Safari to Kafue

centred on the fabulous the Busanga Plains

At 22,500 square kilometres, Kafue is one of the largest national parks in Africa, similar in size to Wales or Massachusetts. It is a wonderful and relatively little-visited wilderness.

The main highlights are the Busanga Plains, a glorious wetland area to the north which is especially renowned for lions hunting buffaloes and motorboat safari on the lovely Kafue River.

Most of the park is covered by dry miombo woodlands mixed with open savanna grasslands and with a patchwork of open dambos, small grasslands which become marshy in the rainy season. There are also occasional outcrops of domed granite kopjes, some of which are tied in with important local superstitions and legends.

To the extreme south of the park the miombo forest gives way to mopane trees, which are better suited to a more sandy and arid environment. These woodlands tend to be more open and the wildlife tends to be more sparse. In the deep south, the Nanzhila Plains are attractive to light grazing antelopes in particular.

Connecting the two areas is the mighty Kafue River, lined by a thin belt of evergreen forest and flowing into the Itezhi-Tezhi Dam, a vast reservoir which lines the eastern border of the southern park.

When it comes to wildlife, Kafue is particularly renowned for its very wide range of antelopes and other herbivores, more than any other reserve in Africa. Particular sightings are red lechwes and pukus, plus zebras, blue wildebeest, kudus, bushbucks, elands, reedbucks, duikers, grysboks and defassa waterbuck.

The Kafue River and its tributaries themselves are a focus for wildlife, with large pods of hippopotamuses, herds of elephants and some of the largest crocodiles in Africa, we have seen one specimen that we estimated at 9 metres.

Lions are relatively widespread all over the park, but the larger males are increasingly uncommon due to poaching inside the reserve and trophy hunting in surrounding areas, with inevitable consequences for numbers as a whole.

Leopards are unusually common throughout the main forested areas, though they are seldom seen on the open plains. Spotted hyenas are also reasonably regular sightings. Cheetahs are not common anywhere, but they are most frequently seen in the Busanga Plains and Chunga areas. Occasional sightings of African wild dogs occur all over the park, but they are notoriously unpredictable.

Key areas

Kafue is divided into two roughly equal sections by the Great West Road.

Northern sector

The Northern Sector contains a generally more interesting range of landscapes and richer wildlife, making it a more obvious target for international visitors.

The majority of the land area is made up of endless dry mopane and miombo woodlands, really rather bland and uninteresting. But there are sweet spots amongst this landscape, rivers, floodplains and open grasslands, where the scenery is more picturesque and the wildlife more concentrated.

Lufupa

The Lufupa area lies in the heart of the Northern Sector, at the confluence of the Lufupa and Kafue rivers. This area contains a pleasant section of riverine forest and open grasslands which are relatively rich for wildlife. The motorboat safari along this stretch is also very pleasant.

Busanga Plains

The Busanga Plains area is the main highlight of Kafue National Park.

This significant but little-known wetland area is a little reminiscent of the Okavango Delta in Botswana. It is one of those magical locations in Africa which remains blissfully undisturbed, with beautiful landscapes which attract impressive concentrations of wildlife during the key dry season months.

During the Nov-Jun green season the area becomes virtually inaccessible, with the black cotton soil becoming impassable and much of the central areas becoming flooded by rainwater flowing in from the low hills to the north and west.

Between us here at ATR we have worked at least a dozen seasons in camps in Kafue and yet none of us have ever seen the place during this time of year, it can only be done by helicopter. We can only guess at how the place must turn into a paradise for birds, with wattled and crowned cranes and maybe even migratory pelicans coming in to take advantage of the fish-filled floodwaters.

Drained by the Lufupa River, by June the waters have usually receded sufficiently for the camps to open. As the dry season progresses and the seasonal waterholes out in the surrounding bush dry out, an increasing density of wildlife is lured into the remaining waterholes here on the Busanga Plains, making this a very rich area for wildlife Jul-Oct.

Perhaps the biggest highlight are the lions, which are here in large numbers, there are several prides. They tend to be most interested in the herds of buffaloes which congregate here, often thousands at a time, especially towards the end of the dry season. On a number of occasions we have seen the lions here enter a kind of killing frenzy, where they become seized by a blood lust and start to kill one buffalo after another, up to five in an afternoon. We have never seen or heard of such behaviour anywhere else in Africa. However this spectacle is rare and not to be expected.

The lions here also have the habit of climbing trees, something which two of us here at ATR, Greg and Lenny, discovered to their cost back in 1985 when they helped to first establish the very first Shumba Camp. They chose to place it below an enormous sycamore fig, only to find out that a large pride considered it to be very much their own home patch. After a sleepless stand-off which apparently lasted for several weeks, the lions backed off and left them to it.

The area is also particularly well known as a stronghold for rare red lechwes and the more elusive sitatungas, two semi-aquatic antelopes who thrive in wetland environments such as these.

We don’t want to give the impression that the Busanga Plains is one of the richest game areas in Africa, but as the wildlife populations continue to recover from historic poaching, the area certainly has become one of those very special places which experienced safari travellers specifically seek out.

Southern Sector

The Southern Sector of the park has historically been considered to be of lesser interest, despite the presence of the huge artificial Lake Itechi-Techi and a network of open floodplains around Nanzhila.

A combination of sandier soils as the land stretches south towards the Kalahari and greater levels of poaching mean that the wildlife is undeniably more sparse, but there are some reasonable safari areas just south of the main road.

Stretches of the Kafue River in this area are peppered with scenic rocks and small islands, making it a really attractive place for motorboat safari and canoe safari.

Kafue is generally considered to be the third best safari location in Zambia, after South Luangwa and Lower Zambezi, but the lower visitor numbers and more remote feel definitely increase its appeal.

The usual stay duration in Kafue is 3-4 nights in one camp or 4-7 nights split across two camps.

Seasonality

Safari in Kafue is very seasonal and careful planning is extremely important.

Early dry season : May-Jun

The May-Jun season is a period of transition from the hot wet summer to the cool dry winter. Although it is generally considered to be a decent time to visit, before the harshness of the main dry season kicks in.

In dry years the green season should be reaching an end, the long grass should be yellowing and the animals starting to move back towards the permanent water sources, all of which should lead to an increase in sightings.

In wetter years some elements of the green season conditions may endure all the way into June, making wildlife viewing a little more challenging.

However the Busanga Plains can remain very difficult to access and get around during this period, the black cotton soils here are famously sticky. Some camps get over this by maintaining a helicopter for transfers in and out, others delay their opening until conditions become easier.

During May-Jun, temperatures can drop pretty low during the night, but this has little adverse effect on safari, the days are gorgeous and there are virtually no insects around.

The majority of camps are significantly discounted during this period, perhaps 20% less than during the peak dry season.

Dry season : Jul-Sep

The Jul-Sep dry season is the classic time to visit Kafue and is generally considered to be the best time for wildlife viewing, as serious numbers of animals are drawn into the permanent water sources from the vast dry hinterland.

During Jul-Aug the cooler temperatures of the preceding season can continue, but this has little adverse effect on safari, the days are gorgeous and there are virtually no insects around. The weather during Aug-Sep should be perfect.

This is very much the high season in terms of prices. Visitor numbers are also peaking. Although this is rarely a major issue in Kafue, it’s worth considering some traffic avoidance measures during the planning process.

Hot season : Oct-Dec

The Oct-Dec hot season represents the transition period between the peak of the dry season and the start of the rains.

During this period the temperatures and humidities can become uncomfortably high in advance of the rains. This can be a very significant issue, especially since the vast majority of camps do not have air-conditioning.

If considerable rainfall does arrive (usually during December) it usually brings a blessed relief from the high temperatures, but can be heavy and prolonged.

Of course the animals are delighted to see the rain and may start to migrate outwards from the permanent waterholes, potentially causing a marked drop off in sightings.

Some of the camps close for the end of the season in November, others continue through to the Dec-Jan holiday season.

The majority of camps are significantly discounted during Nov-Dec, perhaps 20% less than during the peak dry season.

Green season : Jan-Apr

The period Jan-Apr is the main green season in Kafue, when the area experiences the majority of its rainfall.

At this time the landscapes tend to be verdant and beautiful, the animals well fed and there’s lots of babies around, providing a great contrast to the harshness of the dry season.

With the wildlife being more dispersed and the long grasses providing extra cover, wildlife viewing can be a good deal more difficult, usually causing a drop off in sightings.

The temperatures and humidities are usually higher than usual, although not usually to the extent of the preceding season. Conditions are usually pleasant enough.

It’s the Dec-Feb period which threatens the greatest chance of more cloud and rain, with safari conditions potentially becoming a good deal more challenging.

Most of the camps in Kafue are closed at this time, only those which are within easy reach of the Great West Road tend to stay open. These camps also tend to be significantly discounted throughout this season, perhaps 30% less than during the peak dry season.

Getting there

Kafue lies to the west of Zambia and is usually accessed by light aircraft services, coming in from Livingstone and out to Lusaka (for onward connections to South Luangwa).

It is also possible to transfer in by road from Lusaka, a journey of 6-10 hours depending on the camp.

Where to stay

The Kafue area contains around a dozen decent camps, clustered in three distinct areas. Although the majority of visitors choose only one stop, combining two or even all three of these areas can be a very attractive option.

The prime area is the Busanga Plains to the north, where the luxurious Shumba Camp is the stand-out option and the property which hosts most of the high-end one-stop visitors.

The Lufupa area, also in the north, really combines well with Busanga, especially when combining the superbly guided Musekese Kafue Camp and Ntemwa Busanga Camp.

In the southern sector the two stand-out options are Ila Safari Lodge and Kaingu Safari Lodge, the latter providing access to the canoeing sections of the main river.

the best time of year is the Jun-Oct dry season