WILDWEST

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WILDWEST

Home to the second-largest wildebeest migration in Africa, Liuwa Plain National Park is located in the remote western corner of Barotseland, west of the Zambezi Floodplains.

Some 3 660 km³ in extent, the flat lands of Liuwa Plain lay between Luanginga River to the west and Luambimba River to the east. Bordering the Zambezi River floodplains in the east, the park’s plains are seasonally flooded, leaving behind pans which provide water for the game when the Zambezi subsides.

When the rainy season starts around November, massive herds of wildebeest arrive from the plains of Angola and follow the rains into Liuwa Plain. Zebra mingle with the wildebeest and form the second largest migration of these animals in Africa, after the well-known Serengeti migration. Travellers should also be on the lookout for oribi, tsessebe and roan antelope, as well as predators such as lion, wild dog, African wildcat, serval, cheetah and hyena.

The onset of the rains also brings migratory birds such as white bellied bustards, crowned and wattled cranes, sooty chats and large flocks of black winged pratincoles. There’s a total of 334 bird species found here with the Eastern Clapper Lark and Pink-Billed Lark being endemic to the area.

The best time to see the wildebeest migration is in November.

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