Liuwa Plain National Park
Encyclopedia
The Liuwa Plain National Park lies in Western Province
, Zambia
, west of the Barotse Floodplain
of the Zambezi River near the border with Angola
.
of Barotseland by the king, Lewanika
, in the nineteenth century and became a national park
in 1972.
, about 40 km south which normally can only be reached from the provincial capital Mongu
by dirt tracks and a pontoon ferry over the Zambezi. Visitors need an off-road vehicle, and have to be completely self-sufficient. There is a camp ground in Kalabo, but no rest houses and no facilities in the park. As a consequence of all this it is rarely visited; according to the Bradt guide to Zambia, it received only fifty visitors in 2000 and 121 in 2002.
s and consists of a grass
y plain
with numerous pans, around which a variety of animals, including large mammal
s such as blue wildebeest
and tsessebe gather. It is also known for its diverse birdlife.
Major predators found here are spotted hyena
s and lion
s, one of which is the famous lioness known as Lady Liuwa.
Western Province, Zambia
Western Province, encompasses the area formerly known as Barotseland in the colonial era.-Districts:Western Province is divided into 7 districts:*Kalabo District*Kaoma District*Lukulu District*Mongu District*Senanga District*Sesheke District...
, Zambia
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....
, west of the Barotse Floodplain
Barotse Floodplain
The Barotse Floodplain also known as the Bulozi Plain, Lyondo or the Zambezi Floodplain is one of Africa's great wetlands, on the Zambezi River in the Western Province of Zambia...
of the Zambezi River near the border with Angola
Angola
Angola, officially the Republic of Angola , is a country in south-central Africa bordered by Namibia on the south, the Democratic Republic of the Congo on the north, and Zambia on the east; its west coast is on the Atlantic Ocean with Luanda as its capital city...
.
History
It was designated as a game reserveGame reserve
A game reserve is an area of land set aside for maintenance of wildlife for tourism or hunting purposes. Many game reserves are located in Africa. Most are open to the public, and tourists commonly take sightseeing safaris or hunt wild game....
of Barotseland by the king, Lewanika
Lewanika
Lewanika was the Lozi Litunga of Barotseland from 1878 to 1916...
, in the nineteenth century and became a national park
National park
A national park is a reserve of natural, semi-natural, or developed land that a sovereign state declares or owns. Although individual nations designate their own national parks differently A national park is a reserve of natural, semi-natural, or developed land that a sovereign state declares or...
in 1972.
Location and access
The park has no road access and no facilities, and is situated in one of most out-of-the way and least-populated areas of the country. The nearest settlement is the small town of KalaboKalabo
Kalabo is a small town and administrative district in the Western Province of Zambia, on the plains west of the Zambezi River and the Barotse Floodplain, about 70 km from the border with Angola.-Location:...
, about 40 km south which normally can only be reached from the provincial capital Mongu
Mongu
Mongu is the capital of Western Province in Zambia and was the capital of the formerly-named province and historic state, Barotseland. Its population is 44,310 , and it is also headquarters of Mongu District.-Geography:...
by dirt tracks and a pontoon ferry over the Zambezi. Visitors need an off-road vehicle, and have to be completely self-sufficient. There is a camp ground in Kalabo, but no rest houses and no facilities in the park. As a consequence of all this it is rarely visited; according to the Bradt guide to Zambia, it received only fifty visitors in 2000 and 121 in 2002.
Wildlife
Situated in the Western Zambezian grasslands ecoregion, it is bounded by the Luambimba and Luanginga RiverLuanginga River
The Luanginga is a river rising in Angola, which flows into the Zambezi in western Zambia....
s and consists of a grass
Grass
Grasses, or more technically graminoids, are monocotyledonous, usually herbaceous plants with narrow leaves growing from the base. They include the "true grasses", of the Poaceae family, as well as the sedges and the rushes . The true grasses include cereals, bamboo and the grasses of lawns ...
y plain
Plain
In geography, a plain is land with relatively low relief, that is flat or gently rolling. Prairies and steppes are types of plains, and the archetype for a plain is often thought of as a grassland, but plains in their natural state may also be covered in shrublands, woodland and forest, or...
with numerous pans, around which a variety of animals, including large mammal
Mammal
Mammals are members of a class of air-breathing vertebrate animals characterised by the possession of endothermy, hair, three middle ear bones, and mammary glands functional in mothers with young...
s such as blue wildebeest
Blue Wildebeest
The Blue Wildebeest , also called the Common Wildebeest, is a large antelope and one of two species of wildebeest. It grows to 115–145 cm shoulder height and attains a body mass of 168–274 kg. They range the open plains, bushveld and dry woodlands of Southern and East Africa, living for...
and tsessebe gather. It is also known for its diverse birdlife.
Major predators found here are spotted hyena
Spotted Hyena
The spotted hyena also known as laughing hyena, is a carnivorous mammal of the family Hyaenidae, of which it is the largest extant member. Though the species' prehistoric range included Eurasia extending from Atlantic Europe to China, it now only occurs in all of Africa south of the Sahara save...
s and lion
Lion
The lion is one of the four big cats in the genus Panthera, and a member of the family Felidae. With some males exceeding 250 kg in weight, it is the second-largest living cat after the tiger...
s, one of which is the famous lioness known as Lady Liuwa.