North Luangwa National Park

Safaris to North Luangwa National Park are often combined with the south park, and whilst it is not a common itinerary, with a short 10-20-minute light aircraft flight between the two, it is easy to combine. With a few exceptions, the wildlife in the north is the same as you would find in the south. The eland (the largest of the antelope), hartebeest, larger lion prides and buffalo herds are often seen more often here compared to the south. Walking safaris are the preferred method of game viewing, and depending on which camp you stay in, you may only get into a vehicle when you are arriving or leaving! The only downside to this remote idyl is that the game is still a bit skittish.

There is little choice of accommodation in North Luangwa National Park, as only three camps sit inside the park, on the banks of the Mwaleshi River. This river, unlike the Luangwa River or any of its smaller tributaries, is a permanently flowing river and is usually shallow enough to be crossed on foot. With the wildlife concentrating around the Mwaleshi, the camps are in a position for reliable game throughout the year, as well as providing a scenic view out to the river.

Do see our best camps & lodges in North Luangwa National Park picks for 2026/27 on this page.

Many of the camps in the park are purely seasonal, built from reeds and reconstructed at the start of the dry season in June and taken down again in November and, as such, this dictates the best time to visit the park.

Do see our interactive best time to visit North Luangwa National Park guide on this page as well as on our parent guide to zambia page for more in-depth information on when to go.

Or call us on +44 1525 840 149. That’s what we’re here for.

As much as AI has changed the way we all approach our lives, there is still no substitute for picking up the phone and having a chat through the options with one of us on +44 1525 840 149

This allows us to completely tailor the property choices, costs and itinerary length to your needs…but we also understand that this is not always possible with the busy lives we all lead.

With this in mind, we have also put together a safari finder tool that should help you to narrow down the initial stages at which point we can jump in to “round off the edges” as it were.

Alternatively please feel free to send us an email with your timings, group size and rough likes and dislikes and we can get the ball rolling.

As much as AI has changed the way we all approach our lives, there is still no substitute for picking up the phone and having a chat through the options with one of us on +44 1525 840 149

This allows us to completely tailor the property choices, costs and itinerary length to your needs…but we also understand that this is not always possible with the busy lives we all lead.

With this in mind, we have also put together a safari finder tool that should help you to narrow down the initial stages at which point we can jump in to “round off the edges” as it were.

Alternatively please feel free to send us an email with your timings, group size and rough likes and dislikes and we can get the ball rolling.