Hi everyone,

I have a question about the entry routes to South Luangwa NP in Zambia.

I know that the main gate is at Mfuwe and you can get there via a decent road from Chipata or (if coming from Lusaka) via a scenic but way slower (and impassable in wet season) through Petauke.

However, because i will probably not get a visa to Malawi in time (i'm Polish citizen and at least officially i can't get a visa on arrival at a land border) i'm looking into going to northern Zambia on the 'waterfall route' (Mumbulauma, Ntumbacushi, Lumangwe, Kabweluma, Kundabwika adn Kalambo) and then cross into Tanzania. However, i would like to avoid driving all the way back to Lusaka to get onto the Northern Highway, so - does anyone know about the conditions of other exit routes from SLNP?

I have a map in front of me that shows two other exits: one directly to the north to Mpika - but apparently it's a hard 4x4 route that shouldn't be attempted with just one car. The other one is to the west - to Musoro town. Tracks4Africa doesn't have that route - am i right in thinking it doesn't exist anymore? Or is it just seasonal.

Has anyone ever tried to go through either the northern or western exit from South Luangwa?

I will be grateful for any advice!

Andrzej

PS: I'm traveling in a 1992 Hilux SFA but with limited 4x4 experience.

PPS: I'm planning to be there at the end of June.

Whilst I can't give any definitive answers, I'd suggest dropping the same queries on the South African websites like www.landcruiserclub.co.za (land cruiser club) and on to www.4x4community.co.za

Good luck - amazing trip to undertake!
June is a great time of year there.

As said above, the best forum for posting this question is 4x4 Community Forum - Powered by vBulletin

However to answer your question, it is possible to drive out of South Luangwa National Park towards the Great North Road, BUT this is only possible in the dry season as a river crossing isn't sand-bagged until mid to late June. It is also a very intrepid route up the Mushinga Escarpment out of the Luangwa Valley. It requires good 4 x 4 experience. This track is called the "05" and goes from Mfuwe northwards, across the Mutinondo River, out the Chifungwe Gate, and then there is the intrepid steep, rocky, slippery ascent up the escarpment. Eventually, it reaches the Great North Road approximately 50 kms SW of Mpika. It is marked on Tracks4Africa.

As far as I can see from maps and Google Earth, there is no other route westwards out of the Luangwa valley. I cannot find Musoro on a map, but find it on Google Earth which makes me think it might be an error. There is no road up the escarpment marked near there on either maps or Google Earth. I have not checked Tracks4Africa.

There is another pretty intrepid route from South Luangwa to North Luangwa National Park - this route, again, is not passable until mid to late June as there is a hand-pulled pontoon across the Luangwa River which is not operational until after the rains (in fact, the whole of North Luangwa is closed from November to May/June due to the rains). This route from Mfuwe (South Luangwa) to Mwaleshi in North Luangwa NP took us 10 hours in late June 2014. North Luangwa is not open to independent campers, but there are community camps outside the park both on the eastern and western sides. Independent travellers are allowed to transit the park on some of the tracks. There is then a reasonable dirt road out of North Luangwa NP up the escarpment to the Mano Gate, and eventually this track joins the Great North Road at a village called Chitembo. These are all marked on T4A.

This is what I posted on the 4x4community forum:

The river crossing is only sand-bagged in June. It is a seriously intrepid bit of road down the escarpment. We came up it, and were very glad we weren't going down it - easier to see the route to take through the boulders, slippery gravel etc etc and the steep drop-offs.

Both the "05" and the corridor route are marked on Tracks4Africa. See above about road conditions and season. We met some Czechs at Kapishya Hot Springs in late June 2014 and they were in "shell shock" having done the "05" and it took them quite a few hours to do the 6km climb up the escarpment.

I'm an ardent follower of 4x4community.co.za - i have tried to register three times already (from three different emails and three different countries) but somehow the confirmation links are just not working .

Wazungu - thank you for the description, i have found your posts on 4x4community too. I guess i will ask the park officials once i'm in SLNP to hear the most up to date weather situation and then make up my mind.

Hi Vanshar,

I drove this route in May 2013. We started in Livingstone and took in Kafue National Park before heading up the Great East Road to South Luangwa. As far as I know, the road from Petauke directly north up to Mfuwe is non-existent in places. I would 100% recommend driving via Chipata.

To get onto the Great North Road the easiest thing to do is head into North Luangwa. This route from the top of SL to NL is fairly challenging - lots of river bed crossings - but doable with experience. You will cross the Luangwa pontoon which takes you over the Luangwa River and then head out on the north western side via the Mano Gate. As mentioned below this is challenging so you should be confident of your 4x4 handling skills.

All the best,

Jess

Re the route from Petauke to Mfuwe in South Luangwa Park... I rode that in late 2015 with three other guys. Totally doable!

It can be challenging depending on your skill level but capable / experienced off-road riders shouldn't hesitate to do that route. Weather permitting... mud would make it a bit of a nightmare. It was a dampish from recent rains when I rode it so bikes got stuck and spilled a few times, but nothing awful, most of the route was clear enough.

We were blocked a few times by elephants. Saw a dozen or so on the way in different spots. If anyone does the Petauke to Mfuwe route, get an early start. We started from Petauke a little before noon and between the elephants, spills and screwing around, just made Croc Valley Camp before dark. Where cold s awaited!

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Few more pix from the Petauke to Mfuwe route. The leopard is from a game drive in South Luangwa Park, not on the Petauke track!

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My main memory of a brief thought about crossing South Luangwa onto the Great North Road was the Tsetse flies - evil and very persistent - and we were in a Landcruiser. I don't know whether the situation has changed?