Lugenda Wildlife Reserve & Niassa National Park –

Tucked away in the extreme north of Mozambique, lies the remote Niassa National Park. It is a wildly beautifully game reserve that only few visitors have ever visited – it is considered one of Africa’s last great secrets. The region is characterised by a rugged beauty and pristine nature. Rocky outcrops pepper infinite open savannah grasslands alternating with lush forests. Lugenda seems to have been drafted on the drawing board of a safari landscape designer. Thousands of wild animals inhabit the 42,000 square kilometres large reserve between the rivers Rovuma, Lugenda and Lusanhando. The sheer remoteness and the relative inaccessibility of the region have preserved the rough and unrefined original nature of the game reserve. Estimates indicate that approximately 8,000 to 10,000 pachyderms (elephants, rhinoceros etc.), 5,000 Duicker, 2,000 buffaloes and 3,000 zebras inhabit the region, to name just a few. Unfortunately, there are only few hippos living in the rivers. They were heavily hunted by poachers in the past. However, crocodiles are plentiful. Kudus, impalas and antelopes are also abundant and, consequently, they attract plenty of predators. Lions, leopards, African wild dogs and hyenas all stalk the game, anticipating their chance to pounce. The Niassa Reserve is furthermore a paradise for bird watching enthusiasts. Extensive counts have identified approximately 450 species that inhabit the park. It is one of the most species diverse regions in Africa. Sometime investors can help preserve rather than blindly overdevelop a certain region. The investors and hotel group RANI has contributed greatly to protecting large parts of the region: The Lugenda Wildlife Reserve, in short LuWiRe. RANI subsequently also set about to create the Lugenda Wilderness Camp, the only accommodation in the entire Niassa National Park. The camp is very small and it is recommendable to place a reservation long before the intended trip. The Niassa Park is the perfect choice for those travellers that look for an adventurous destination in an unspoilt setting complemented by plenty of wildlife. No other part of Africa still radiates the original African flair of freedom and wilderness with such raw intensity as the Niassa Reserve does. Incidentally, a holiday spent in the Luwire can be wonderfully combined with a beach or diving holiday on the pristine Quirimba Archipelago. Talk to the experienced team of INTOSOL travel consultants, who have personally visited Luwire in November 2007 and can thus provide first-hand information.