MalawiandZambiaLuangwaDetails

Day 1: Lilongwe to South Luangwa National Park

This morning we will embark on the drive towards Zambia
where our destination, the incredible South Luangwa
National Park, awaits us. By mid-morning we will cross the
border into Zambia and will be well on our way to the Park.
This prolific “Big Five” reserve is one of Africa’s great
wildlife reserves and has one of the highest
concentrations of Leopard in the world, as well as
extremely high game densities in general. We will be
spending three nights in this magnificent National Park
and will work the network of roads in an attempt to locate
the mammals and birds that inhabit this vast wilderness.

Days 2 & 3: South Luangwa National Park

Waking up and smelling the crisp, clean air is always a
great sensation, and when awakening in South Luangwa
one cannot help feeling that this is an extremely special
place that makes one just want to get out there and
explore! We have two full days to do just that, and what
better way than on an early morning game drive taking in
the various sights and sounds. While the two most
common antelope in the park are Impala and Puku, there
are many rarer, localized species including Thornicroft’s
Giraffe, Cookson’s Wildebeest, Crawshay’s Zebra,
Common Bushbuck, Common Waterbuck, Eland, Greater
Kudu, Common Reedbuck, Lichtenstein’s Hartebeest,
Sable and Sharpe’s Grysbok. Hippo and Crocodile are
also extremely common in the Luangwa River. With the
vast amounts of game that abound there is obviously
going to be a number of predators to take advantage of
the offerings. We therefore stand a good chance of
spotting Lion, Leopard, Spotted Hyena and the less
commonly seen African Wild Dog.

Bird numbers are considerable, especially in the riverine
woodlands, as well as our lodge grounds. Mopane
woodland is well represented throughout the park and
Lilian’s Lovebirds can often be heard screeching as they
dash overhead. Meves’s Starling and White-browed
Sparrow-Weaver also do their fair share to add to the
avian noise. The Luangwa River is well known for its
massive breeding colonies of Yellow-billed Stork, Southern
Carmine and White-fronted Bee-eaters, and Horus Swifts.
The massive trees overhanging the rivers’ quiet
backwaters are the haunts of the ever-popular and
desirable Pel’s Fishing Owl. Many other birds are
associated with the river and oxbow lakes that have
formed over time. Good numbers of African Skimmer,
African Spoonbill, various ducks, lapwings, storks, herons
and egrets occur. Other birds to look out for include
Greater Painted-Snipe and the splendid Grey Crowned
Crane.

Day 4: South Luangwa National Park to Lilongwe and
Continue to Main Trip

Today we will leave the beautiful, game- and bird-rich
South Luangwa Valley and make our way back across the
border towards Malawi’s capital, Lilongwe, where our main
Southern Malawi Birding tour will commence.

Southern Luangwa Extension
Details

Birding in Malawi and Zambia