Kafue National Park
The Kafue National Park is one of the largest parks in Africa, covering an area of nearly 22500 sq.kms.
Much of the park is covered by miombo woodland, mixed with grassland, riverine thickets and open vleis. The north-west region of the park contains the Busanga floodplains which become accessible from late June to November.
There are three major rivers, the Kafue River itself and its perennial tributaries, the Lunga and Lufupa. The wildlife is impressive and the park is home to lion, leopard, wild dog, cheetah, zebra, elephant, giraffe, buffalo, Lichtenstein’s hartebeest, roan, sable, kudu and impala are found. Hippo frequent the permanent water channels. The birdlife is fantastic, with over 400 species recorded and large flocks of pelican, crowned crane and wattled crane gathering.
A highlight of the park are the Busanga Plains, an area of wide open grassland which become flooded during the rainy season (December to May). In the early season (May to early July), the Busanga is inaccessible by vehicle and activities (when camps are open) are limited to walking and boating, with unpredictable game viewing. Once the plains have dried up enough (usually by late July), game drives are possible and the Busanga can be enjoyed as an excellent big game destination.
The plains are known for their large concentrations of puku, lechwe, oribi, buffalo, hartebeest, wildebeest and zebra, whilst roan antelope are also frequently seen. Lion are the dominant predator in the region, but cheetah and hyaena are also often seen and leopard can be seen on the fringes of the grassland.
