Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
come with amenities like satellite TV and nice modern bathrooms. There's a bar and res-
taurant on-site.
Getting There & Away
The public bus station is on the southeastern edge of town, behind the Catholic church.
Juldan and Shalom are the most recommended of the bus companies servicing the Lusaka
to Mongu route (ZMW150, eight hours).
A daily bus operates between Livingstone and Mongu (ZMW125, 10 hours) via
Sesheke, Kalongola and Senanga, but you might want to break up the journey in Senanga;
minibuses and pick-ups leave on a fill-up-and-go basis from here (ZMW25, 2½ hours).
Liuwa Plain National Park
About 100km northwest of Mongu,
Liuwa Plain National Park
( 0977 158733; li-
uwa@africanparks.co.zm; per person per day US$40; campsite per person US$10, scout
per day US$10)
is 3600 sq km of true wilderness on the Angolan border. A remote and
rarely visited wild grassland area (one distinctive landmark, the 'lone palm,' can be seen
from 40km away), it's where vast numbers of wildebeests and other grazing species such
as lechwes, zebras, tsessebes and buffaloes gather at the beginning of the wet season
(November). Although their gathering is often called a migration, it's more of a meander,
but the wall-to-wall herds are nonetheless spectacular. Roan antelope, wild dogs, cheetahs
and especially large and well-fed hyenas in particularly high numbers can be found in the
park. Birdwatching is also a highlight with water birds such as wattled and crowned
cranes, marabou, saddle-billed storks, herons, pelicans and egrets, among others, making
an appearance when the pans fill with water. In 2009, two male lions from Kafue were in-
troduced in order to mate with Liuwa's lone female. Although unsuccessful, two Kafue li-
onesses were then brought to Liuwa to mate with the two males; while one of the lion-
esses was killed in September 2010, efforts continue.
Although it became a national park in 1972, for years the park was in decline with no
government funds to rehabilitate it. However, an organisation called
African Parks
(
www.african-parks.org
)
, which assists African governments in funding conservation
projects, signed a lease agreement in 2004, and now manages the welfare and facilities of
the park.
