Luangwa Valley
Luangwa Valley
The Luangwa Valley, an extension of the expansive Great East African Rift Valley, serves as the treasure trove of Zambia. Within this region, there are striking seasonal variations, a dynamic river system, rich soils, and luxuriant vegetation, all of which contribute to a bountiful population of wildlife. This area is the primary habitat for a wide range of large game animals, including lions, leopards, elephants, and buffaloes. Furthermore, the Luangwa Valley boasts two unique subspecies: Thornicroft’s Giraffe and Cookson’s Wildebeest. Notably, a remarkable concentration of both hippos and crocodiles renders the Luangwa River one of the most densely populated wildlife areas in Africa.
Adding to the overall wildlife experience are smaller mammals and an impressive list of over 450 documented bird species. These elements reinforce the Luangwa Valley’s esteemed reputation as the epicenter of Zambia’s wildlife. The Luangwa Valley encompasses four National Parks: South Luangwa, North Luangwa, Luambe, and Lukusuzi. Remote Africa Safaris operates within both South and North Luangwa National Parks. South Luangwa National Park, situated in eastern Zambia, spans over 9,050 square kilometers.
On the other hand, North Luangwa National Park covers an area of 4,636 square kilometers in northern Zambia. It is located within the ecosystem of Africa’s Great Rift Valley, on the western banks of the Luangwa River. This park boasts a remarkable diversity of species, including being a key area for elephants in Zambia, hosting the world’s largest population of hippos, containing Zambia’s sole black rhino population, and featuring one of the highest densities of lions in the region. Additionally, the park and the adjacent Game Management Areas (GMA) collectively encompass an expansive area of approximately 22,000 square kilometers.
South Luangwa National Park
Very few places in Africa can offer the unique combination of South Luangwa National Park’s open, grassy plains and mature, mesmerizing woodlands, crowned with the pristine, impressive Luangwa River. This area’s reputation for abundant wildlife and unspoiled vegetation is well earned, so whether driving around or walking through, the intense beauty calls to you from every corner.
South Luangwa National Park is the highlight of eastern Zambia. Known to locals as simply ‘the South Park,’ it was initially founded as the Luangwa Game Park in 1904, and converted to one of three game reserves in 1938. The impressive park covers an area of about 9050 square kilometers of the Luangwa Valley floor, and lies anywhere from 500 meter to 800 meter above sea level. With its western and northwestern edge bounded by the Muchinga Escarpment, and the southern border lined with the meandering Luangwa River, there’s no shortage of dramatic and fascinating topography in this stunning game-rich park.
North Luangwa National Park
Found in the oldest section of Africa’s Great Rift Valley, North Luangwa National Park is the most northern of the three national parks found in the Luangwa Valley. The Luangwa River has shaped this unique landscape over millennia that many regard as “The Real Africa.”
Founded as a game reserve in 1938, this remote 4,636km² tract of land was re-gazetted to become a national park in 1972. The North Luangwa protected ecosystem has now grown to over 22,000km² of virtually untouched landscapes, with the National Park at its heart.
The ecosystem is home to a unique and diverse species community and is one of the last large undisturbed regions in central Africa. As the only in park Zambia boasting the Big 5, it offers one of the most spectacular settings for game viewing experiences in Zambia, if not the entire continent.
Luambe National Park
At just 254 km² / 158mi², Luambe is one of Zambia’s smallest national parks (the smallest in Lusaka National Park). Situated on the eastern bank of the Luangwa River, it lies in the heart of the Luangwa Valley between Lukusuzi, and North and South Luangwa National Parks. It was declared in 1938 and is one of the oldest conservation areas in Zambia.
The wildlife found in Luambe is similar to that of its larger neighbouring parks and includes all the typical large herbivores and carnivores as well as some less well-known species. However, the animals of Luambe are generally present at lower densities than in the bigger parks with the advantage that Luambe is less crowded than its more famous neighbours.
Habitat diversity is enormous and within short distances the vegetation ranges from riverine forest, cathedral mopane woodland and floodplain acacia thickets to the sausage tree-dotted open grasslands of the Chipuka Plains. There are over 200 species of bird in Luambe and elephant, lion and leopard populations are on the increase – so it’s well worth visiting now before everyone else catches on!
Shiwa Ngandu
Shiwa Ng’andu estate is without a doubt one of the most fascinating and unique destinations in Zambia.
Shiwa is located in the Northernmost part of Zambia amongst the rolling granite hills that form the tail end of the Great Rift Valley, an area of unsurpassed natural beauty, the “Real Africa”. At Shiwa an intricate and mesmerising African history, both Ancient and Colonial delights and intrugues both past and future guests to the estate. The estate combines this rich and varied history with a world class private game reserve that is home to over thirty species of wildlife and over two-hundred species of birds. The wildlife reserve covers an area of twenty-two thousand acres of breathtaking terrain and boasts a large natural lake at it’s center, one of the largest privately owned bodies of water in Africa.
The guest experience at Shiwa Ng’andu is truly unique. Guests enjoy complete access to the estate, from the extensive historical archives, the wildlife reserve and lake to the day to day workings of the estate farm. Relaxed morning drives, horseriding through the hills, fascinating historical tours and indescribeable afternoon sundowners looking across the lake, make the Shiwa Ng’andu Estate an unmissable destination when travelling to Zambia and earned it a prestigious nomination for the”Best Safari House” at the 2009 Good Safari Guide awards.
The relaxed atmosphere and truly warm Zambian hospitality of all at the Shiwa Ng’andu Estate ensures that every guest feels truly at home and very much a part of the estate’s incredible history and culture.
