Liuwa Plain National Park
Tailor-made holidays to Liuwa Plain in Zambia
Liuwa Plain National Park (3,600 km2), one of the oldest protected areas in Africa, lies to the west of Kafue in Barotseland in Zambia. Despite the fact that it was only designated a national park as recently as 1972, this area was deemed as a game reserve by the then Lozi King, Lubosi Lewanika as early as the 19th century. To this day, Lozis and animals live here side by side in perfect harmony. Once a year, from spring in November, Africa's second largest wildebeest and zebra migration sets off from Angola.
Holidays to the lesser known Liuwa Plain
Liuwa Plain National Park is rarely visited, which is a shame because it holds staggering beauty. It is an unspoilt area of nature that is prone to dramatic thunder storms. The majority of the park consists of rolling yellow or green grasslands that are dotted with exotic palm trees, stands of trees and salt plains. The game here is equally as diverse as the birdlife and there is a real chance you will encounter a pride of lions. There are also zebras and even wild dogs.
Every year, Africa's second largest wildebeest migration sets off from Angola to traverse this area: from June, thousands of wildebeest occupy the plains of Liuwa and each year their numbers increase. They begin in the northwest and travel southwards in the rainy season, following which they return to Angola.
Kuomboka Ceremony
Every year in Liuwa Plain National Park, a Kuomboka ceremony is held on the Upper Zambezi River. This is the most popular cultural ceremony in Zambia. In Luyana, Kuomboka literally means to come from the water. When the Upper Zambezi River floods the Buloshi Swamps, usually at the end of March or beginning of April, the king leads his people to higher ground in boats. On the day before the ceremony, men playing Maona drums walk through Lealui, the capital of the Lozi Kingdom. The drums are played loudly as a means to announce the ceremony.
The ceremony originates from the time when the floods brought millions of white ants, which entered the houses of the local people and devoured them down to their foundations; hence the need to get the locals and their cattle to higher grounds
