safari experts, since 1991
Liuwa Plain safari
ZAMBIA
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Trust us to find you the rarest animals, the most spectacular wildlife events, the remotest landscapes and deeply meaningful cultural encounters!
Liuwa Plain is all about big cats, vast open spaces, seasonal floods bringing flushes of flowers and waterfowl, and herds of wildebeest – Africa's second-largest wildebeest migration.
🎥 WATCH THIS informative video about Liuwa Plain National Park
🎥 WATCH THIS video about Liuwa Camp
(Ukuri is an Africa Geographic group company)
Liuwa's seemingly boundless horizon reminds us of East Africa's most renowned safari destinations – MINUS THE CROWDS
Overview
Length: 8 days / 7 nights
Group Size: Flexible – you tell us how many are in your party
Location: Liuwa Plain National Park, Zambia
Departure Dates: May to December
Lodges visited: Wild Dogs Lodge (Lusaka) and Liuwa Camp
Prices include: transfers from and to Lusaka, full board & lodging, park fees
Highlights
A growing lion population that is relaxed around vehicles thanks to iconic Lady Liuwa – the "Last Lioness" made famous by filmmaker Herbert Brauer;
Other predators – good cheetah, hyena and serval sightings and roaming wild dogs;
Liuwa's vast open plains remind us of East Africa's most renowned safari destinations – without the crowds. You could spend an entire day exploring and not see another tourist; and
Variable safari diary
May to July: Birds feast on fish as the water recedes. Large flocks of cranes are abundant, making this the best time to photograph bird life. Lechwes start to move down to the wetlands. Large herds of wildebeest congregate outside the park, from Luola to Mushukula;
August to October: the dry season. Bird life is still abundant - especially at large fishing pools. Vegetation dries up, and trees drop their leaves. A large number of wildebeest return to the park through the northern corridor and concentrate with other wildlife in the north; and
November to December: This is the start of the rainy season – preceded by heavy cloud cover, thunderstorms and lightning. Flowers and green grass cover the park, and the wildebeest start arriving in large numbers and calving. This is Africa's second-largest wildebeest migration, and the predators feast on the spoils.
Prices and dates
Lodge visited: Wild Dogs Lodge (Lusaka) and Liuwa Camp
2024-2025 Rates - 8 days / 7 nights
Including return ROAD TRANSFERS between Lusaka and Liuwa Camp | ||||
Number of travellers in your group | INTERNATIONAL | AFRICA RESIDENTS | ||
2024 | 2025 | 2024 | 2025 | |
1 | US$5,840 | US$5,840 | US$4,425 | US$4,425 |
2 | US$4,575 | US$4,575 | US$3,160 | US$3,160 |
4 | US$3,960 | US$3,960 | US$2,545 | US$2,545 |
6 | US$3,850 | US$3,850 | US$2,435 | US$2,435 |
Single supplement | US$$0 | US$0 | US$0 | US$0 |
Including return FLIGHTS between Lusaka and Liuwa Camp | ||||
Number of travellers in your group | INTERNATIONAL | AFRICA RESIDENTS | ||
2024 | 2025 | 2024 | 2025 | |
1 | US$23,220 | US$25,200 | US$21,925 | US$23,905 |
2 | US$13,270 | US$14,260 | US$11,975 | US$12,965 |
4 | US$8,315 | US$8,815 | US$7,020 | US$7,520 |
6 | US$6,670 | US$7,005 | US$5,380 | US$5,710 |
Single supplement | US$0 | US$0 | US$0 | US$0 |
Includes:
Road or flight return transfers between Lusaka and the lodge, as per above. Both options will take you to Kalabo Airport, where a Liuwa Camp vehicle will be waiting to take you to Liuwa Camp.
5 nights at Liuwa Camp – full board and lodging
2 nights at Wild Dogs Lodge (Lusaka) – on a bed-and-breakfast basis
All park fees
Activities as described
24/7 Office support
Excludes:
Dinner at Wild Dogs Lodge (Lusaka)
International flights, unless otherwise stated
Airport departure tax, if applicable
Excess weight charges for luggage
Visa or entry permits
Telephone calls
Travel, cancellation, and medical insurance (recommended for safaris)
Optional safari extensions and unspecified activities
Personal expenses and any charges not specified in the itinerary
Tips and gratuities
Liuwa Plain – a secret wilderness
This is the ideal safari for those willing to go beyond the safari norm to explore remote areas off the beaten path.
Many of your game drives will be long – venturing to remote areas that you will have all to yourself. Ask your guide to arrange packed meals – and head out to discover what nature has in mind for today. No matter the time of year, Liuwa Plain always delivers to those who are patient.
Liuwa Camp
Liuwa Camp is a fully catered lodge featuring eight ensuite canvas chalets, of which one is a family unit with two separate chalets.
On an island tucked away under a shady canopy of tall trees, the light-footprint solar-powered Liuwa Camp accommodates 18 people. The ensuite guest chalets are on raised decks and spread out on either side of the camp’s central area. Each unit is discreetly positioned for privacy and to maximise views of the expansive plain and the camp’s waterhole.
The canvas central area – a showcase of the colourful Lozi culture – features an airy dining room, spacious lounge and library. A firepit is the ideal spot for evening contemplations under the legendary night skies of Liuwa.
The unfenced camp enjoys views over the waterhole and the floodplains of Liuwa Plain National Park and beyond. Liuwa Camp is for those seeking a remote camp powered by local people.
Resources
Itinerary
Your first safari night will be in Lusaka's Wild Dogs Lodge – a comfortable rural, suburban guesthouse a mere 30-minute drive from Kenneth Kaunda International Airport. After a delicious dinner, restful sleep and wholesome breakfast, you will be met by our representative for a brief drive to the airport, where you will meet up with your road or air charter transfer to Liuwa Plain National Park.
If your transfer to Liuwa Plain is by road, you will depart early for the 9 to 11-hour road trip (juice, water and packed lunch included) and arrive at Liuwa Camp late in the afternoon – just in time for sundowners and a delicious dinner under the stars.
If your transfer is by air charter, you will be advised of your departure time for the 65-minute flight (juice, water, and dry snacks included). You will likely depart Lusaka mid-morning and arrive at Liuwa Camp late in the morning after a 2-hour vehicle game drive transfer from the airport to the lodge – in time for lunch, a siesta, and a late afternoon game drive with sundowners before returning to camp for a delicious meal.
Welcome to your first night at Liuwa Camp, where the soundtrack of hyenas, lions, owls and nightjars will lull you into a deep sleep.
Your days on the vast open floodplains and in the wooded sand islands will be spent on game drives (morning, afternoon and night), bush walks, relaxing in camp, or visiting local villages. The pace and content of your safari depend on two things: your wishes and what nature has in store for each day.
Many of your game drives will be long – venturing to remote areas that you will have to yourself. Ask your guide to arrange packed meals, and head out to discover remote Africa. Because Liuwa Plain is so remote and unspoilt, you cannot rely on other tourists for your sightings. Instead, your ranger will use his bush skills and area knowledge to seek out epic sightings.
You will search for lions, hyenas, cheetahs, buffaloes, zebras, tsessebes, red lechwes, oribis, eland, and roaming wild dogs (painted wolves). Smaller predators, such as serval and striped polecats, can also be found. Depending on the time of year (see 'Highlights' above), you may also find vast flocks of waterbirds and large gatherings of migrating wildebeests, with big cats and hyenas working the herds.
Each day will leave you exhausted but elated – knowing that you have witnessed an Africa that few get to see.
Today is about saying a fond farewell to Liuwa Plain and journeying back home after one more night in Lusaka.
If you are departing via a road transfer, you will leave camp in the early morning hours for the 9 to 11-hour road trip. If you are on an air charter, you will have time for one more morning activity before your road transfer and flight from Kalabo Airport to Lusaka.
Your final safari night will be in Lusaka, a good opportunity to sort out the thousands of photographs and plan your next safari with us. Be sure to take some down time to toast your last night in Zambia. We wish you a safe onward journey and plenty of wonderful memories!
Free safari planning
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Liuwa Plain safari
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Have you seen our other wildebeest migration safaris?
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