South Luangwa

The birthplace of the modern walking safari, developed here in the 1950s by the ranger Norman Carr

Area

9,050 km²

Protection category

UICN II

Parque nacional — what the IUCN categories mean

Declared in

1972

Region

Southern Africa

Climate

Tropical

Length of its routes

3–5 days

Difficulty of its routes

Media

Plan your visit

Length of its routes: 3–5 days
Difficulty of its routes: Media
Area: 9,050 km²

Highlight

The birthplace of the modern walking safari, developed here in the 1950s by the ranger Norman Carr

Declared in 1972 over a game reserve established in the 1930s, South Luangwa is reckoned the birthplace of the modern walking safari, an idea developed in the 1950s by the ranger and later conservationist Norman Carr, who began taking visitors on foot through the park rather than watching wildlife solely from vehicles — a format now copied in reserves across Africa. The park holds Thornicroft's giraffe, an endemic subspecies recognisable by its characteristic star-shaped blotches, which exists only in the Luangwa valley and nowhere else in the world, with a total population of barely a few hundred.