South Luangwa National Park

South Luangwa National Park - Zambia's premier wildlife destination	Junction of road to Mfuwe Main Gate and the Chinzombo Research Station	Welcome to South Luangwa National Park - many camps and lodges to choose from	Mfuwe Gate, South Luangwa National Park
View from the bridge just before the entrance station at the Mfuwe Gate	Regulations and Entrance Fees, South Luangwa National Park	Bridge over the Luangwa River at the Mfuwe Gate	Luangwa River with cloudy sky from the Mfuwe Gate bridge
An elephant in the bush just inside South Luangwa National Park	Mfuwe Lodge, South Luangwa National Park	Mfuwe Lodge, South Luangwa National Park	Baobab engulfed by a bush, South Luangwa National Park
Sausage Tree, South Luangwa National Park	Sausage Tree, South Luangwa National Park	South Luangwa National Park	Impala walking past a group of baboons, South Luangwa National Park
The evening game drive departs Wildlife Camp at 4 pm and leaves the park at 8 pm	Zebra at South Luangwa	Zebra in the road, South Luangwa National Park	Late afternoon, South Luangwa National Park
Zebra, South Luangwa	Driver joking that he fed his tourists to the lions	A pair of puku	South Luangwa National Park
Sunset, South Luangwa National Park	South Luangwa National Park	South Luangwa National Park	South Luangwa National Park
Night drive at South Luangwa - civet	African Civet (Civettictis civetta)	The nocturnal omnivorous African Civet in the spotlight	Grazing hippo, South Luangwa National Park night drive
My very first wild leopard	Leopard (Panthera pardus), South Luangwa National Park	South Luangwa has a well deserved reputation as an excellent place to spot leopards in the wild	While it was nice to get close, when we first found this leopard he was heading towards some unsuspecting impala
I'm surprised the Luangwa leopards haven't figured out that the safari vehicles go away at 8 pm and adjust their schedule	Leopard at South Luangwa National Park, Zambia	Leopard on a South Luangwa National Park night drive	The guide said this leopard is a young male, not full grown
Leopard at South Luangwa National Park, Zambia	Last shot of this leopard before he escapes into thicker bush	The spotter found the first leopard himself but got a tip on the radio of a second leopard	The second leopard, a fully grown adult
Ironic that I saw my first two leopards on the same day that my 400mm lens broke...	...not that a 400mm lens is any good for night drives... this is with a 24-120mm	It was a bit annoying that the driver really only cared about cats and blew right past just about everything else we say	Elephant caught in the spotlight, South Luangwa National Park night drive
The male of a South Luangwa pride of 19 lions - he doesn't seem very big to have so many females	16 female lions relaxing in the middle of the road, South Luangwa National Park	Loiness in the spotlight, South Luangwa National Park	Loiness in the spotlight, South Luangwa National Park
It's amazing that they really don't seem terribly disturbed by us and the spotlight	Loiness in the spotlight, South Luangwa National Park	One of the lionesses is radio-collared	Lionesses of the pride resting with the male in the background
Lions in the spotlight, South Luangwa National Park	16 of the 19 lions we counted here	Lions in the spotlight, South Luangwa National Park	High iso using the light of the full moon
South Luangwa lions	Another safari vehicle approaches the resting lion pride	Lions in the headlights	A civet caught in the spotlight at the end of a very productive night drive
Morning game drive at South Luangwa National Park	Entering the park for a second time	A tree full of roosting Yellow Billed Storks	Yellow Billed Stork in flight, South Luangwa National Park
Yellow Billed Stork in flight, South Luangwa National Park	Yellow Billed Stork in flight, South Luangwa National Park	Yellow Billed Stork in flight, South Luangwa National Park	Yellow Billed Stork in flight, South Luangwa National Park
Yellow Billed Stork in flight, South Luangwa National Park	Yellow Billed Stork in flight, South Luangwa National Park	Hippo skull, South Luangwa National Park	Impala, South Luangwa National Park
Impala, South Luangwa National Park	South Luangwa National Park	A ditch where the guide had found leopards during the day in the past	Impala, South Luangwa National Park
Puku by a stream, South Luangwa National Park	Zebra, South Luangwa National Park	South Luangwa National Park	Lilac Breaster Roller, South Luangwa National Park
Puku, South Luangwa National Park	Disturbed impala, South Luangwa	Hippos in the Luangwa River	Luangwa River, South Luangwa National Park
South Luangwa National Park	Morning tea break by the river, South Luangwa	An elephant on the edge of the bush on the opposite bank of the Luangwa River, not far from the Bush Camp	Zebra, impala and puku, South Luangwa
Impala, South Luangwa National Park	Impala, South Luangwa National Park	Young buck, South Luangwa National Park	Impala, South Luangwa National Park
Baby puku, South Luangwa National Park	Puku, South Luangwa National Park	Mixed herd of zebra, puku and impala at a waterhole, South Luangwa	Mixed herd of zebra, puku and impala at a waterhole, South Luangwa
South Luangwa National Park was originally founded to protect the Thornicroft's giraffe, found only here	Thornicroft Giraffe or Rhodesian Giraffe (Giraffa camelopardalis thornicrofti)	Thornicroft Giraffe, South Luangwa National Park	Thornicroft Giraffe, South Luangwa National Park
The giraffes at South Luangwa are a bit smaller than other species	Thornicroft Giraffe, South Luangwa National Park	Thornicroft Giraffe, South Luangwa National Park	Thornicroft Giraffe, South Luangwa National Park
Thornicroft Giraffe, South Luangwa National Park	Thornicroft Giraffe, South Luangwa National Park	Impala, South Luangwa National Park	Zambia10 2389.jpg
Puku by a stream, South Luangwa National Park	Grey Crowned Cranes (Balearica regulorum), South Luangwa	The game drives from Wildlife Camp restrict themselves to a tiny corner of a park near the Mfuwe Gate	Zebrastreifen
A pair of Impala running along the road	Waterbuck (Kobus ellipsiprymnus), South Luangwa National Park	Frisky puku, South Luangwa National Park	Lion resting under a bush, South Luangwa National Park
Lion, South Luangwa National Park	Lion, South Luangwa National Park	Lion yawn, South Luangwa National Park	Zambian Carnivore Programme
Saddle-billed Stork (Ephippiorhynchus senegalensis), South Luangwa	Saddle-billed Stork on a branch	Saddle-billed Stork (Ephippiorhynchus senegalensis), South Luangwa	Giraffe, South Luangwa
Giraffe, South Luangwa National Park	Private Tour	South Luangwa National Park - $25 per person/per day	Mfuwe Main Gate, South Luangwa
Entering at Mfuwe Main Gate for a second afternoon game drive	We talked Patsy into letting us start a little earlier so we had the park to ourselves for a bit	Impala jump high when crossing water to avoid crocodiles	On this game drive, the Germans all stayed in camp so I was put with two Zambians from a TV film crew
Impala jump high when crossing water to avoid crocodiles	Impala jumping, South Luangwa	Impala jump high when crossing water to avoid crocodiles	Waterbuck with impala and birds at a waterhole
Waterbuck, South Luangwa National Park	Waterbuck, South Luangwa National Park	Egyptian Geese, South Luangwa National Park	South Luangwa National Park
Elephant in an oxbow lake (billabong), a loop of the Luangwa River cut off from the main channel	Elephant in an oxbow lake, South Luangwa National Park	Big bull elephant with huge tusks, South Luangwa	Elephant, South Luangwa National Park
Lilian's Lovebirds (Agapornis lilianae), also known as Nyasa Lovebirds, South Luangwa, Zambia	A pair of Bushbuck, South Luangwa National Park	A pair of Bushbuck, South Luangwa National Park	End of the peace - the other lodge's vehicles are on the prowl for lions
Lake afternoon, South Luangwa National Park	Sunset, South Luangwa National Park	Looking across the Luangwa River to Wildlife Camp's Bush Camp	Sunset, Wildlife Camp
Hippo in the Luangwa River	This looks like the same young male we saw during the night drive two nights ago	He really doesn't look big enough to be the master of a pride of 18 lionesses	Male lion with a half-grown mane, South Luangwa National Park
Lion backlit from a second vehicle, South Luangwa National Park	Eyes of a Common Genet (Genetta genetta), rather shy and difficult to get close to	African porcupine we just missed crossing the road	A group of three Spotted Hyena (Crocuta crocuta)
Spotted Hyena (Crocuta crocuta), South Luangwa National Park night drive	Spotted Hyena (Crocuta crocuta), South Luangwa National Park night drive	Spotted Hyena (Crocuta crocuta), South Luangwa National Park night drive	No leopard tonight but we got a Scrub Hare