Close to the border with Angola, Kalabo is a small town situated on the southern banks of the Luanginga River in the Barotse Floodplain.

A small town with limited services for the traveler, Kalabo is the gateway to Liuwa Plains. Here you have to pay your park fees for Liuwa Plains National Park, before continuing to visit the park. A small airstrip is used by charter planes to fly into Liuwa Plains National Park.

AFRICAN PARKS:
You have to come to Kalabo to check in with the African Parks office in town (close to pontoon). You then have to use the pontoon to cross the river from Kalabo to the GMA which surrounds the park. (2019).

CELLPHONE:
There is service from Airtel and MTN here. (2019).

FUEL:
There is no fuel station in Kalabo which is the last town you pass through to reach the park from the south. Mongu is the nearest town to Kalabo, where you can purchase fuel. (2019).

GAS REFILL:
There is currently none. (2019).

HEALTHCARE:
There is both a hospital and clinic here, but for better services, its recommended to go to Mongu, the town just before Kalabo. (2019).

RESTAURANTS:
There are no proper restaurants here, there are just those for locals (local standard). Mongu the town before Kalabo, has restaurants.

ROADS INFO:
The road from Mongu to Kalabo is a brand new tar road and it takes about 45min to get to Kalabo. Allow for 1 hour as certain parts of the road are starting to show neglect. So the old floodplain crossing is not required. Be ready for very deep sand driving from Kalabo onwards to the Liuwa Plains National Park. (2019).

As you cross the pontoon you are faced with a deep sand ascent up the river bank. This is probably the most difficult 4WD part of driving into Liuwa Plains. The rest of the way via the GMA has deep sand tracks which requires 1st and 2nd gear driving and you will use alot more fuel than normal. A typical round trip from Mongu into the park with plenty of game viewing will probably require a range of about 500km. But add at least 25% to your fuel consumption as you will be driving in your low gears most of the time. (2019).

The other reason Kalabo exist is for trade towards the west of the country and even with Angola. Very adventurous travellers would be able to use this as a gateway to the eastern side of Angola. (2019).

SHOPS:
Have have to be self-sufficient in this park, and bring all your own provisions, like water and food. (2019).
You will only find basic supplies in Kalabo at a fresh produce market (eg. Tomatoes, onions etc), as well as a bakery. But you cannot depend on this. (2019).
There is a shop near the pontoon where you can buy beer and cold drinks. (2019).
There is no pharmacy. (2019).

The nearby town of Mongu is well stocked up. There is a well stocked Shoprite, bakeries, butcheries and stores selling camping, hardware and automotive supplies. (2019).

TOWING-SERVICE:
African Parks offers a towing service from the park to Kalabo - the number indicated is for African Parks. (2019).

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