North Luangwa National Park

Size and Landscape

North Luangwa shares many features with the South Luangwa. It also became a National Park in 1972. It covers an area of 4,636 km2 and is situated entirely on the western side of the Luangwa River upstream of South Luangwa National Park.

North Luangwa is a woodland park unlike the south Luangwa that is punctuated by open grasslands. Miombo woodland occurs on the better drained, sandy areas, while the heavier soils bear mopane. The major rivers found in the Park are Mwaleshi, Lufila and Luangwa. The Park does have seasonal rivers as well. The Park has two forms of landscape namely, the Muchinga Escarpment on the western boundary and the valley with scattered hills and small portions of plateaux.



Habitat and animal population

The status of the animal population is generally healthy and on the increase. Notable species are buffalo, elephant, hippo, zebra, kudu, impala, greater kudu, eland, waterbuck, black rhinoceros, warthog, leopard, spotted hyena, baboon, vervet monkey and lions. The introduction of black lechwes have added value to the Park.

The exceptional resources are large buffalo herds oftenly numbering 1000 in a single herd, large numbers of lions and hyenas, large hippo populations on the Mwaleshi/Luangwa confluence, reintroduced black rhinos, Chipoma Falls along Mwaleshi River, remote and less developed wilderness state of the Park, presence of endemic wildlife species of Cooksons wildebeest and wild dog, the Muchinga Escarpment which the catchment of the Luangwa River and presence oft eh historical, cultural, geological and archaeological sites.

The Park’s tourism activities include walking safaris, seasonal tour operations and day visitors.
 

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