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Luangwa Valley

The Luangwa Valley lies at the tail-end of the Great Rift Valley which runs the length of East Africa and which in turn accounts for the spectacular escarpment scenery in East Africa as well as the African Lakes. As the Great Rift reaches Zambia, it divides into an eastern and a western arm. The Eastern arm encompasses Lake Malawi and the western arm becomes the Luangwa Valley. The Luangwa Valley stretches some seven hundred kilometres at an average width of about one hundred kilometres.

The countryside of the Luangwa Valley is spectacular in its craggy beauty. The area is characterised by thick vegetation and closer to the Luangwa River and its many channels, a lush evergreen riverine forest flourishes all year round.
On the flanks of the Luangwa Rivers’ western banks and separated by the 30 kilometre Munyamadzi Corridor are the North and South Luangwa National Parks. Between these two main parks and to the east is another small and as yet undeveloped Park called Luambe. Still further east on the stony uplands beyond the flood plain is the Lukusuzi National Park, also as yet undeveloped.

In the west, the Muchinga Mountain range forms the limit of both the Luangwa Valley as well as the parks. The valley floor is about a thousand metres lower than the surrounding plateau, and down the centre of this valley flows the Luangwa River, fed by dozens of sand rivers that flow during the rainy season which starts in November. The river slices a tortuous course along the valley floor and when in flood rapidly erodes it’s outer bends, depositing silt within the loops. The river eventually cuts a new course, leaving the old water-way to silt up and ‘ox bow’ lagoons are formed. These lagoons are of huge significance to the ecology of the riverine zone and explain the high carrying capacity of the Luangwa Valley area.

The rich volcanic soil supports a wide variety of lush vegetation and a wealth of animal and birdlife flourishes.Here herds of antelope shelter under thorn trees or roam the plains, predators skulk in the shadows, scenic ox-bows and lagoons are filled with hippos and crocodiles.

This is the landscape of the ‘Real Africa’.