Zambia · national park since 1972
South Luangwa, the valley that invented walking safaris
Norman Carr took the first guests out on foot here in the 1950s, and the tradition never stopped. Add the highest leopard density measured in the region, Africa's densest hippo population and three animals found nowhere else on earth.
Photo: Thomas Fuhrmann (CC BY-SA 4.0)
Start here
Everything you need to plan a visit
Entry fees
The gate fee is $25, but in-park camps add $75 to $110 a night in levies. Here is the whole picture.
See the fees →Lodges & camps
All 31 places to stay, from $15 campsites to $1,995 suites, with ownership marked so you can support local.
Browse lodges →Getting there
An hour and ten from Lusaka by air, or nine hours on tar. The dirt road warning you have read is out of date.
Plan the route →Wildlife
Measured leopard density, 42 hippo per river kilometre, and three subspecies that exist only in this valley.
What you'll see →Best time to visit
June to October for walking, September for the peak, January to April for boats and green-season prices.
Pick your month →Things to do
Walking safaris, legal night drives, green-season boat trips and batik classes five minutes from the gate.
See activities →