The Luangwa Valley is one of Africa’s prime wildlife sanctuaries and it lies at the tail end of the Great Rift Valley, which splits as it reaches Zambia.
THE LUANGWA VALLEY
The Luangwa Valley is one of Africa’s prime wildlife sanctuaries and it lies at the tail end of the Great Rift Valley, which splits as it reaches Zambia. The eastern arm encompasses Lake Malawi and the western arm becomes the Luangwa Valley, which stretches some seven hundred kilometers at an average width of about one hundred kilometers.
In the west, the Muchinga Mountain range forms the limit of both the Valley and the Parks. In the east is a similar, though less well defined escarpment. The Valley floor is about a thousand meters lower than the surrounding plateau.
Down the centre of the valley flows the Luangwa River, fed by dozens of sand rivers that fill during the rainy season. The Luangwa carves its course along the Valley floor and when in flood it erodes the outer bends, depositing silt within the loops. Eventually the river cuts a new course, leaving the old course to silt up and form ‘ox bow’ lagoons. These lagoons are very important to the ecology of the riverine zone and account for the dense populations of game in the area.
The countryside is spectacular in its rugged beauty, the vegetation thick and, near the Luangwa River and its many tributaries, a lush riverine forest occurs that is green all year round. Flanking the rivers western banks are the North and South Luangwa National Parks separated by the 30km Munyamadzi corridor. Nearby there are two small and as yet undeveloped Parks – Luambe and Lukusuzi National Parks.
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On safari you are likely to see a huge quantity and variety of game. It is estimated that there are at least 50 hippopotamus per km of the Luangwa River. Out on the plains are large herds of elephant and buffalo, zebras (here they have evenly spaced stripes unlike zebras in other parts of Africa), baboons and Thorneycroft’s Giraffe (unique to the Luangwa Valley). The Park is home to 14 different species of antelope including eland, the largest, the beautiful kudu and the Puku – not to be confused with the Impala.
Lions are as plentiful in the Luangwa and very often they roam in prides of up to thirty. Hyenas are fairly common throughout the valley and their plaintive, eerie cry, so characteristic of the African bush can be heard on most nights. The South Luangwa has a good population of leopard but they are quite elusive and other carnivores present but not often seen are the caracal, Painted hunting Dog, Serval and Side striped Jackal.
If you have the chance to get out on a night drive your chance of seeing leopard increase but you may also see genets, bush babies as well as owls, nightjars, the foraging hippos
BIRDING IN THE VALLEY
Bird watching is superb in the Valley. Near the end of the dry season, when the river and oxbow lagoons begin to recede, hundreds of large water birds can be seen wading through the shallows. The red faced yellow billed storks move along with their beaks open underwater, disturbing the muddy liquid with their feet until the fish flop into their mouths. The pelicans tend to operate in lines abreast, driving the fish before them into shallows before scooping them up into their beak pouches. The striking 1.6m saddle bill stork makes quick darting movements into the water. Then there’s the ugly marabou stork, great white egrets, black headed herons, open billed storks and the stately goliath heron that can stand in the same position for hours before pouncing. Of the most beautiful are the elegant crowned cranes, with their golden tufts congregating in large flocks at the salt pans.
Just before the rains set in, about November, the migrants from Northern Europe and the Arctic Circle arrive to exploit the feeding opportunities that the warm rainy season brings – red chested cuckoo, white storks, European swallows. Swifts, hobbies and bee-eaters, as well as birds of prey such as the Steppe eagles and Steppe buzzards that come all the way from Russia. A special sight is the hundreds of brightly coloured carmine bee-eaters nesting in the steep sandy banks of the river.
With about 400 of Zambia’s 732 species of birds appearing in the Valley, including 39 birds of prey and 47 migrant species, there is plenty for the birdwatcher to spot, whatever the season.
