Nsumbu National Park

Nsumbu, also written Sumbu, covers around two thousand square kilometres on the southwestern shore of Lake Tanganyika, with escarpment, miombo and about a hundred kilometres of lake frontage including bays and rocky headlands. Elephant, buffalo and antelope use the bush, crocodiles and hippo the shore, and the lake itself holds the cichlid diversity Tanganyika is known for, so snorkelling and diving are possible in a way no other Zambian park offers.

The landscape

• The lake frontage - around a hundred kilometres of bays and rocky shore.
• The cichlids - the endemic fish diversity Tanganyika is known for.
• The escarpment bush - miombo woodland rising from the shore.
• The game - elephant, buffalo and antelope recovering under recent management.

When to go

May to October is dry with the best access and game viewing. The rains close roads from November. The lake is calmest in the dry months.

Good to know

Access is difficult by any route and the road option is very rough. Game numbers are well below the Luangwa parks after heavy past poaching. Accommodation is limited to a couple of lodges and camps.

Nearby

Niamkolo Church is east at Mpulungu, and Lake Mweru is west.

Key facts