As marvellous as it is to preserve nature, conserve animal habitats and regenerate ecosystems, one has to spare a thought for those involved on both sides of the divide: the animals that must tolerate some level of human intervention for their survival and the humans, who really consider the animals’ needs and keep their intrusion into the world of the wild to a minimum.
With Zambia one of the favourite safari destinations in the world, hotels in Zambia benefit from an influx of tourists that are drawn by the prospect of seeing some of the magnificence of the country.
North Luangwa National Park can be accessed from hotels in Zambia via a charter flight, which is probably the quickest and easiest option out of the rail and road alternatives. It is there that you will have the rare privilege of a walking safari, where the chances of bumping into other visitors from hotels in Zambia are slim. Game drives are also an option, although limited in number and frequency in an effort to disturb the animals as little as possible.
Access to the park is permitted through accredited safari operators only, and is not open to the general public. Their presence was eventually allowed by authorities, who were persuaded that this could help curb poaching in the area. The land covers 4 636 square kilometers of genuinely untouched wilderness.
The book called The Eye of the Elephant (Houghton Mifflin) by researchers Mark and Delia Owens will give insight into the tremendous, life-threatening work they put in to saving the elephants in the area – not only by researching their behaviour in person with limited means, but also by educating the villagers against shooting them.
Hotels in Zambia like Southern Sun Lusaka are a fair distance from the park, which is on the western bank of the Luanga River and flanked by the Muchinga escarpment.
Guests from Hotels in Zambia can fly in to Mfuwe International Airport, which is about four hours away and arrange with a safari operator to be collected, or be brought in from the Mpika side of the escarpment.
It’s worth the effort for the experience of seeing plenty of animals – buffalo, lion, hyena, Cookson’s wildebeest, bushbuck, zebra, warthog, baboon, vervet monkey, puku and impala. It’s quite possible that you’ll see a kill too.For elephant and leopard sightings, chances are higher in the South Luangwa National Park.