List of national parks of Zambia
Encyclopedia
This is a list of national parks in Zambia. There are nineteen national parks in Zambia
, although a few of them are not maintained and so contain no facilities and few animals. Others have high concentrations of animals and are popular with tourists, while two or three are world-famous.
In approximate order of importance in terms of wildlife resources, the eight main functioning parks, all with access and accommodation are:
Zambia
Zambia , officially the Republic of Zambia, is a landlocked country in Southern Africa. The neighbouring countries are the Democratic Republic of the Congo to the north, Tanzania to the north-east, Malawi to the east, Mozambique, Zimbabwe, Botswana and Namibia to the south, and Angola to the west....
, although a few of them are not maintained and so contain no facilities and few animals. Others have high concentrations of animals and are popular with tourists, while two or three are world-famous.
Alphabetical list
- Blue Lagoon National ParkBlue Lagoon National ParkBlue Lagoon National Park is a small wildlife haven in the northern part of the Kafue Flats in Zambia's Central Province. It covers about 500 km² and is very accessible, being about 100 km west of Lusaka .-Ecology and wildlife:...
— a small park in the north of the Kafue FlatsKafue RiverThe Kafue River sustains one of the world's great wildlife environments. It is a major tributary of the Zambezi, and of Zambia's principal rivers, it is the most central and the most urban, and the longest and largest lying wholly within Zambia....
west of LusakaLusakaLusaka is the capital and largest city of Zambia. It is located in the southern part of the central plateau, at an elevation of about 1,300 metres . It has a population of about 1.7 million . It is a commercial centre as well as the centre of government, and the four main highways of Zambia head...
, known chiefly for bird life; one lodge - Isangano National ParkIsangano National ParkIsangano National Park is a national park in the Northern Province of Zambia. It covers an area of 840 square kilometers. The park was declared a national park in 1972. It went into decline due to problems caused by human settlement and lack of funds. This has resulted in little wildlife and game...
— east of the Bangweulu Swamps, no facilities, little wildlife - Kafue National ParkKafue National ParkKafue National Park is the largest national park in Zambia, covering an area of about 22,400 km² . It is the second largest park in Africa and is home to over 55 different species of animals....
— world-famous for its animals, one of the world's largest national parks, several lodges - Kasanka National ParkKasanka National ParkKasanka National Park is a park located in the Serenje District of Zambia’s Northern Province. At roughly 390km2, Kasanka is one of Zambia’s smallest national parks. Kasanka’s situation is interesting as it is the first of Zambia’s national parks to be privately managed...
— privately operated, south of the Bangweulu Swamps, one lodge - Lavushi Manda National Park — south-east of the Bangweulu Swamps, no facilities, little wildlife
- Liuwa Plain National ParkLiuwa Plain National ParkThe Liuwa Plain National Park lies in Western Province, Zambia, west of the Barotse Floodplain of the Zambezi River near the border with Angola.-History:...
— in the remote far west, no facilities but some large herds of animals - Lochinvar National ParkLochinvar National ParkThe Lochinvar National Park lies south west of Lusaka in Zambia, on the south side of the Kafue River.The national park straddles two of Zambia's ecoregions: Zambezian and Mopane woodlands in the south, and Zambezian flooded grasslands over most of the park...
— a small park world-famous for bird life and herds of lechweLechweThe Lechwe, or Southern Lechwe, is an antelope found in Botswana, Zambia, south-eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo, north-eastern Namibia, and eastern Angola, especially in the Okavango Delta, Kafue Flats and Bangweulu Swamps....
, one lodge - Lower Zambezi National ParkLower Zambezi National ParkThe Lower Zambezi National Park lies on the north bank of the Zambezi River in south eastern Zambia. Until 1983 when the area was declared a national park the area was the private game reserve of Zambia's president. This has resulted in the park being protected from the ravages of mass tourism and...
— east of Lusaka, offers good wildlife viewing on the Zambezi River; one lodge - Luambe National ParkLuambe National ParkLuambe National Park is located in the Eastern Province of Zambia. The park is situated north-east of the famous South Luangwa National Park, and south of the inaccessible North Luangwa National Park. Like its neighbours, it is located in the Luangwa River rift valley.The small park lies on the...
— a small park, close to South Luangwa National Park, recovering after previous neglect, one new lodge - Lukusuzi National ParkLukusuzi National ParkLukusuzi National Park is located in eastern Luangwa Valley in Zambia, on the other side of the Luangwa River from the more famous South Luangwa National Park. It lies between the smaller Luambe National Park and the Chipata-Lundazi road. Much of the park is plateau dissected by rocky ridges and...
— east of Luambe, undeveloped but with potential - Lusenga Plain National Park — east of Lake Mweru, no facilities, no easy access, little wildlife
- Mosi-oa-Tunya National ParkMosi-oa-Tunya National ParkMosi-oa-Tunya National Park is an UNESCO World Heritage site that is home to one half of the Mosi-oa-Tunya — 'The Smoke Which Thunders' — known worldwide as Victoria Falls on the Zambezi River...
(Victoria Falls National ParkMosi-oa-Tunya National ParkMosi-oa-Tunya National Park is an UNESCO World Heritage site that is home to one half of the Mosi-oa-Tunya — 'The Smoke Which Thunders' — known worldwide as Victoria Falls on the Zambezi River...
) — the small park for Victoria Falls on the edge of the city of LivingstoneLivingstone, ZambiaLivingstone or Maramba is a historic colonial city and present capital of the Southern Province of Zambia, a tourism centre for the Victoria Falls lying north of the Zambezi River, and a border town with road and rail connections to Zimbabwe on the other side of the Falls...
(where accommodation is available), includes a small 'safari park' - Mweru Wantipa National ParkMweru Wantipa National ParkMweru Wantipa National Park is named after Lake Mweru Wantipa in the Northern Province of Zambia. Once hosting abundant wildlife including lion, elephant, and black rhinoceros, it has had no management and protection for several decades, and lacks visitor facilities...
— no facilities, neglected, little wildlife but has potential for redevelopment - North Luangwa National ParkNorth Luangwa National ParkNorth Luangwa National Park is a national park in Zambia, the northernmost of the three in the valley of the Luangwa River. Founded as a game reserve in 1938, it became a national park in 1972 and now covers 4,636 km²....
— this reserve has no facilities and is closed except to specially-licensed tours - Nsumbu National ParkNsumbu National ParkSumbu National Park lies on the western shore of Lake Tanganyika near its southern extremity, in Zambia's Northern Province...
(also known as Sumbu) — once ranked with Kafue and Luangwa, needs redevelopment but has good wildlife potential and offers lakeside game viewing, three lodges - Nyika National Park — famous for its highland scenery and vegetation rather than wildlife; one lodge, but reached from the park of the same name in MalawiMalawiThe Republic of Malawi is a landlocked country in southeast Africa that was formerly known as Nyasaland. It is bordered by Zambia to the northwest, Tanzania to the northeast, and Mozambique on the east, south and west. The country is separated from Tanzania and Mozambique by Lake Malawi. Its size...
- Sioma Ngwezi National ParkSioma Ngwezi National ParkSioma Ngwezi National Park is a 5000-square-kilometre park in the very south west corner of Zambia. It is undeveloped and rarely visited, lacking roads and being off the usual tourist tracks, but this may change in the future....
— in the remote far south-west, no facilities but some large herds of animals - South Luangwa National ParkSouth Luangwa National ParkSouth Luangwa National Park in eastern Zambia, the southernmost of three national parks in the valley of the Luangwa River, is a world-renowned wildlife haven. It supports large populations of Thornicroft's Giraffe, and herds of elephant and buffalo often several hundred strong, while the Luangwa...
— world-famous as an icon of African wildlife, numerous lodges - West Lunga National ParkWest Lunga National ParkWest Lunga National Park is a remote wildlife haven in dense forest in the North-Western Province of Zambia. It lies between the West Lunga River and Kabompo River about 10 km north of the gravel road from Solwezi to Kabompo, and covers about 1700 km²....
— no facilities, no easy access, neglected, little wildlife but has potential for redevelopment.
Administration
The national parks are administered by the Zambia Wildlife Authority, an autonomous body responsible to the Ministry of Tourism, Environment and Natural Resources. This Authority took over from the former National Parks and Wildlife Service which suffered from chronic underfunding. Consequently of the 19 parks, five have never had management or facilities and have very little wildlife: Isangano, Lavushi Manda, Lusenga Plain, West Lunga, and Mweru Wantipa; three have substantial wildlife but have hitherto been left undeveloped as a matter of policy or because a neighbouring park has been favoured: North Luangwa, Luambe, and Lukusuzi; and three have wildlife but have been too remote to develop: Liuwa Plain, Sioma Ngwezi, and Nyika Plateau. Of the remainder, most are in quite good shape, except Nsumbu, which went through a decline due to a lack of transport infrastructure, and the zoological park section of Mosi-oa-Tunya National Park which needs rehabilitation.In approximate order of importance in terms of wildlife resources, the eight main functioning parks, all with access and accommodation are:
- South Luangwa National ParkSouth Luangwa National ParkSouth Luangwa National Park in eastern Zambia, the southernmost of three national parks in the valley of the Luangwa River, is a world-renowned wildlife haven. It supports large populations of Thornicroft's Giraffe, and herds of elephant and buffalo often several hundred strong, while the Luangwa...
- Kafue National ParkKafue National ParkKafue National Park is the largest national park in Zambia, covering an area of about 22,400 km² . It is the second largest park in Africa and is home to over 55 different species of animals....
- Lower Zambezi National ParkLower Zambezi National ParkThe Lower Zambezi National Park lies on the north bank of the Zambezi River in south eastern Zambia. Until 1983 when the area was declared a national park the area was the private game reserve of Zambia's president. This has resulted in the park being protected from the ravages of mass tourism and...
- Nsumbu National ParkNsumbu National ParkSumbu National Park lies on the western shore of Lake Tanganyika near its southern extremity, in Zambia's Northern Province...
- Kasanka National ParkKasanka National ParkKasanka National Park is a park located in the Serenje District of Zambia’s Northern Province. At roughly 390km2, Kasanka is one of Zambia’s smallest national parks. Kasanka’s situation is interesting as it is the first of Zambia’s national parks to be privately managed...
- Lochinvar National ParkLochinvar National ParkThe Lochinvar National Park lies south west of Lusaka in Zambia, on the south side of the Kafue River.The national park straddles two of Zambia's ecoregions: Zambezian and Mopane woodlands in the south, and Zambezian flooded grasslands over most of the park...
- Blue Lagoon National ParkBlue Lagoon National ParkBlue Lagoon National Park is a small wildlife haven in the northern part of the Kafue Flats in Zambia's Central Province. It covers about 500 km² and is very accessible, being about 100 km west of Lusaka .-Ecology and wildlife:...
- Victoria Falls National ParkVictoria Falls National ParkOpen to visitors throughout the year, the Victoria Falls National Park in north-western Zimbabwe protects the south and east bank of the Zambezi River in the area of the world-famous Victoria Falls...
See also
- Wildlife of ZambiaWildlife of ZambiaThe wildlife of Zambia refers to the natural flora and fauna of Zambia. This article provides an overview, and outline of the main wildlife areas or regions, and compact lists of animals focussing on prevalence and distribution in the country rather than on taxonomy...
- Ecoregions of ZambiaEcoregions of ZambiaThe biomes and ecoregions in the ecology of Zambia are described, listed and mapped here, following the World Wildlife Fund's Global 200 classification scheme for terrestrial ecoregions, and the WWF freshwater bioregion classification for rivers, lakes and wetlands.Zambia is in the Afrotropic...