Certain antelope species retreat upland to the park from the Bangweulu swamps to the northwest during the rainy season.

Lavushi Manda lies on the plateau area of Lavushimanda District between the Muchinga Escarpment and the alluvial flats of the Bangweulu floodplain.

Perennial rivers which drain the park are, from southwest to northeast, the Lulimala, Lukulu,[2][6] Lumbatwa[6] (including the Lubweshi) and Mufubushi.

[8][9] The Lukulu is normally a small river, but in December heavy rains begin which colour and raise the level of the water, and increase flows.

[citation needed] The habitats within the park are the Lavushi mountains, large dambo grasslands, woodlands, streams and rivers.

[citation needed] Miombo woodland is the principal type, especially in the hills,[2] characterised by a dominance of trees from the genera Brachystegia, Isoberlinia, Julbernardia and Uapaca.

[11] Agarista salicifolia was collected on Lavushi Mountain,[12] and Justicia richardsiae was found growing on hard laterite pan soil.

[14] In the wet season antelopes such as the roan, sable and hartebeest move upland to the area from the swamps of Bangweulu.

[14] A camera trap survey in 2017 found several herds of sable, and several bush pig, common duiker, reedbuck, bushbuck, aardvark, African civet and serval.

The designation included the nearby Luitikila Forest Reserve and Bangweulu Game Management Area, although the national park appears to be the only locality studied in 1998.

[16] Lavushi Manda is home to rock-associated species such as black eagles, Augur buzzards,[6][16] freckled nightjar, striped pipit, mocking chat and red-winged starling.

[16] A July 2018 visit under the eBird program also observed the following additional species in the park: cardinal woodpecker, emerald-spotted wood dove, ring-necked dove, black-backed puffback, white-breasted cuckooshrike, southern black flycatcher, fork-tailed drongo, red-headed weaver, black-crowned tchagra, tawny-flanked prinia, golden-breasted bunting, green-capped eremomela, chinspot batis, yellow-bellied hyliota and swallow-tailed bee-eater.

[1][7][10][14] The sunbird Nectarinia chalybea pintoi was collected in the park in 1954, when it was still a game reserve,[19] as was Apalis thoracica ssp.

[20] The apalis, Böhm's flycatcher, black sparrowhawk and Pel's fishing owl are also found in riparian forests.

[14] A sand snake identified at the time as Psammophis sibilans was collected in this region in 1932 ("Nsanga River" west of Lavushi), before it had even become a game reserve,[22] although recent studies of this species would likely classify it as either Ps.

[23] Similarly, Gerrhosaurus nigrolineatus was identified in the "Lavushi Hills" some time before 1934,[24] but a more recent taxonomy would possibly classify this record as G. intermedius, although it is essentially unclear.

[25] A herping excursion in December 2015 found the skink Mochlus sundevalli (at Fibishi Camp) and the chameleon Chamaeleo dilepis in the park.

[26] Possibly unique new forms of the skinks Trachylepis varia (on the mountain range) and T. striata were found in the park.

[citation needed] The top sportfish caught in the rivers here is a large, green fish locally known as mpifu (or ntifu?

[1] The barb Enteromius paludinosus[9] and Micralestes sardina were caught in the park in the Lukulu River, in the last case in fast-flowing waters with a rocky bottom and forested sides.

African carp (Labeo cylindricus), dwarf bream (Pseudocrenilabrus philander), a 4–5 cm Varicorhinus and the barbs Enteromius brevidorsalis and E. bifrenatus are found on rocky riffles and runs in the main river channel.

The Physonychis, Neobarombiella, Macrotoma and Eulepida were collected more than once, the marsh beetle and an unidentified species of Cicindelina were especially common.

The Kasanka Trust, which has been entrusted with operating the nearby Kasanka National Park,[2][29] extended its operations to Lavushi Manda with funding provided by the World Bank to build park infrastructure such as administrative buildings, a road network and a basic conservation centre.

[citation needed] Comprehensive large mammal counts were abandoned in the mid-2010s, but by 2017 a significant decline in the abundance of most antelope species since 2014 was apparent.

Additional law enforcement was funded by the World Land Trust, 25 village scouts were employed in 2017 from the Mpumba CRB to patrol the zone near the chiefdom, including the Luwombwa sector in the park and adjoining parts of Kafinda Game Management Area.

In 2017 Kasanka Trust relinquished management of the park back to DNPW, citing financial and managerial issues.