The Amatololo Experience Offers Wild, Authentic Safaris

Zambia’s long-held secret is stepping out of the shadows

At African Overland Tours, we’ve long pioneered the routes through South Luangwa. However, the horizon is expanding. We are excited to spotlight a new conservation-first initiative in the North, The Amatololo Experience, which represents the future of rugged, sustainable overlanding in Zambia.

The Amatololo Experience is a fantastic safari tourism initiative within Zambia’s remote North Luangwa Valley. I say ‘fantastic’ because it offers a hidden and wild safari experience while also being designed to support conservation efforts and the local economy. So everyone – and everything – benefits.

The Amatololo Experience is centred on North Luangwa National Park, a sweeping stretch of wilderness inhabited by many of Africa’s most iconic wildlife, including the Big Five. The name Amatololo actually means ‘wilderness’ in the local Bemba language.

The park’s deep-below-the-radar reputation means visitors enjoy what’s likely the most authentic and uncrowded safari of their lives. The Amatololo Experience tagline says it well: “Discover North Luangwa, Zambia’s most secluded safari destination”.

What is the Amatololo Loop?

The Amatololo Loop, or Amatololo Circuit, is a 200 km (124 mi) driving route within North Lunagwa National Park (NP). It’s the centrepiece of the Amatololo Experience.

The loop lets you explore a diverse and largely undisturbed terrain, which includes mopane and miombo woodland, ebony groves, grasslands, stands of vegetable palm trees, and alluvial thickets. There are also a few picturesque waterfalls punctuating the landscape.

Where is North Luangwa National Park?

North Luangwa National Park (NP) sits in eastern Zambia, within the Great Rift Valley. It’s the northernmost of Luangwa Valley’s three national parks and covers 4,636 km² (1,790 mi²).

The park (and region) is named for the Luangwa River, which is one of Africa’s largest undammed rivers and forms the eastern border of the park. This life-giving water source, along with the Mwaleshi River, is what sustains the wonderful density of wildlife within North Lungwa NP. More on that in the section below!

3 Reasons to Plan an Amatololo Experience

Here are three compelling reasons to go on safari in North Luangwa …

1. The Wildlife Viewing Is Exceptional

There aren’t many parks in Africa where you can find all of the Big Five (because black rhinos are so rare), but North Luangwa NP is one of them. In fact, the park is home to Zambia’s largest bush elephant population.

The park also has healthy populations of lions, leopards, painted dogs, hippos, hyenas, cheetahs, warthogs, and crocs, among other sizeable animals. Then there are some exciting endemic species you will hopefully spot, such as Cookson’s wildebeests, Crawshay’s zebras, and Thornicroft’s giraffes (also called Luangwa giraffes, as the Luangwa Valley is their only home).

As many as 270 bird species have also been recorded in the park. These include rarities like the Chaplin’s barbet, which has a striking red patch around the eye, Grimwood’s longclaw, which also has a red patch but on its throat, and the small, round, and sweet-looking churring cisticola.

2. North Luangwa Is a Remote, Wild, and Crowd-free Destination

Unlike Africa’s well-known and busy national parks, where you often find a dozen or more vehicles crowded around exciting wildlife moments, North Luangwa NP receives very few visitors. The park is therefore the perfect destination for anyone seeking a quiet, uncrowded safari. And if you enjoy being that person who gets to tell others about places and experiences they’ve never heard of – then this is most certainly the overlanding adventure for you!

What’s more, you can enjoy wild swimming in certain places – though this should only ever be done in consultation with your hosts to ensure your safety. But what’s better than a cooling dip in a river under the African sun?

If you choose to stay within the park, you might like to stay at the self-supporting campsites. These are dotted along the circuit. Sometimes you have these all to yourself! They offer the perfect camping setup for anyone craving a wild, back-to-basics safari experience – no night-time light pollution, no buzz of electricity, just you and the wild.

That said, if you don’t want to camp, or want a luxurious camp, there are other accommodation options both within and outside of the park. These include community-owned ones that help to support the local economy. Speaking of which …

3. It Benefits Local Communities and Conservation Efforts

Choosing to visit quieter and lesser-known parks like North Luangwa helps to spread the negative impacts as well as the benefits of wildlife tourism. Our travel choices do matter.

What’s more, the Amatololo Experience has been especially designed with conservation and community impact in mind. It was spearheaded by the North Luangwa Conservation Programme. This programme is on a mission is to protect the North Luangwa ecosystem. It also aims to empower local communities to thrive through ecotourism. Its mission statement is “Linking Livelihoods and Landscape”.

So if you do an overlanding safari in North Luangwa NP, you can feel good that you’re contributing towards a tourism model that really does have the prosperity of both local communities and the environment at its core.

How to fit North Luangwa into your African Journey

While many of our Standard Zambia Itineraries focus on the established trails of South Luangwa, the North is the perfect ‘add-on’ or custom route for seasoned overlanders who have ‘seen it all.’ If you are looking to combine our classic tours with a wild extension into the Amatololo Loop, contact our experts to discuss a bespoke itinerary.

What Other Attractions Are near North Luangwa?

North Luangwa is ideally situated to be combined with a few of Southern Africa’s other great ‘secret’ safari and overlanding destinations.

The Bangweulu Wetlands. A little to the west of North Luangwa NP are the Bangweulu Wetlands. This is a very special place. Ramsar has designated it as one of the world’s most important wetlands. Moreover, BirdLife International has marked it as an Important Bird and Biodiversity Area. This watery paradise offers a wholly different sort of experience from the Luangwa Valley, and so pairing the two destinations provides a wonderfully diversified safari adventure.

The Highlands of Malawi and Lake Malawi. Yet another great nearby overlanding destination is Malawi, which is about a five-hour drive to the east. This small, lesser-visited nation is renowned for its friendliness and hospitality. Its western half is home to incredible highland safaris and adventure sports. Then, a hop and skip to the east and down the escarpment, you can enjoy all the water-based, wildlife, and cultural tourism offered by beautiful Lake Malawi and its fishing communities.

The Fruit Bat Migration of Kasanka. A little to the west of North Luangwa Valley is Kasanka National Park, where something truly special takes place every year. Between October and December, about nine or 10 million African straw-coloured fruit bats fly in from the Congo to the north to enjoy the fruit trees of Kasanka! It’s the largest mammal migration in the world, and the definition of spectacle. When in flight, the swarm dims the sky while their high-pitched chatter and beating wings create a unique soundscape.

Are you keen to book an Amatololo Experience?

Note that you need a fully equipped four-wheel drive vehicle and good off-roading skills to manage the rugged terrain of North Luangwa. The same goes for the above-mentioned surrounding areas.

If you’d like to see what else you can do in Zambia, check out these exciting Zambian overlanding itineraries.