Luangwa: The Emerald Valley: At the very end of east Africa’s Great Rift Valley, there’s a ‘land that time forgot’ – the rolling grasslands of the Luangwa Valley. As we travel through the seasons, we find the secret to this Eden’s great riches – the annual flood of the mighty Luangwa River.
Travel to the far corners of the planet and discover the secrets of Earth’s few remaining untouched lands, all brimming with life. Helena Bonham Carter introduces us to some of the planet’s most stunning wildernesses around the world, and their beautiful and fascinating inhabitants. The filmmaker explores the remote areas across Earth that are untouched by human civilization and are flourishing with rich biodiversity.
Luangwa: The Emerald Valley
South Luangwa National Park is in eastern Zambia, the southernmost of three national parks in the valley of the Luangwa River. It is a world-renowned wildlife haven which is known to locals simply as “the South Park.” Concentrations of game along the meandering Luangwa River and its lagoons are amongst the most intense in Africa. The river teems with hippo and crocodile and provides a lifeline for one of the greatest diversities of habitat and wildlife, supporting more than 60 species of mammals and over 400 species of birds. It marks the end of the Great Rift Valley.
It supports large populations of Thornicroft’s giraffe, and herds of elephants and Cape buffaloes often several hundred strong. It is one of the best-known national parks in Africa for walking safaris. Founded as a game reserve in 1938, it became a national park in 1972 and now covers 9,050 km2.
The Park is unfenced and bordered to the west by a steep escarpment and to the east by the Luangwa River. The Luangwa Valley lies at the tail end of the Great African Rift Valley system, which extends 4,000 km all the way from the Red Sea down to the Pungwe River mouth in Mozambique.
The Muchinga Escarpment in Northern and Central Provinces forms the park’s western or north-western boundary. It slopes down from there to the river, lying mostly on its western bank. The eastern bank of the river is in Eastern Province, and as access to the park is only from that side, it is usually thought of as being wholly in Eastern Province.
