunting outbursts of ‘laughter’ frequently heard in the vicinity of a hippo pod! The best time to observe hippopotamus is during the dry season when shrinking watercourses concentrate them into dense congregations. Other common animals found in South Luangwa are the antelopes. Fourteen species occur here, the most widespread being puku and impala. Search for kudu and bushbuck in more densely vegetated areas and waterbuck (both defassa and common varieties) near lagoons and rivers. Sable and roan antelopes are mainly encountered in the hilly region bordering the escarpment, while eland tend to favour the Nsefu Sector of the park. Common duiker, reedbuck, grysbok and oribi are also present, but their shy and retiring nature makes them difficult to spot. Part of the thinking behind declaring South Luangwa a national park was to protect its two endemic species – animals only found within the valley. Thornicroft’s giraffe, a rare subspecies, is distinguished from the more widespread southern giraffe by its darker body patches. Cookson’s wildebeest, South Luangwa’s other ‘speciality’, is a subspecies of the blue wildebeest and possesses a greyish-red coat. With no shortage of potential prey, large predators such as lions, leopards and hyenas do well in the Luangwa Valley. In fact, South Luangwa National Park’s leopard population is thought to be one of the densest on the continent, with one animal per 2.5km2 (1 sq mile). Game drives by night are deservedly popular in the park, providing thrilling spotlit opportunities for watching these impressive nocturnal felines stalking puku fawns – one of their favourite food items. Among the host of other creatures active at night are some wonderful birds, including the giant eagle owl and pennant-winged nightjar. During the day, other avian highlights include several varieties of water bird. Yellowbilled storks wade the shallows, kicking up the mud with their feet to reveal hidden morsels of food. Another longlegged species, the crowned crane, gathers in large flocks on the salt pans. During September and October, watch out for the lavishly coloured carmine bee-eater which nests in river banks. Around this time, you can’t miss the vast, pulsing clouds of red-billed quelea streaming back and forth to drink at the river’s edge. Remember to look twice at a tree covered with exceptionally green leaves – they could be Lillian’s lovebirds!

Mfuwe
Located a short distance east of the national park, Mfuwe International Airport is the rather grandiose title for what amounts to a small terminal building and a scattering of light aircraft used by local pilots to probe even more far-flung airstrips inside the park and beyond. Nevertheless, with regular flights to and from Lusaka, this is where most South Luangwa safaris begin and end. If you find yourself waiting for a flight or transfer into the park, relax with a drink at the nearby Moondog Café or browse the locally produced handicrafts at Magenge Crafts.

North Luangwa National Park

With an area of 4636km2 (1789 sq miles) North Luangwa National Park is half the size of its southern partner. Sandwiched between the Luangwa River and Muchinga Escarpment, it shares many of the plants and animals you would expect to find in South Luangwa. But there the similarities end. North Luangwa National Park is almost pure wilderness. There are no permanent lodges. Only a few safari operators are granted concessions in the area, using small bush camps from which to operate walking safaris and limited game drives. Poaching was rife in North Luangwa during the early 1980s, but it has now been largely quashed – thanks, in part, to American scientists Mark and Delia Owens who described their anti-poaching efforts in the best-seller, Survivor’s Song. The park now supports large herds of buffalo and a good population of lion. Elephant and leopard can also be seen, along with Cookson’s wildebeest, eland, hartebeest and reedbuck. A black rhino reintroduction scheme was successfully initiated in 2003.

Walking Safaris

Just as Lower Zambezi National Park is renowned for its canoeing, no visit to the Luangwa Valley would be complete without at least sampling a walking safari. There are three ways of doing this. If a sample is, indeed, all you are after, then most if not all of the camps and lodges can arrange short walking excursions. A few have gone a step further by creating multiple-day walking trails, sleeping overnight in rustic, but fully serviced bush camps. A third alternative is the so-called mobile safari in which all camping gear is transferred by a support vehicle to each night’s stop.

Safety
One of the first things people want to know before embarking on a walking safari is, ‘Are there any lions around?’ The answer is invariably ‘yes – plenty of them.’ But before you tear off your walking shoes and sprint for the nearest Land Rover, remember that wild animals are usually extremely wary of humans on foot. All walking safaris are led by an armed scout. Before setting off you will be briefed on safety – never wander off on your own or walk in front of your scout and, in the unlikely event of being charged, don’t run but follow your guide’s instructions.

Stepping Out
A walking safari provides a complete workout for the senses. Threading single-file through the bush – like hominids from a distant past – you will have the opportunity to discover the sights, sounds, smells and even tastes of the African wilderness. Each dawn, faithfully printed on game trails and sandy clearings, there is a fresh edition of the so-called ‘Bushman’s newspaper’ – the tracks and signs left by animals the previous night. Your guide will be able to interpret everything, from the subtly wrinkled oval craters stamped in the ground by a bull elephant to the gashes and scuffs from a zebra’s flaying hooves as it took a dust bath. Be prepared for the fact that your guide will be fascinated by animal droppings! No offering will be passed by without a detailed inspection. Dung can reveal a great deal about the wildlife in the area, including what species it came from and how recently. Clues to diet can also be teased out. A leopard scat may contain the undigested remains of fur, while hyena droppings are often dry and chalky – a result of the scavenger’s habit of crunching up bones. A walking safari is not a mad chase to tick off the big five. It’s all about walking slowly, pausing often to marvel at small wonders – the egg cocoon of a praying mantis which the female fashions from her spit; a shed cobra skin turned inside out; the wandering tunnels of sand that termites build to protect themselves from predators and sunburn. Many of the plants you will encounter are deep-rooted in ancient bush medicine. A salve from the sausage tree treats eczema; bush lavender tea clears nasal congestion, while the tart fruit of the tamarind tree is a powerful laxative. Don’t become frustrated if the only wildlife you spot during an hour’s walk is the retreating posterior of a startled warthog. During your walking safari you may, of course, be extremely lucky and get a close-up view of elephants from the cover of a termite mound – but treat this as a bonus.

River Safaris
Walking safaris are strictly a dry season proposition. Apart from a few lodges in the Mfuwe area, most accommodation is seasonal. However, between February and April, river safaris operate in the park. With the Luangwa River in full flood, flowing at up to 8km/h (5mph) and 5m (16ft) higher than October dry season levels, these exciting trips offer a completely different perspective of the national park. They are particularly recommended for bird watchers who will be riveted by the large nesting colonies of herons and yellowbilled storks. As an intrepid additional option, a microlight is sometimes available for breathtaking aerial ‘green season’ views of the Luangwa Valley.