Lochinvar National Park

Lochinvar National Park is particularly well known for the large herds of Kafue lechwe, unique to the Kafue flats. Other antelope are the blue wildebeest, kudu and oribi. Apart from buffalo, none of the Big Five is present. In some places, Burchell's zebra can also be spotted sometimes.

The Kafue Flats floodplain, in the northern section, floods from the Kafue River, and here you’ll find thousands upon thousands of the endemic Kafue lechwe, one of three subspecies of lechwe found in Zambia. More than 30 000 of them make the flats their home and move seasonally according to the flood level. 

The best time to visit Lochinvar National Park for wildlife viewing is during the dry season from July to October, when Animals gather around Chunga lagoon at this time. Also, the vegetation is thinner during these months, which makes spotting much easier.

Lochinvar National Park is an incredible birding destination, with over 428 species. Hundreds of wattled cranes can be seen feeding on vegetable matter dug from the soft mud and the large marabou stork scavenging for stranded fish. Around Chunga Lagoon you’ll find the greater and lesser flamingo, the pink-backed and white pelicans, the African skimmer, the Caspian tern, Baillon’s crake and the red-knobbed coot. Many species of duck are abundant in this environment; the black duck, fulvous duck, whistling duck, pintail, garganey, southern pochard, pygmy goose, yellow-billed duck and the Cape and European shovellers. Waders include avocet, the Mongolian, Caspian and Pacific golden plovers, whimbrel, turnstone, sanderling, little stint, spotted redshank, black-tailed and bar-tailed godwits and six species of sandpiper. Over 50 raptors occur including the black sparrowhawk, osprey, secretary bird, African cuckoo hawk and the peregrine falcon to name a few. 

Lochinvar offers a great birding experience throughout the year. However, the best time to visit is during the wet season from November to April. It is also the time when migratory birds are available and a lot of birds can be seen in breeding plumage. 

The best time to visit Lochinvar National Park for wildlife viewing is during the dry season from July to October, when Animals gather around Chunga lagoon at this time. Also, the vegetation is thinner during these months, which makes spotting much easier.