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Liuwa
Plain | Ngonye Falls
Kruger Park Photo Album |
Designed
for 600 x 800 resolution and 16 bit colour |
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 Zambia
is a landlocked country, bordered by lakes such as Lake Tangayika in the north and
rivers such as the Zambezi in the south. It is a country with numerous large
unspoilt wilderness regions and thrilling possibilities for adventurous travellers. |
Early in January 2000 I had an
opportunity of visiting the western part of Zambia's Barotseland for a couple of days. The
ancient kingdom of Barotseland covered an extensive area with the Zambezi floodplains as
the centre point. It is also in this region that the Zambezi River becomes one of Africa's
mightiest rivers before it plunges down the Victoria Falls. |
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| From Victoria Falls in Zimbabawe we
did a short flight in a light aircraft over the Zambezi River to Livingstone in Zambia.
From Livingstone we flew to the remote western part of Zambia known as Barotseland. After
flying along the floodplains of the Zambezi we passed Mongu before landing at Kalabo, the
largest village near the Angolan Border. Kalabo's airfield is the nearest landing strip to
Liuwa Plain National Park. |
Zambezi River
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Our aircraft at Kalabo airfield
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From Kalabo we continued our journey
by Landrover and crossed the Luanginga River to get to Liuwa Plain National Park. Liuwa
Plain NP (3,180 sq. km) is surrounded by the 70,000 sq. km Western Zambezi Game Management
Area (GMA), the largest GMA in Zambia. Access to Liuwa Plain NP is only possible with
4-wheeldrive vehicles. A small tented lodge is being built within the park. |
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| Luiwa Plain NP consists of a large,
flat, open, grassy plain about 80 km wide and almost 300 km long. The plain is fringed by
miombo woodland and a number of small wooded "islands" are dotted all over the
vast open plain. The sandy plain barely rises above the high flood level of the nearby
rivers. |
Wildebeest in a pan on the Liuwa Plain |
Crossing one of the numerous streams on the Luiwa Plain
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An impressive wildebeest migration
is one of the spectacular sights during the rainy season. This wildebeest migration, the
largest after the Serengeti migration, spends about 8 months on the Luiwa Plain. During
our visit the wildebeest were dispersed in many large herds which ensured an unforgettable
sight. Scattered herds of zebra were also seen. Oribi are very numerous and occur
everywhere on the plains. |
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Flame lily
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Wildebeest herds and water lillies on a flooded plain
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Hyaenas feeding on the remains of a wildebeest
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Hyaenas are very numerous and large
groups are often seen around kills. Other larger carnivores include lions, cheetah,
African wild dog and side-striped jackal. Large numbers of many bird species are
present during the rainy season. These include Spurwing Geese and Crowned Cranes. Hundreds
of Wattled Cranes can also be seen.
Ngonye Falls and Maziba Bay |
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Liuwa Plain
| Ngonye Falls
Kruger Park Photo Album |
|
 petri@petri.4mg.com
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Copyright © 2000 Petri Viljoen |
