Zambia · Southern Africa
Kafue and the Busanga Plains.
Kafue is one of the largest national parks in Africa and among the least visited for its size.
Photo Nicole Olwagen / Unsplash
The Busanga Plains in the north flood seasonally and then dry into open grassland where lion, cheetah and vast herds of red lechwe are the draw. Access is seasonal and the camps are few.
Kafue suits a traveller who has already done the Luangwa and wants somewhere genuinely quiet.
How big is Kafue National Park?
About 22,400 square kilometres, which makes it Zambia's largest national park and its oldest, proclaimed in 1950. It is roughly the size of Wales, with a small number of camps spread across it.
How do you get to Kafue?
By light aircraft from Lusaka or Livingstone to airstrips in the park, which is how the Busanga Plains in the far north are usually reached. The main road west from Lusaka to Mongu crosses the centre of the park, so the central and southern areas can also be reached by road in a few hours from the capital.
What wildlife is Kafue known for?
Leopard, lion and cheetah, wild dog, and a wider range of antelope than almost any other park in Africa: red lechwe and puku on the floodplains, sable, roan, oribi and sitatunga elsewhere. The Busanga Plains are the place for the open-country predators, the Kafue River for boating and birds.
Is Kafue or South Luangwa better?
South Luangwa has more concentrated game in a smaller area and a long tradition of walking safaris. Kafue is far larger and far quieter, with more varied habitat, from the Busanga floodplain to riverine forest and the Itezhi-Tezhi lake in the south. Travellers returning to Zambia often choose Kafue for that reason.
How long should you spend in Kafue?
Four to six nights, usually split between the Busanga Plains and a camp further south on the Kafue River, because the two areas are far apart and very different.
What is there to see in Kafue and the Busanga Plains?
What does Kafue and the Busanga Plains pair well with?
- South LuangwaSouth Luangwa is the home of the walking safari and one of the most concentrated wildlife areas in Africa.
- Lower ZambeziThe Lower Zambezi is a river park where canoeing and fishing sit alongside game drives, opposite Zimbabwe's Mana Pools.
- Victoria Falls and LivingstoneThe Zambian side of Victoria Falls gives the closest, wettest views, and Livingstone is the town that serves it.
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