This small, 410 sq km park, northwest of Monze, consists of grassland, low wooded hills and the seasonally flooded Chunga Lagoon – all part of a huge, impressive wetland site called the Kafue Flats. You may see buffalo, wildebeest, zebra, kudu and some of the 30,000 Kafue lechwe residing in the park. Bushbuck, oribi, hippo, jackal, reedbuck and common waterbuck are also here. Lochinvar is a haven for birdlife too, with more than 400 species recorded.
Its mudbanks and shallows are a treat for wading birds. An excellent selection of wetland birds (including wattled cranes) occur near the ranger post along the edge of Chunga Lagoon.
For history and geology fans, Gwisho Hot Springs is the site of a Stone Age settlement, today surrounded by palms and lush vegetation with steaming water far too hot to swim in. Nearby Sebanzi Hill was the site of an Iron Age settlement inhabited until last century. Keep an eye out for an enormous baobab tree with a hollow trunk big enough for a small number of people to sleep in. The tree apparently had special powers that would protect travellers passing by from animals.
Lochinvar was virtually abandoned in the 1980s; since then various developers have come and gone. Provided you bring all your own gear, you should be able to camp – ask the scouts at the gate for the latest on viable campsites within the park. Remember that facilities will be poor, and don’t forget to bring your own food.