Tourism is in its infancy in Angola’s Kavango Zambezi component, with access via the border crossing from Namibia at Rundu Border post. For those adventurous souls that wish to learn more about the Luengue-Luiana National Park where it has recently been recorded that there has been a mass return of elephants, buffalo, lion and giraffe among others to their original homeland, then read on
Luengue-Luiana National Park sits in southern Angola in the province of Cuando Cubango and is neighboured by Bwabwata National Park in Namibia to the south and Sioma-Ngwezi National Park in Zambia to the east. There is no doubt that this piece of Africa is ready to showcase itself to those who find they have Africa and adventure firmly in their heart.
The Government of Angola signed a Memorandum of Understanding with conservation organization African Parks to develop and enter into a significant 20-year management agreement for the rehabilitation, management and financing of Luengue-Luiana and Mavinga National Parks, the parks that serve as the northwest ‘anchor’ of the Kavango Zambezi TFCA.
The signing demonstrates the Government of Angola’s commitment to the conservation and protection of their globally significant natural resources. Luengue-Luiana and Mavinga National Parks are the two largest parks in the country, amounting to almost 90,000km2. Together, they make up the largest contiguous protected area landscape with National Park status in all of Africa.
This park has the potential to benefit the local communities through wildlife tourism once it becomes more established. For now, it is for the real adventurers among us. Those that want to venture into this park will be greeted by members of the Associação dos Fiscais de África – these are the game rangers protecting this great park among others. They will bear witness to incredible landscapes and returning game now that the country is at peace and has been since 2002. A study undertaken by Panthera from 2015 – 2017 resulted in some very exciting findings. Lion, wild dogs, cheetah, spotted hyena and leopard were all recorded. While lions, at that time, were very rare, with an estimated 10-30 individuals remaining, wild dogs and cheetahs were found to be surprisingly widespread, as were spotted hyenas and leopards.
This was a really significant discovery of cheetahs and wild dogs, two species that are facing severe conservation struggles elsewhere in their range. The team also observed significant numbers of prey species, including buffalo, sable, roan, and others. This backed up an aerial survey from around the same time, which estimated there to be a population of thousands of elephants, buffaloes, sable, lechwe, and over a thousand roan and kudu, among a variety of other species. The vast grasslands and abundant water provide incredible habitat for wildlife. With sufficient protection, there is no reason why Luengue-Luiana could not ultimately emerge as a significant area for the conservation of lions, wild dogs, elephants, and many other species and take the pressure off of neighbouring Kavango Zambezi TFCA countries who sometime battle with their over supply of elephants.
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