The Long Haul to Liuwa Plains - June/July 2010 By Clive Lucas About a year ago whilst sitting on the Zambezi fishing for Tigers a bush buddy asked me if I had heard of the Liuwa Plains and would we like to join them on a trip there in 2010. I had not and so the interest and intrigue set in and plans were made for June/July 2010. The route was planned through Namibia with strategic stops to rest and take in some of the local camps but our sights were set on Katima Mulilo and into Zambia. Ideally this is where the trip starts as your roads up to here are tar and easy travelling - from here on it's off road and Africa at its best or worst - depend how you see it. Last top up at Pick n Pay and full fuel tanks as fuel in Zambia is scarce and double the Namibia price.... There are ideally 2 routes to Liuwa and both start at Katima, over the boarder and up the M10 - a very bad gravel road that is due for revamping by the Chinese over the next 2 years. Our first stop was the Sioma Falls camp 120km up the road which has a stunning camp site on the Zambezi with basic amenities and a lodge section if that's your style with a good chef and meals. Run by Hans from Denmark it's a good spot to stay and take his boat to visit one of the most spectacular falls on the Zambezi, the Sioma or Nyonye falls. They are even more spectacular at this time of the year with a lot of water passing over them. The following morning is an early one as your next stop is Kalangola - this is where the road stops at the pont and the only 2 routes north are separated: - Route 1 - in the dry season takes you across the pont and onto a road north to Mongu and then across the dry flood plains to Kalabo. This was still flooded and totally impassable. - Route 2 - the only route in the wet season is a track west of the river running along side the flood plain to Kalabo. We had been told a lot about this route and 90% of it was wrong and misinformation indicating we would not make it through until late August when the water was lower. Well we did, and the only road to travel is the route along side the flood plain and not the higher road as this is close to impassable and full over grown. Once you cross the South Lueti river (the bridge is missing here but passable on the river banks) turn east and follow the flood plain road past the millions of villages and locals. We called this the Zambezi Riviera. The road turns west so that you can cross the Ndonde channel with 2 wooden bridges and then its thick sand to he tar which is about 25km from the town of Kalabo, the Parks Board offices and the pont. This section of road took us more than a day and we bush camped along the way arriving the next morning at Kalabo in time to sign in, pay our dues and cross in Liuwa plains. The Liuwa Plains are not very well know as a park and possibly because its difficult to get there unless you fly in on an organised tour. Run by the African Parks Zambia under the management of Craig Reid, the camps are all unfenced and open to the Plains with sand roads. The local communities run the camps and can be seen in the park with their cattle alongside the wild animals. We stayed in Lyangu camp as all the wild life sightings were in the south portion of the park. Liuwa is known for its mass of wildebeest and their migration in November, Lady Liuwa the lioness, and now with her 2 male buddies, the 2 packs of wild dogs and the abundance of bird life. During our 3 night stay we were lucky enough to see the wild dogs take down a young wildebeest, find the lions twice and many hyena and lists of birds most seldom seen in our part of the world. Contrary to our info there were many thousand wildebeest beginning to mass on the Plains and not a lot of water so driving around was very easy. The sheer beauty of the plains is amazing and being the only outside group in the park at the time gave us the feeling of space and freedom. Would I do it again - yes I would and the sooner the better because if the Chinese do build a tar road north it too will become like all the other parks in our region - over crowded and over run with the masses. Should anyone wish to do the trip and requires any additional info or tracks I would be happy to assist. There are a number of tour guides who offer this trip as part of their guided adventures but all do it in November. My email contact is clivel@netactive.co.za     The African Parks Network Liuwa Plain National Park is situated in the Upper Zambezi flood plains of Western Zambia. The park covers an area of 3,660km2 of vast wooded islands, and the plain from which the park takes its name is 70km long and 30 km wide. The park plays a vital role in the Zambezi's catchment and is flooded from late December to June each year. This intricate ecosystem supports an abundance of wildlife including over 33.000 wildebeest, plentiful camivores and huge flocks of a great diversity of birds. This is one of the last remaining wilderness destinations in Africa. African Parks Zambia (APZ) has been responsible for the management of Liuwa Plain National Park since August 2003. APZ is a partnership between The African Parks Network, the Zambia Wildlife Authority (ZAWA) and the Barotse Royal Establishment (BRE), the traditional authority representing local communities. Liuwa Plain National Park is situated in the Upper Zambezi flood plains of Western Zambia. The park covers an area of 3,660km2 of vast grasslands and wooded islands, and the plain from which the park takes its name is 70km long and 30km wide. The park plays a vital role in the Zambezi's catchment and is flooded from late December to June each year. Liuwa also forms part of a remarkable annual wildebeest migration route. Herds cover 200km from an area to the northwest of the park in June to concentrate in the southern region of the park by November. In addition to significant wildebeest and Burchell's zebra family groups, Liuwa is home to tsessebe, oribi, Southern reedbuck, lion, spotted hyena and cheetah. Rarer species including wild dog and leopard have occasionally been seen. The park boasts an abundance of bird species, particularly during the rainy season. These include large populations of the endangered Wattled and Grey-crowned cranes, Marabou stork and pelican as well as migratory birds such as the Horus swift and Black winged pratincole. The presence of these and other species, including Southern ground hornbill, Bateleur and Martial eagle, make Liuwa an important bird conservation area. Liuwa Plain was accredited a national park in 1972 and has one of the oldest wildlife protection histories in Africa. It was originally declared a royal hunting ground and game reserve by the Litunga (the King) Lubosi Lewanika in the 19th century. Lozi people were originally placed in the park by the litunga as his official game keepers and their strong system of traditional practices, rules and regulations still exists today. 20,000 local people in 432 villages still have utilisation rights in the park and it is not unusual to see people walking their cattle through the park or fishing traditionally, sometimes involving up to 100 people. They also use many of the wild plants for traditional basket and mat making. The Lozi traditional system in the Liuwa area is run by the Barotse Royal Establishment. This is headed by the Litunga (the King) and the Ngambela (Prime Minister) based in Mongu. Locally, Chieftainess Mboanjikana has several Silalo Indunas (Area Chiefs) under her and village headmen under them. The Lozi are largely subsistence farmers growing maize, rice and cassava, and several keep cattle. Fish forms an integral part of local diets. As with the majority of national parks and protected areas in Zambia, Liuwa Plain is the official responsibility of ZAWA.