North Luangwa National Park

Comprising part of the same Rift Valley system and sharing similar vegetation and landscapes to South Luangwa, North Luangwa is a wonderfully wild area where the main focus is on bush walking (game drives are limited on just a few bush tracks). The clear, shallow Mwaleshi River flows permanently through the park, even at the height of the dry season, and can be easily crossed on foot.

North Luangwa National Park measures just over 4600 sq. km and has traditionally been much less visited than its southern counterpart. Private walking safaris started to be operated here in the mid-1980’s and the American zoologists, Mark & Delia Owens, brought the area to wider attention with the publication of their book Survivor’s Song.

The native game species to be found in the park are almost identical to those in South Luangwa with very similar ecosystems. However there are some notable differences: as well as a number of East African bird species found in North Luangwa which are not found in South Luangwa, the Cookson’s wildebeest is much more prolific here and both eland and hartebeest also tend to be more commonly seen. The buffalo herds reach huge numbers and lion and hyena are the major predators.