Bangweulu Swamps are similar in size to Botswana's Okavango Delta, but much less known and less visited. It has its own endemic species antelope (Black Lechwe) and home to one of Africa's most sought after rare birds, the strange looking Shoebill Stork.
The Shoebill is often likened to the extinct Dodo with its huge beak and Bangweulu is the only breeding ground in Southern Africa for these endangered birds. There are thought to be about 500 in this region. Though Bangweulu is not a National Park it is a RAMSAR site which protects it's wetlands and the lake. The area is home also to a profusion of birds including flamingos, pelicans, spoonbills and wattled cranes.
The region sits in a low lying basin where Lake Bangweulu is a central point. This wetland area received over 1400mm of rain each year.
The region is very seasonal in terms of what you can see and do. Early in the year the rains and flies make travelling difficult but can be rewarding for serious birders with many migrants around and birds in breeding plumage. Water levels are at their highest in March and the rains end usually some time in April. From then the water levels drop and the Shoebills are seen around the camp on the edge of the papyrus. June - July the seasonal plains and grasslands are exposed, huge herds of endemic Black Lechwe are seen here and it's a good place for game drives day and night. Genets, Civets, Mongoose and Jackals are often seen at night. August and September get very dry and bush walks and drives are popular - big fishing parties of storks can be found around waterholes. October, as for much of Zambia, Bangweulu is dry and dusty then followed in November and December the short rains which provide a flush of green and signal for the antelope to start having their young.
To see the Shoebills, even at the best time of year, you must be prepared to get wet! Much wading, poling in dug out canoes and boats can be involved in getting you to their breeding sites. They are usually seen around Shoebill Camp April - June. These birds stand up to 1.4m tall and have a massive bill - sometimes known as the 'whale-billed stork'. They feed on amphibians and large fish, especially lungfish and can remin still for hours waiting to strike their prey!
