Liuwa Plain National Park is situated in the far west of Zambia, on the upper Zambezi floodplains. Bordered by the Luanginga and Luambimba Rivers, and covering an area of 3,660 square kilometres, it is one of Africa’s oldest and remotest national parks, yet also one of the most rewarding to visit.
The golden grasses of the Liuwa Plain provide sustenance for huge herds of grazers, including blue wildebeest, zebra, tsessebe, buffalo, roan antelope, reedbuck, Lichtenstein’s hartebeest and the graceful oribi. Predators include hyena (the apex predator in Liuwa), wild dog, lion, leopard and cheetah.
The birding is also phenomenal in Liuwa and as yet not fully recorded. Waders are especially abundant. These include large populations of the endangered wattled and grey-crowned cranes, Marabou stork and pelican. The plains are home to secretary birds and bustards. Migrants are numerous, especially in late November/December.
Like the great East African safari parks, the Serengeti and Masai Mara, Liuwa experiences dramatic seasonal variations. The best time to visit is towards the end of the year (Oct-Dec). During November, the park hosts the second largest wildebeest migration in Africa (only the Serengeti migration is larger). Then, as the pans begin to flood in late December/January, the park becomes largely inaccessible and its sole camp (see below) closes until April when the waters have receded, leaving just a few waterholes.
There has been something of a revival of interest in Liuwa Plain in recent years, prompted by a number of successful wildlife reintroduction programmes which follow years of decline due to poaching and neglect. While there is currently only one permanent camp - the upmarket King Lewanika - mobile safaris are a possibility.
In and around Liuwa National Park, Zambia
Liuwa Plain is among Africa’s most remote and least visited National Parks. As a result, safaris here are costly but also highly rewarding - an opportunity to escape the crowds and experience Africa at its most wild.
Liuwa is accessible by light aircraft during the months of April-June and October-December. Road access is possible, but challenging. There is just one permanent camp accommodating travellers to Liuwa (the 6-tent King Lewanika), and another more basic bush camp (Matamanene Camp), which has in the past hosted safari-goers but which now functions as a researchers' camp.
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