Zambia - acknowledged as the Real Africa - is a large country with a relatively low density of people and a rich wildlife population. Rivers, swamps and lakes and varied vegetation create unique habitats for wildlife. Shaped like a butterfly spreading its wings in the heart of Africa, Zambia is a fascinating and exciting country. Culturally rich, with 73 languages, Zambia's people are its greatest delight.

Divided administratively into 9 provinces, it is bordered by Angola to the west, the Democratic Republic of Congo to the north, Tanzania to the north west, Malawi to the east, Mozambique to the south east, Zimbabwe and Botswana to the south and Namibia to the south east.

Zambia has 19 National Parks and 34 Game Management Areas comprising approximately 30% of the country. The best known of these is the South Luangwa National Park that forms part of the Great Rift Valley system that bisects the eastern part of the African continent. The impressive Muchinga escarpment forms the western boundary and to the east lies the scenic Luangwa River.

Proclaimed in 1972, the total area of the Park is 3500 square miles (9050 sq.km). The perennial Luangwa River, which eventually flows into the Zambezi, meanders along the eastern border, changing courses frequently and creating a series of oxbow lakes that provide water throughout the long dry season and account for the high density of resident mammal and bird species found in the Park.

Over 100 mammal species occur in the National Park and surrounding Game Management Area. The diverse and highly productive woodland and floodplain supports a large and varied population of herbivores, and this in turn supports a large number of carnivores.

The common herbivores include Impala, Puku, Common Waterbuck, Buffalo, Greater Kudu and Bushbuck. Other herbivores that can be seen range from the massive Eland to the tiny Sharpe's Grysbok as well as small numbers of Common Reedbuck, Roan and Lichtenstein's Hartebeest. Two sub-species endemic to the Valley are Thornicroft's Giraffe and Cookson's Wildebeest - the latter confined mainly to the northern sector of the Park. Crawshay's Zebra is a sub-species of the Plains or Burchell's Zebra that is common in the Park but it also occurs in southern Tanzania and northern Mozambique.

The Park is home to one of the largest concentrations of hippo in Africa, and the numbers of Nile Crocodiles is also remarkable. Several mammals, elephant in particular, are comparatively smaller than related species in other parts of Africa.

Hippo, giraffe and impala also fall into this category and the reason for this remains a mystery. On the other hand, Cookson's Wildebeest is somewhat larger than other wildebeest.

South Luangwa is also characterized by having a large number of elephants born without tusks due to a genetic anomaly, 38% are tuskless. The dramatic increase was the result of heavy poaching, sparing the cows and bulls without tusks.

South Luangwa is a paradise for ornithologists and bird enthusiasts and out of Zambia's 700 species of birds, over 450 have been recorded in and around the Park. The area is particularly rich in raptors and includes four species of vulture, various large eagles, smaller goshawks and sparrowhawks and a wide variety of owls including the amazing Pel's fishing Owl, a rare and often difficult to find species.

Botanically the Park is very rich in tree, shrub and flower species including several interesting orchids that flower at certain times of the year.

The Park contains a number of archaeological and historic sites such as petrified forests that are approximately 150-250 million years old, as well as several remains of old settlements (pottery shards, colorful Portuguese trading beads and 50 000 year-old stone age tools and sites).