Bicuar National Park

Bicuar covers around seven thousand square kilometres of miombo woodland, savanna and seasonal pans in southern Huila, gazetted in 1964. Wildlife was heavily depleted in the decades that followed and the park is now the subject of long-running recovery work, with antelope, giraffe and elephant present in small but increasing numbers and camera-trap surveys documenting what is left. Infrastructure is minimal and visits are arranged rather than turned up for.

What you actually see

• The miombo woodland - broadleaf woodland covering most of the park.
• The pans - seasonal waterholes that concentrate animals in the dry season.
• The recovering wildlife - antelope, giraffe and elephant in small numbers.
• The scale - around seven thousand square kilometres with almost no development.

When to go

June to October is the dry season, when animals concentrate at water and tracks are passable. The rains from November to April make much of the park unreachable. Early morning is the most productive time.

Honest expectations

Wildlife densities are low and sightings are not comparable with parks further south. There is no lodge, no fuel and no reliable water inside the park. Visits need a fully equipped four-wheel drive and arrangement with the park in advance.

Nearby

Lubango is northwest, and Mupa National Park is south in Cunene.