North Luangwa National Park

Wildlife & Animals

Expert

Philip is our Zambia expert and author of more than 20 guidebooks to Africa.

Aside from giraffes, North Luangwa National Park has all the usual safari animals you would expect in this part of Africa, including all of the Big Five. Buffalo herds can be thousands strong and elephants, although often skittish, are common too. You’ll probably see lions and spotted hyenas, and you might be lucky and see wild dogs too. Black rhinos were reintroduced in 2003 and their numbers are growing steadily.

ElephantCommon

GiraffeNone

HippoCommon

BuffaloCommon

ZebraCommon

WildebeestCommon

White RhinoNone

Black RhinoOccasional

LionOccasional

LeopardRare

CheetahNone

HyenaCommon

Wild DogOccasional

Wildlife Highlights

Luangwa Valley specials include Crawshay's zebra and the endemic Cookson's wildebeest. You’ll definitely see puku and impala. You might also spot Lichtenstein's hartebeest, sable antelope and eland, but the most common large antelope is the greater kudu with its impressive corkscrew horns.

Best Time for Wildlife Viewing

The middle and end of the Dry season, from July to October, is the best time for wildlife viewing in the park. Animals gather around the waterways, and vegetation is thinner, which makes spotting easier. North Luangwa only operates fully from June to October, with camps closing the rest of the year.