Lavushi Manda National Park- Travel Tips

What to See, How to Plan & Tours

Lavushi Manda National Park spreads across about 1,500 km² in Zambia's Northern Province, perched between the Muchinga Escarpment and the swampy expanses of the Bangweulu floodplain. The park's defining feature is the 40 km-long Lavushi Mountains, formed of ancient quartzite rock, which rise to over 1,800 m and plunge into valleys of miombo woodland, wet grasslands (dambos), and gallery forest lining the Lukulu, Lulimala and other perennial rivers. Though its wildlife suffered major losses from past poaching, Lavushi Manda now supports scattered populations of sable and roan antelope, reedbuck, puku, warthogs, bushpig, and even hippos and crocodiles along river corridors. Camera traps have recorded elusive carnivores like leopard, along with aardvark, civet and serval. The park has also been an Important Bird Area since 2001, hosting more than 270 bird species—including miombo-specialists, Palm-nut Vulture, African Finfoot and the rare Great Snipe—within diverse habitats ranging from rocky ridges to riparian forest and damp grasslands.