Wildlife: North Luangwa 22 July – 4 August 2020

Greetings from the Luangwa Valley. As always, this blog comes with my best wishes and the sincere hope that you and your families are well. From here, I watch the world news with my guests in mind as countries open up more, or conversely re-enter lock downs. We think of you often.

Apologies for missing my weekly update last week. I was away in the North Luangwa National Park for 10 days with little connection, so I have decided to write up the two weeks in this blog. I hope you enjoy the change of scene as much as we did.

The North Luangwa National Park lies around 50kms north of the northern boundary of the South Luangwa National Park. It is similar in habitat types, but at a slightly higher altitude than South Luangwa, and higher up the river’s course – this leads to a thicker and bushier environment. With excellent park management, the game populations are rich and sightings very good. It has been developed mostly as a walking safari destination so roads give access to the best areas, rather than carrying you through them. However, over the coming years, plans are in place to open up the northern part of the park for more vehicle-based safaris.

A huge draw-card of the NLNP, alongside the wilderness experience, is the population of black rhino which have been reintroduced inside the park. With a starter population from elsewhere in Southern Africa, there is now a healthy number and it’s possible to find them in some of the areas where some of the tourism camps are located.

We stayed in the centre of the park, HQ for the North Luangwa Conservation Project, so had access both to the rocky streams that feed into the Mwaleshi River and to the sandy Mwaleshi River itself. The park is bounded on the Eastern side by the Luangwa, but we spend a lot of time along the Luangwa in the SLNP, so we focused on the interior.

NLCP HQ is found on a seasonal, rocky stream where buffalo and elephant are daily visitors.

Part of the park’s appeal is its remote nature. Indeed, it takes a day to drive there whether from Lusaka or Mfuwe. We took the route that follows the Eastern bank of the Luangwa on the way up, and then cut down the escarpment through the SLNP on our return (4×4 and good clearance needed for this route!). The journey up was beautiful, through endless Mopane and miombo forests, though it is hard to believe that it takes so long to cover just 300kms! To enter the NLNP, you have to cross the Luangwa, which is done on a seasonal pontoon.

Once you enter the National Park, the stunning scenery and wilderness value is immediately apparent. The perennial Mwaleshi River originates on the western side of the park, runs right through the heart of the area and feeds the Luangwa. This creates a ribbon of rich, riverine habitat, ensuring that game viewing opportunities are found across a wide area, even in the driest times. The Mwaleshi’s upper course is rocky and narrow, offering a very different feel from the Luangwa, and taking visitors far from the well-known scenery of the main river.

We had wonderful game-viewing (especially on the occasions when I decided to leave my camera behind!!) and the following images give a feel of the rich wildlife that can be found there. This was a family trip as much as a photographic one, so these were the shots that I took “along the way” rather than on bespoke photo outings.

We found lions pursuing buffalo one morning on the Mwaleshi river. It seems the buffalo ran through the Mwaleshi to escape and the lions didn’t fancy following, though the shallow, clear water is no impediment to them.

We stopped for lunch one day and almost bumped into a leopard who was resting on a termite mound. He wasn’t thrilled to see us, but hung around long enough for a photo!

With excellent protection, some of the elephants are developing large ivory.

I was very fortunate to have the chance to fly over the National Park. These flights are used for aerial monitoring of the rhinos, anti-poaching and to access the most remote areas. Viewing the park and its wildlife from above was a very special privilege.

Puku antelope stand in the shallow water of the Mwaleshi River. While there are crocs in some of the deeper areas (usually around a fallen tree), most of this river is safe for animals to drink and cross.

Elephants drink from the remains of the Lubonga stream.

The Mwaleshi floodplains dwarf even the area’s largest residents.

Buffalo feed on the Mwaleshi floodplain, with the river, the opposite floodplain and then Mopane woodland behind.

Unfazed by the plane, buffalo are rendered as small as ants from above.

A late evening view down the river.

And the icing on the cake: two rhinos as they approach the water to drink.

Late in our trip, I had a wonderful encounter with one of the park’s black rhinos. Initially inquisitive, he approached me before turning and running a short distance with a surprising spring in his step. It is hard to explain the thrill of seeing one of these special creatures, living wild in the bush in a place where they had once been extinct. (You will note that I have been intentionally vague about locations, details and behaviours about these rhinos; this is accepted best practice to assist conservation teams to keep them safe.)

Adorned with an attentive oxpecker, this young male rhino examines me, seeks my scent, and then trots off a short distance to feed once more.

We live in a fairly wild place where wildlife passes our house on an hourly basis. But North Luangwa felt even more remote and unspoiled. As a wilderness walking safari destination, where the big 5 can be seen on foot, there are few places to beat it. We are glad to be home, but this was certainly a trip to remember. Thank you, as always, for following along. News from South Luangwa will follow next time.