Drier than usual conditions owing to less summer rain have allowed Liuwa Plain National Park in Zambia to open early rather than closer to autumn as is more usual. The park opened on March 1.

Situated to the far west of the country (almost on the border with Angola), Liuwa Plain is a small conservation area that is home to the world’s second-largest wildebeest migration (the first being the Serengeti-Mara ecosystem across Tanzanian and Kenya).

“The drier conditions mean roads are now accessible and both self-drivers and guided game-drive vehicles can venture further in, in search of lion, cheetah, tsessebe (the fastest antelope in the world) and a jaw-dropping array of bird species,” Zambia Tourism said on its website.

Carnivores in the park are also reportedly thriving thanks to concerted efforts to protect remaining predators.

Liuwa Plain can be reached by road (M9 from Lusaka to Mongu, passing Kafue National Park on the way) or by private chartered flight to the airstrip (there are no commercial flights at present).

A full vistor’s guide to the park can be accessed here.