Reviews of Luambe (From 3 Acclaimed Safari Experts)

Expert

Ariadne van Zandbergen –

ZA

Visited: October

Ariadne is a renowned African wildlife photographer whose work is featured in many well-known guidebooks and magazines.

2 people found this review helpful.

The heart of the Luangwa Valley, away from the crowds

Overall rating

4/5

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Luambe is one of Zambia’s smaller national parks. It is located in the wildlife-rich Luangwa Valley sandwiched between the better-known South and North Luangwa National Parks. Poaching has been a problem here and wildlife viewing isn’t really on a par with South Luangwa – Zambia’s most popular park. It does however give an opportunity to see the Luangwa Valley away from the crowds. A single camp on the bank of the Luangwa River, consisting of only four safari tents, services the whole park. You won’t see any other vehicles on a game drive. I wished we could have stayed here, but it had just closed for the season when we visited. We were self-driving from South to North Luangwa – quite a popular but adventurous route taking us through Luambe. We saw the endemic Thornicroft’s giraffe, elephant and a variety of antelope. There were lots of hippos in the river and I got quite excited when we spotted lion tracks on the road. Enough to whet my appetite to stay here a couple of nights another time.

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Expert

Emma Gregg –

UK

Visited: October

Emma is an award-winning travel writer for Rough Guides, National Geographic Traveller, Travel Africa magazine and The Independent.

2 people found this review helpful.

Hidden wilderness on the famous Luangwa

Overall rating

4/5

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This scrap of a park on the Luangwa River between South and North Luangwa National Parks is very little known, even compared to North Luangwa. There’s just one small and appealingly simple dry-season lodge and campsite. You and your fellow guests will therefore have an entire park (albeit a small one) to yourselves. Set up by a German conservation foundation, the lodge is an excellent choice for anyone interested in grassroots wildlife conservation and in meeting members of the local rural community.

Poaching has been a significant problem in Luambe in the past and the wildlife-watching experience is definitely coloured by this, although with luck you may see leopards. However, in recent years a game scout recruitment and training programme has begun to pay dividends.

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Expert

Philip Briggs –

ZA

Visited: Winter

Philip is an acclaimed travel writer and author of many guidebooks, including the Bradt guides to Uganda, Tanzania, Kenya and South Africa.

1 person found this review helpful.

Secret retreat in the Luangwa Valley

Overall rating

4/5

Wildlife:

Bush Vibe:

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Birding:

One of Zambia’s older and smaller national parks, Luambe is situated in the heart of the Luangwa Valley, sandwiched between South Luangwa and North Luangwa National Parks. Unlike these two better-known parks, Luambe extends eastwards from the Luangwa River, but in most other respects it is very similar to them ecologically.

For many years, Luambe suffered from far higher rates of poaching than other parts of the Luangwa Valley, and wildlife tended to be sparse and skittish. In recent years, however, following the opening of an exclusive tented camp on the riverbank within the park, wildlife volumes have increased greatly.

When we drove through the park in October 2021, we had a close-up encounter with Thornicroft´s giraffe, a Luangwa Valley endemic that had been poached out entirely a few years back. Other wildlife we saw included puku, impala, warthog, hippo, zebra and elephant. We didn't see any large carnivores, but the guides at the tented camp are skilled trackers, and most guests will see lion, leopard and various small nocturnal predators.

Overall, Luambe is a great option for those who want to experience the Luangwa Valley, but hope to avoid the tourist volumes associated with South Luangwa, but also prefer not to do a walking safari in North Luangwa.

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