Habitat

South Luangwa’s vegetation is characterized by the ever-present miombo forests, interspersed with open dambos and mopane forests. There are a few large open pains most notably the large Mutanda plains in the heart of the Nsefu Sector up North. The most interesting habitat of the Luangwa valley is without a doubt the lush riverine vegetation along the Luangwa River with its distinctive ox-bows.

Amongst the most impressive tree species you will find the giant mahoganzy trees, sausage trees, knobthorns and African ebony trees

Sightings

South Luangwa is sometimes dubbed the valley of the Leopards and your chances of seeing this beautiful predator are therefore particularly high. The density of game ensures that your wildlife experience here will be second to none and you can certainly tick off a majority of the big game here

The night drives that are offered by all camps, open up a whole new world under the glare of the spotlight. You will have a good chance to spot shy nocturnal species such as civet, serval and porcupine.

Birding with over 400 species is amongst the best in Zambia. Some local specialities include Pels fishing owl, huge colonies of the migrant carmine bee-eaters and Lillian’s lovebird and huge breeding colonies of yellow billed storks.

Seasons

Some areas of South Luangwa National park are accessible all year round and the green season can be very rewarding for keen birders and photographers. For general game viewing we recommend to visit this park in the drier winter months of the year from May to end of October.
Game Management Area South Luangwa National park

This camp/ lodge is situated in the Game Management Area of South Luangwa.
Zambia has zoned land areas around most of its National Parks which are known as Game Management Areas They act as buffer zones to the National Parks, allowing for free movement of animals between the Parks and GMAs. This ensures that the wildlife in the GMAs is constantly replenished from the populations in the National Parks and in some cases vice-versa.

While the game density may not be as high as in the actual park itself one can still experience plenty of game that wonders in and out of the park boundaries.

In general the more affordable properties are located here. Most of the camps and lodges located in the Game Management Area conduct their game viewing within the park borders