Overview–zambia

Lukusuzi National Park

Lukusuzi National Park is located on the eastern escarpment of the Luangwa Valley, between North and South Luangwa National Parks. There are no facilities in Lukusuzi. There is a game scout camp, with no management, and there is just one, very bad game-drive track. Nobody has done any research here, and not much is known about animal populations. There has been a lot of poaching, so numbers are presumably quite low.

Best Time to Visit

Lukusuzi is best visited in the Dry season, from June to October. The road is very bad and might be impassable during the Wet season (November to April).

Scenery

Lukusuzi is located a bit higher on the escarpment than the other parks in the valley. The main habitats consist of grassland, mopane trees, and miombo woodland. Most of the park is peppered by rugged valleys and rocky ridges.

Excellent

Good

Fair

Poor

Jul

Aug

Sept

Jan

Feb

Mar

April

Dec

May

Jun

Oct

Nov

Rates

From: $204 to $1,223 pp/day

Best Time to Go

From: June to October (Little rain)

High Season

From: Never (The park is never busy)

Size

From: 2,854km² / 1,102mi²

Wildlife & Animals

The weather and climate of Lukusuzi is comparable to that of Zambia in general. The Dry season in Zambia is a lovely time to visit – it’s divided into a cooler period (May to August) and a hotter one (September and October). Zambia is right in the tropics and gets lots of rain in the Wet season (November to April). At that time many camps in Kafue, Lower Zambezi and the more remote parks shut down. The Mfuwe section of South Luangwa can be visited at any time of year.

Dry Season –May to October – Winter

In winter, there’s hardly any rain and humidity is low. Thirsty animals crowd around the waterholes and rivers to drink.

May – The end of summer, when temperatures are pretty cool: typically, 11°C/52°F in the morning and 25°C/77°F in the afternoon. Nighttime temperatures also start to drop and the rains have mostly come to an end.
June, July & August – The average morning temperature is a chilly 10°C/50°F, so bring warm clothing for early game drives. Afternoons are pleasant, with temperatures around 23°C/73°F, although lower-altitude parks such as South Luangwa and Lower Zambezi will be hotter.
September & October – The heat slowly builds and the first rains bring relief from very dry conditions. Daytime temperatures are around 31°C/88°F in October, which is the hottest month. In the lower-lying parks, temperatures often peak at over 40°C/104°F.

Wet Season –November to April – Summer

Due to high rainfall and bad roads, the Wet season months from December to March are not ideal for visiting Zambia.

November – An unpredictable month, but usually with some afternoon rain. Temperatures average between 18°C/64°F in the morning and 29°C/84°F in the afternoon.
December, January, February & March – The wettest months, with heavy downpours in the afternoon. Afternoon temperatures are around 26°C/78°F and the humidity is high.
April – The rains slow down and so does the humidity.

General Wheather

Getting to the park is a major expedition and should only be considered by visitors with a lot of bush-driving experience. It is recommended to drive in convoys of two fully-equipped 4x4s. There are no signposts to the park and visitors should have a good map with GPS readings.

Prons

Off-the-beaten-track destination

Cons

Not much wildlife
Only one game-drive track, which is possibly in bad condition
No accommodation or campsites

How To Get There

Getting to the park is a major expedition and should only be considered by visitors with a lot of bush-driving experience. It is recommended to drive in convoys of two fully-equipped 4x4s. There are no signposts to the park and visitors should have a good map with GPS readings.