Safari to South Luangwa South

a backdrop of the Rift Valley Escarpment

South Luangwa South is definitely the most scenic sector of the reserve, with the Chindeni Hills to the east and the Muchinga Escarpment to the west providing scenic backdrops for landscape photography. It really is a stunningly beautiful place.

It also sees far less traffic than central areas, especially in the remote deep south.

However there is not quite the range of flora that one sees further north. The patches of riverine forest and seasonal marshlands are fewer, the landscape away from the river being dominated by dry miombo woodland.

The wildlife is a little less abundant than other areas, partly because of this deficit in attractive grazing areas, but mainly due to the higher poaching pressure in this part of the reserve, something which the presence of an increasing number of camps is doing a great deal to reduce. Having said that, the wildlife viewing down here is still pretty good and you should generally have sightings to yourselves, which is such a bonus.

There are some extraordinarily good walking guides in this area and we have repeatedly been amazed at their ability to track and find lions and leopards in particular.

The best time to visit South Luangwa is during the May-Oct dry season, when the wildlife is focused on the riverine areas and easy to find.

Within that period, May-Jul is pleasantly cool at night, but the animals may not yet be fully migrated back into the river.

Towards the end of that period, Oct-Nov the wildlife should be at its strongest, but the weather is likely to be uncomfortably hot, especially at night. Bear in mind that most camps do not have air-conditioning.

Getting around

South Luangwa lies to the east of the country and is usually accessed by light aircraft services from Lusaka or Livingstone.

Once at Mfuwe Airport it is a road transfer of 1-2 hours to the camps. Travelling between camps in the central, northern and southern parts of the reserve usually involves a safari transfer of 1-5 hours.

Where to stay

The South Luangwa South area contains just a handful of dozen decent camps, almost all of which are small and relatively outdoorsy.

During the Jul-Sep dry season we generally like to combine a camp in the nearby South Luangwa North with another in South Luangwa South, with a total stay of six or more nights. We tend to avoid the South Luangwa Central area, since they tend to experience greater visitor traffic. However, if you are looking for a larger lodge (especially if you need air-conditioning), then it might be worth making an exception.

During the remainder of the year we are more likely to include a camp in the South Luangwa Central area. In fact in the wettest months (Dec-Mar) we may even reduce down to only recommending a single camp in the central area.

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