All 4 in 3 days here: ~90%
South Luangwa National Park
🇿🇲 Zambia
Southern Africa, Zambia 1295 spp. recorded
South Luangwa National Park sits in eastern Zambia, a ribbon of tropical savanna cut by the winding Luangwa River. Rolling grasslands meet mopane woodlands, and seasonal floodplains create a patchwork of water and dry ground that separates it from the neighboring parks of the region.
-12.743° S 31.735° E
🦜 Nature
454 Species sighted
31,172 Verified sightings From 2019 to 2026
May Best month
⭐ Iconic Species
📊 Most Spotted
⭐ Iconic Species
📊 Most Spotted
📊 Most Spotted
📊 Most Spotted
📊 Most Spotted
🌙 Most active after dark
+ 711 more species with insufficient data
Challenges you can complete here
All 5 in 3 days here: ~90%
All 4 in 3 days here: ~70%
All 4 in 3 days here: ~70%
Recent sightings in South Luangwa National Park
LIVEiNaturalistSighting Calendar
How many species you'd see in a day
36Jan
49Feb
48Mar
55Apr
66May
54Jun
55Jul
65Aug
54Sep
60Oct
57Nov
53Dec
Sighting Zones
Warmer areas are where all species together are recorded most often.
-
13.054° S, 31.562° E
Daily sight. prob.vs avg
Helmeted Guineafowl>90%+40%
Egyptian Goose>90%+30%
African Sacred Ibis>90%+30%
Cape Turtle Dove>90%+30%
Emerald-spotted Wood-Dove>90%+40%
Little Bee-eater>90%+30%
Lilac-breasted Roller>90%+40%
Meves's Glossy-starling>90%+30%
White-fronted Bee-eater~80%+10%
White-browed Sparrow-Weaver~80%+10%
White-headed Lapwing~30%-40%
-
Wildlife Camp
Daily sight. prob.vs avg -
Mfuwe Lodge
Daily sight. prob.vs avg -
Nsefu Sector
Daily sight. prob.vs avg
🏕️ Experience
Essentials
Entrance
Paid
Tourism
Low
Typical stay
4+
daysTrails
Easy
World Heritage
No
Climate
Temp °C Rain mm
JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec
0.0 World-class
Wallace's Line Score
How good is this park for seeing wildlife? 🦜
Biodiversity
Very goodHow rich is the wildlife?
4.3
Species by taxon
🦅 Birds 908
🐒 Mammals 210
🦎 Reptiles 116
🐸 Amphibians 61
1295 Total Species
828 Global average across 316 parks
42 Threatened 5 Endemic
🔭
Sighting
ExcellentHow likely to see animals?
5.0
🎯
Top-12 Avg Probability
74% 📊
Coverage (241 species at ≥5% of 1295 in the inventory)
19% 🔀
Taxon variety in top 12 (8 mammal, 3 bird, 1 reptile)
65% 🔭
Species per 10 outings (distinct species a visitor would meet over 10 outings — effort held equal across parks)
169 🌟
Iconic-group species (≥15%) (every species from the 19 iconic groups — monkeys, cats, toucans, macaws, sloths, crocodilians… — not just the 4 highlighted above)
39 ⭐
High-prob species (>40%)
52 🏕️
Experience
ExcellentHow easy and pleasant is the visit?
4.8
Climate Pleasant High
Entrance Paid Low
Tourism Low High
Trails Easy High
World Heritage No —
What visitors say
Then we found a pride of lions sleeping under a tree, with one lion that kept oddly hugging a sausage fruit like it was a stuffed animal or something.
Sitting on the balcony, I was treated to some great birding and I watched as hippo, buffalo, giraffe, baboons, puku and impala all made their way to the waterhole in front of the lodge.
Right at the water’s edge we watched pied kingfishers, malachite kingfishers, green-backed herons, and the unmistakable African skimmer, all against a backdrop of snorting hippos and a glowing river.
I stopped for the night at Luangwaa Bridge camp overlooking the Luangwe River to break up the drive and then drove on to Zambia’s most famous and popular park, South Luangwa National Park, located in east-central Zambia.
Before you go
What animals can you see in South Luangwa National Park?
1,295 species
South Luangwa National Park has 1,295 recorded vertebrate species. The ones wildlife watchers report most often on a given day are East African Giraffe (about 80%), Puku (about 80%), Leopard (about 80%), Meves's Glossy-starling (about 80%) and Common Hippopotamus (about 80%). Among reptiles, the most-seen is Nile Crocodile (about 70%); among amphibians, Grey Foam-nest Treefrog (about 50%).
When is the best time to visit South Luangwa National Park for wildlife?
June and November
In those months the park's 12 most-seen species average about 80% on a given day, against about 50% in February. Those are among South Luangwa National Park's driest months, with about 30 mm of rain a month against 310 mm in January.
Can you see an African Bush Elephant in South Luangwa National Park?
Yes
About 70% of wildlife watchers report an African Bush Elephant sighting in South Luangwa National Park on a given day, based on 106 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data from 2019 to 2026. The best time is June–July and September–November (about 80%).
Can you see a Leopard in South Luangwa National Park?
Yes
About 80% of wildlife watchers report a Leopard sighting in South Luangwa National Park on a given day, based on 96 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data from 2019 to 2026. The best time is November (about 90%).
Can you see a Lion in South Luangwa National Park?
Yes
About 70% of wildlife watchers report a Lion sighting in South Luangwa National Park on a given day, based on 84 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data from 2019 to 2026. The best time is June and September–November (about 80%).
Can you see a Common Hippopotamus in South Luangwa National Park?
Yes
About 80% of wildlife watchers report a Common Hippopotamus sighting in South Luangwa National Park on a given day, based on 118 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data from 2019 to 2026. The best time is June–July and September–November (about 80%).
Is South Luangwa National Park good for wildlife watching?
4.8 out of 5
On the Wallace's Line Score, South Luangwa National Park rates 4.8/5: 19th of 316 parks worldwide and 12th in Africa. 62 of its species are reported by about 40% or more of wildlife watchers on a given day.
