Reviews of Liuwa Plain (From 8 Acclaimed Safari Experts)

Expert

Harriet Nimmo –

ZA

Visited: November

Harriet is a zoologist with more than 20 years’ experience. She has the privilege of working with the world’s top wildlife photographers and photo-guides.

Remote Grasslands in Western Zambia

Overall rating

3/5

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Liuwa Plain, a little-known national park in the far west of Zambia, is another success story from African Parks, an NGO that takes on the long-term management of protected areas. At Liuwa they have facilitated habitat restoration, species reintroduction and local communities coexisting in a shared landscape (including small villages inside the park).

It is wild and remote, comprising vast flat grass plains, dotted with pans, small tree islands and the odd raffia palm. In November, when the rains come, huge numbers of wildebeest congregate on the flooded grasslands to calve. The flood waters also attract flocks of waterbirds, including wattled and crowned cranes and spectacular murmurations of black-winged pratincoles. After the rains, expansive fields of pink sand lilies erupt. Other wildlife includes oribi and side-striped jackals, as well as buffalo and hartebeest. The most commonly seen predator is the hyena. Lions have been reintroduced and wild dog and cheetah are present, but remain elusive.

Tourist facilities are limited, with simple campsites, self-catering chalets and a single upmarket lodge. An opportunity for a wild, remote African adventure!

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Expert

Anthony Ham –

AU

Visited: October

Anthony is a photographer and writer for travel magazines and Lonely Planet, including the guides to Kenya and Botswana & Namibia.

Liuwa Plain: Zambia’s Wild West

Overall rating

3/5

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Out in the far west of Zambia, far from the well-worn safari trails of Kafue and Luangwa, Liuwa Plain is a fascinating work in progress. Overseen by African Parks and part of a project to bring back the wildlife populations devastated by decades of poaching and mismanagement, Liuwa Plain is an experiment that deserves to succeed. There are numerous villages within the park boundaries – part of a plan to build strong wildlife populations that benefit local communities – but these rarely disturb the sense that this is wild country, home to vast plains of Serengeti-like grasslands. There are several accommodation options from which to launch expeditions in search of the abundant hyena and wildebeest populations (Liuwa Plain hosts one of Africa’s least-known wildebeest migrations). But the stars are the lions of Liuwa – Lady Liuwa, a lioness who was the only surviving lion in the area for almost a decade, is something of an international celebrity and seeing her remains one of my all-time safari highlights. She has since died but several lions have been brought in from elsewhere and are reproducing successfully. The park is inaccessible in the wet season but fabulous at other times.

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Expert

Sue Watt –

UK

Visited: May

Sue is an award-winning writer who specializes in African travel and conservation. She writes for national newspapers, magazines, Rough Guides and Lonely Planet.

Africa’s second wildebeest migration and a famous lioness

Overall rating

3/5

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Bush Vibe:

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Liuwa is a remote, raw park that few tourists see. It’s a place of endless grasslands, vivid blue pools strewn with lilies, and thousands upon thousands of wildebeest that migrate across the plains following the floods. In fact, this is the second largest wildebeest migration in Africa and it feeds a staggering 700 hyenas that live in and around the park. Here, they’re not scavengers but predators and I learnt a new respect for them watching their family groups hunting, feeding, playing and socializing together. Liuwa is also home to the world’s loneliest lioness, Lady, who survived here on her own for nine years until conservation organization African Parks brought in some younger lions to breed and keep her company. Lady is very special – seeing her with her new pride was one of the highlights of my visit. We also spent a fascinating afternoon with researchers from the Zambian Carnivore Program learning about their work and I’d highly recommend this to anyone wanting to gain a deeper understanding of this magical place.

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