South Luangwa National Park (Mfuwe)
Birthplace of the walking safari, with exceptional leopard densities along the Luangwa River, night drives and Thornicroft's giraffe.
South Luangwa National Park lies in the Luangwa Valley in Zambia's Eastern Province, a southern extension of the Great Rift Valley. Covering about 9,050 sq km, it is widely regarded as one of Africa's finest safari parks and is the birthplace of the walking safari. The gateway town of Mfuwe has an airport about an hour's domestic flight from Lusaka, and it can also be reached overland from Lilongwe or Chipata. Visitors mostly stay in lodges or camps on the east bank of the Luangwa River near the Mfuwe Gate, with rates usually including three meals and two game activities a day. Leopard densities here are exceptionally high, and with night drives permitted, your chances of seeing one rank among the best in Africa; the river holds staggering numbers of hippos, and there are also lions, wild dogs, buffalo and elephants, as well as the endemic Thornicroft's giraffe and Cookson's wildebeest. The best time is the Jun–Oct dry season, when vegetation thins and animals gather by the river; Sep–Oct is the hottest (up to 40°C). The Nov–Mar rainy season, known as the 'Emerald Season', brings lower prices and plenty of birds, but many camps close. Allow 3–5 nights, and consider adding walking in North Luangwa or the Nsefu sector. Note: antimalarials are needed and yellow fever vaccination depends on your itinerary; walking safaris must be accompanied by an armed ranger, and you should not walk around camp alone at night.
Top sights
- South Luangwa National Park (Mfuwe Sector) – Zambia's most celebrated national park, with an exceptionally high leopard density. Daytime game drives reveal elephant herds and hippos, w…
- Luangwa River – One of the last large undammed rivers in Africa, its sandbanks crowded with hippos and crocodiles, and the lifeblood of South Luangwa safar…
- Mfuwe Gate & Luangwa Bridge – The main year-round entrance to South Luangwa National Park, where a bridge over the Luangwa River links Mfuwe town with the park and hippo…
- Mfuwe Lagoon & Mfuwe Lodge – An oxbow lake inside the park, crowded with hippos, crocodiles and waterbirds, and famous for the Mfuwe Lodge, where elephants walk through…
- Tribal Textiles – A hand-painted textile workshop beside the Mfuwe Airport road, where local artists make African animal-motif fabrics using batik and hand-p…
- Kawaza Village – A village tourism project run by the Kunda community, where you can visit traditional homes, the school and the market, or stay overnight t…
- Nsefu Sector – A separate sector in the northeast of the park, originally a community-run reserve founded by a local chief, the first of its kind in Zambi…
- Chichele Presidential Lodge – A former presidential safari retreat on a hill in the south of the park, overlooking the vast Luangwa plains and surrounded by a well-known…
- North Luangwa National Park – One of Zambia’s most wild national parks, open only to a few walking camps, and a prime destination for pure walking safaris, where black r…
Where to eat
- Project Luangwa Café – A community café on the main road to Mfuwe, serving sandwiches, salads and fresh coffee, with proceeds funding local ed…
- Tribal Textiles Courtyard Café – A courtyard café inside the flagship shop of hand-painted textile studio Tribal Textiles, where you can drink coffee, e…
Itineraries
- Victoria Falls, South Luangwa & Likoma Island – See Victoria Falls in Zambia, go walking safaris in South Luangwa, and end on an island in Lake Malawi