Precious wetland wilderness
Nothing compares to the roars of a lion pride in full throaty flight. This has to be one of the most electrifying sounds in Africa, one which raises goosebumps and vibrates through the ribcage. And when those voices are silent, their absence is deafening. For the longest time, the vast grasslands of Liuwa Plain National Park echoed with the calls of one lonely lioness until others joined their voices with hers. She is silent now, but her legacy lives on in the roars of her pride reverberating through the night air. Theirs is a song of hope and celebration, an ode to Liuwa Plain’s miraculous journey as a vast unfenced national park.
Liuwa Plain National Park
As the name suggests, Liuwa Plain National Park encompasses a significant portion of the Barotse Floodplain in western Zambia, one of Africa’s great wetlands and a designated Ramsar site. The park is bounded by the Luambimba River to the north and the Luanginga River to the south, with some 3,369km2 (336,900 ha) of grassland stretching between them.
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Every year, the park floods, leaving small islands of woodland and becoming largely inaccessible before the retreating waters see the return of wildlife and visitors alike. With seemingly boundless horizons, the open landscape is not unlike that of some of East Africa’s most renowned safari destinations – minus the crowds. It also happens to be home to the second-largest wildebeest migration on the continent.
Liuwa’s conservation history is intertwined with the cultural identity of the Lozi people of Barotseland. In the late 19th century, the plains were the hunting grounds of Lubosi Lewanika, the Litunga (king) at the time. He designated Liuwa Plain as a protected area and tasked the Lozi people as the custodians of the land and its creatures. Today, the relationship between Liuwa Plain and her people remains tight-knit, with an estimated 10,000 people living (legally) in the park – a prime example of possible co-existence.
However, like any protected space faced with mankind’s influence, Liuwa’s history is chequered. By the early 2000s, the vast herds of wildebeest and zebras had been denuded, and rice fields were spreading further and further into the park. All but the canniest of predators vanished, leaving just one lioness – the last of her kind destined to symbolise Liuwa’s future.
In 2003, Liuwa Plains National Park became one of the first protected areas under the management of the non-profit organization African Parks. In partnership with the Zambia Department of National Parks and Wildlife (DNPW) and the Barotse Royal Establishment, African Parks set about improving the park’s security while working with the community to implement sustainable land-use plans. Some two decades later, 95% of the park’s staff contingent are local community members, and representatives of the Barotse Royal Establishment are on the African Parks Zambia board to ensure a voice for the people in managing the park.
Through emergency support, educational programmes and development schemes, and carefully controlled fishing permits, African Parks has ensured that the local communities are vested in the park’s survival.
The legacy of Lady Liuwa
For nine years, Lady Liuwa stalked the plains alone and eventually became the star of her own documentary. Lions are profoundly social animals with deep bonds between individuals. Given our inherent sociality, the plight of the last lioness of Liuwa struck a deep emotional chord across the globe. Even her proclivity for seeking out human habitation and the company of people seemed a desperate cry of loneliness.
Fortunately, Lady Liuwa was not destined to live out her years alone. Though the African Parks process of reintroducing lions to Liuwa Plains was not without its challenges, Lady Liuwa was eventually placed in a boma with another lioness named Sepo. The two bonded and were released back into the park, where they established a pride with a translocated male. The two lionesses were inseparable, and though Lady Liuwa never had cubs of her own, she cared for Sepo’s cubs as her own.
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Lady Liuwa died of natural causes in 2017 – she was believed to be over 17 years old. She leaves behind a legacy of resilience and a growing pride of lions to repopulate Liuwa Plain National Park.
In plain sight
In the (almost) absence of lions, Liuwa Plain became the land of spotted hyenas, dominated by a population of over 350 of these apex predators. Hyenas are everywhere in the park – trotting across the plains, wallowing in the puddles, and whooping their way through the night. A small number of cheetahs test their acceleration skills on the plains, and, in 2022, a pack of 11 African wild dogs (painted wolves) from Kafue National Park in Zambia and South Africa were introduced to the park.
Not for nothing is Liuwa Plain sometimes referred to as “little Serengeti”, and every year at the start of the rainy season in November, over 30,000 wildebeest begin to converge in herds that can extend over 5km. This is the second-largest wildebeest migration in Africa, and the wildebeests will give birth and disperse away from rising flood waters. Zebra, tsessebe and lechwe join them in their annual circuit of Liuwa and the Mussuma region of neighbouring Angola, often with hungry predators hot on their collective heels.
The labyrinth of waterways, strewn with beautiful lilies, is a paradise for the flocks of pelicans, storks, geese and cranes that inhabit them. Liuwa Plain boasts an impressive species total of over 335 birds, and it is very easy to while away hours in a good spot, watching the antics of the various avian characters. For true enthusiasts, slaty egrets and whiskered terns will most certainly be a highlight, and the arrival of thousands of black-winged pratincoles in November is the cause of great excitement.
Explore & stay
Most of the park is inaccessible during the height of the wet season from around January when the mighty Zambezi River reclaims the land for a few months. Depending on rainfall levels, the park usually reopens to self-drive visitors again around May or June, and wildlife sightings improve as the dry season progresses. The pulse of the seasons is best felt with the arrival of the first thunderstorms towards the end of the year when the landscape transforms from a veritable dustbowl to a verdant oasis decorated by a sudden profusion of wildflowers.
The park offers four remote campsites for self-sufficient campers with their own 4×4 vehicles. Sibika Camp is a self-catering lodge offering basic creature comforts, while Liuwa Camp offers guests a fully catered lodge experience.
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In keeping with the deep connection between the land and her people (and in the interests of dry feet), the Lozi people also move to higher ground during the floods, marking the occasion with the Kuomboka festival. Translated, ‘Kuomboka’ means “to get out of the water”, and the heavy beating of the royal Maoma drums precedes the ceremony. The next day, the Litunga proceeds upriver in his black-and-white royal barge paddled by 50 oarsmen.
Further reading
For more about the Lozi people and their lives in Liuwa, read Living Wild in Liuwa.
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