West Lunga National Park

Governing Body: Department of National Parks and Wildlife
Coordinates: 12°47′S 24°45′E

General Information

West Lunga National Park is a remote wildlife haven in dense forest in the North-Western Province of Zambia. It is endowed with stunning waterfalls, rapids, underground rivers, limestone caves, hot springs, a sunken lake, and the Kabompo Gorge – the source of the acclaimed Zambezi river – this hidden paradise of Zambia is well worth exploring.

Infrastructure & Accessibility

West Lunga National Park is situated about 10 km north of the gravel road from Solwezi to Kabompo, and covers about 1700 km². Although the park itself does not offer any accommodation, areas surrounding the park, like Kabompo offer a variety of options in close proximity to the park.

Habitat, Flora and Climate

West Lunga National Park lies between the West Lunga River and Kabompo River. It is the only one in Zambia covered by forest, categorised in the small Cryptosepalum dry forests ecoregion, which exists only in a few patches in the south west of the province extending a little over the border into Angola. Cryptosepalum trees (called “mukwe” locally) are evergreen and grow densely with a closed canopy. The eco-region forms the largest evergreen forest in Africa outside of the equatorial zone. Although the rainfall in the area is quite high (above 1,000 mm per year) the soils are sandy and well drained so apart from the rivers there is a lack of surface water. A few patches of Miombo woodland and grassland also exist in the park.

Wildlife

Smaller forest mammals such as duiker and bushpigs live there, and recent reports also mention puku, hippopotami, vervet monkeys, and yellow baboons. The game guards say there are buffalo, roan antelopes, sable antelopes, Lichtenstein’s hartebeests, impalas, elands, and elephants

Birdlife

The park is home to some amazing birdlife. Sightings include the half-collared kingfisher, African finfoot, large numbers of black saw-wing swallow, and Zambia’s turacos.