The Kafue National Park in Zambia is not uncharted safari – we know it’s there. What it is, however, is untamed. Completely. When you view it on a map it’s more like a piece of land than a network of roads. This means that as the second largest National Park in Africa, it’s a fantastic place to lose yourself. Be it in a canoe or on the back of a 4×4 this is not a place of traffic jams and queuing behind that family with the loud children who you met at breakfast to get a glimpse of a leopard kill. Here, in the heart of Zambia, you can go your own way.
An African safari trip to Kafue National Park has it all. It goes without saying that each of the Big Five are found here. But that’s not what makes Kafue National Park exciting, rather it’s the extraordinary diversity of other species that give it its appeal. Think oribi, sitatunga, lechwe, sable, roan and puku – yes, you are probably reaching for Google already to see what these rare creatures are. Unlike the other parks in Zambia you can also find cheetah here. There are also over 500 species of bird that have been spotted.
Like a kid who helps an old lady across the road, it’s the northern part of Kafue National Park, the Busanga Plains that deserve a special mention. Set along the banks of the Lufupa River, the plains flood seasonally. The result of the flooding is fertile land which attracts both large herds of antelope (and with them, quite naturally, the predators who make lunch of them), and a wide variety of birds. Expect to see pelicans, openbill storks and Chaplin’s barbet. It is also one of the few known breeding sites in the world for wattled crane. Make sure your binoculars are close at hand.
