Driving to Liuwa National Park in Zambia will take some serious 4×4 skills if you leave it too late. Once the rains come, the roads are difficult to traverse. The best time to go is between August and late November.
Getting there
Leave Pretoria on the N1, turn onto the N11 and cross into Botswana at the Groblersbrug border post (third-party insurance can be organised in advanced, free of charge, by emailing Kwa Nokeng Lodge at [email protected]). From there, travel via Palapye to Francistown on the A1 and turn onto the A3 to Nata. We overnighted at Nata Bird Sanctuary.
Continue north on the A33 heading to Kasane. Avoid driving into Kasane, by taking a left on the road to Kasane Forest Reserve. It’s a sandy, desolate road, but it saved us time and fuel. Once back on the A33 head towards Botswana’s Ngoma border post and cross into Namibia.
The road across the Caprivi Strip to the next border crossing at Katima Mulilo, 70km away, is tarred and you’ll cross into Zambia at the Wenela border (keep a look out for the immigration buildings on your left; they’re a tough one to spot behind thick bush and creepers growing along the fence). We did our final shop at the new Pick ‘n Pay centre in Katima Mulilo and refuelled. It’s cheaper to purchase fuel in Namibia.
Take the M10 gravel highway towards Sitoti. We overnighted at Kabula Lodge, about 60km from Wenela.
The Kalangola ferry is about 120km from Kabula Lodge and it’s here that the M10 splits; you can either take the pontoon and continue the journey north along the M10 or you can follow the more challenging western fork.
Continue along the M10 to Mongu, before setting off to Kalabo and Liuwa. You’ll need to stop to ask directions for how to get down a series of sandy roads, which eventually lead along a broken causeway to a small pontoon over the Zambezi River. Once you’ve crossed the river, follow the road until you reach Kalabo. Liuwa Plain National Park’s are at the end of the town and they’ll issue a map of the national park and give you directions to get there.
Take a 12-day Liuwa Plain National Park expedition and experience the raw wonder of Zambia with Getaway Adventures.
The way back
I’d only recommend taking the western fork back down to the Kalangola ferry to serious 4x4ers who love a bit of bundu bashing or if it’s a guided trip in a convoy.
We took the western fork back down to Sitoti, but I’d only recommend it to hard-core travellers and couples who aren’t scared to test their relationships. The 192 kilometres did not take us three and a half hours as Google Maps suggested.
We overnighted at Sioma Lodge on the M10 and from there it’s a three-hour drive back to the Wenela border post. There’s a sneaky turn to the left just before the border post. Cross the Zambezi again (this time via a bridge) and make your way towards Livingstone.
Continue on the M10 for approximately 200km before reaching Livingstone. We chose to travel through Zimbabwe as we were keen to see the Victoria Falls and had heard that the road was in better condition than the A33 in Botswana. From Livingstone we drove via Victoria Falls on the A8 to Bulawayo – approximately 450 kilometres, which takes five hours. Drive along the A6 from Bulawayo to Beitbridge.
We entered South Africa at the Beitbridge border. It was a further 470 kilometres to Pretoria before our journey came to an end.
- At the time of travel, a Chinese organization was tarring the M10 highway in Zambia. The date of completion is unknown.
Where to stay en route
Nata Bird Sanctuary is a community based wildlife project on the Nata Pan, which forms part of the Makgadigadi Pans. It’s a rustic campsite with a small shop where you can only buy a few beverages. Camping and Pan access costs R70 a person a night. Tel +267-7154-4342, www.natavillage.org.
Kabula Lodge, is ideally situated on the M10, an hour and a half after the Wenela border post in Zambia. This made it an ideal stopover. It’s known for Tiger Fishing and their phenomenal views of the Zambezi. Camping costs R115 a person per night and the chalets range from R600 to R900 a chalet per night. Tel 082-672-5168, email [email protected], www.kabulalodge.com.
Mutoya campsite (Mongu), although we didn’t overnight in Mongu, it is the best option before heading to Kalabo and then Liuwa, which you can do in one day. Mutoya Campsite is located off the Mongu-Senanga Road. You can contact them via the Open Africa organisation. Camping costs R75 a person per day. Tel 021-683-9639, email [email protected], www.openafrica.org.
Liuwa Plain National Park Entry to the park costs US$40 (approx. R320) and camping costs US$10 (approx. R80) a person per day. There are four community campsites: Lyangu, Kwale, Sikale and Katoyana. The camps have cold showers and flush toilets (except for Sikale). Tel +26-097-961-1975, email [email protected], www.african-parks.org.
Sioma Camp is close to the main M10 Sesheke-Senanga road just south of the Sioma (Ngonye) Falls. The camp is perched on the banks of the Zambezi and consists of six luxury safari tents, with raised wooden decks and open-air bathrooms, and four standard safari tents. Self catering and camping options. Accommodation only is US$ 55 (approx. R442), B&B is US$ 65 (approx. R523) and full board (excluding drinks) is US$ 105 (approx. R844). Tel +26-0977-771098, email [email protected], www.siomacamp.com.
Vehicle information
The vehicle we used was a 2001 Toyota 3-door Prado
Your vehicle must have the following:
- 4×4
- Low-range
- Differential Lock (Diff Lock)
- High clearance for the sandy ‘middle mannetjie
* Preferably a diesel engine in the wet season so your engine doesn’t cut out when travelling through deep puddles. A snorkel would be advantageous but not vital to get through the deep puddles.
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