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Kafue National Park & Busanga Plains

Track lions, leopards, and wild dogs across empty plains with the entire horizon completely to yourself.

Kafue | Busanga Plains | Walking Safari | Night Safari |  Frequently Asked Questions
Kafue | Busanga Plains | Walking Safari | Night Safari |  FAQs

One of Africa's Largest Wilderness Areas

Kafue is basically a massive, empty chunk of Zambia. It’s over twenty thousand square kilometers of raw wild space. To put that in perspective, you can drive for three days straight here and never pass another car. This giant landscape belongs entirely to the predators, giving them miles of open, grassy horizons to rule.

Up north, the trees totally drop away into the Busanga Plains, a flat, sun-baked arena that dries out completely from July onwards. Without the mass tourism, it is just you, a couple of tyre tracks, the empty grass, and the animals.

Activities in Kafue & Busanga Plains

These are the unforgettable experiences that await you

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Off-track game drives through predator country

Game drives here are miles away from the bumper-to-bumper tourist tracks of more famous parks. One day you’re bumping through the thick bush down south around the Nanzhila Plains, dodging low branches and scanning seasonal waterholes for leopards. The next, the landscape tears open into the flat grasslands of the northern Busanga Plains where lions, cheetahs, and wild dogs hunt in the open.

It is a massive park where you can explore for a whole morning without spotting another vehicle. You’ll be driving with one of our trusted local partners who has spent decades reading these plains, tracking paw prints through the dust, and navigating corners of the park where wildlife appears when you least expect it. It's the kind of place where the drive itself is the adventure.

Busanga Plains

The Busanga Plains are one of the most distinctive landscapes in Zambia. During the dry season, the floodwaters retreat and leave behind wide open grasslands dotted with small tree islands, attracting everything from lechwe and buffalo to lions, cheetahs and wild dogs. One of the more unusual sightings here is Busanga's tree-climbing lions, which are occasionally spotted resting in the branches of fig trees overlooking the plains.

Whether you find them in a tree or on the ground, game drives across Busanga are all about covering open country, scanning for wildlife and watching the plains come to life as the day unfolds. Early mornings are particularly special, with mist often hanging low over the grasslands as the first animals begin to move.

Explore the Kafue on a Walking Safari

Game drives are great, but stepping out of the car changes everything. Together with a national park scout and a local partner who has spent a lifetime walking these wild paths, you'll head into the bush on foot. Walking alongside someone who reads the language of the landscape like the back of their hand shifts your perspective.

You'll start noticing things that are easy to miss from a vehicle: fresh tracks, animal pathways, feeding signs, and clues about what was there only hours before. There is no metal car door between you and the bush here. Whether it's coming across a herd of antelope, watching larger wildlife from a safe distance, or simply experiencing the space, it makes you appreciate just how wild Kafue still is.

Night Drives in Kafue National Park

A lot happens in Kafue after the sun goes down. Heading out with a guide and spotlight after dark gives you the chance to explore a side of the park that most daytime game drives miss completely. Suddenly, you're looking for a completely different cast of characters. Leopards become more active, servals start hunting in the grass and bushbabies bounce between the trees.

Every set of eyes reflecting back from the spotlight could be something unexpected. Night drives also have a completely different feel to them. The temperatures cool down, the sounds of the bush change and you never quite know what might appear around the next corner. It's one of the best ways to experience just how much life there is in Kafue after dark.

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All frequently asked questions about Kafue and Busanga Plains

When is the best time to visit Kafue and the Busanga Plains?

Kafue is best visited in the dry season from June to October. However, the exclusive Busanga Plains are highly seasonal and only accessible from July to early November, as high water levels flood the camps and roads during the rest of the year.

How do you get to the Busanga Plains?

It takes a full day of driving along rough, dusty tracks. You'll travel in a 4x4 with your local partner at the wheel, stopping for a simple picnic lunch under the shade of a baobab tree along the way.

What makes Kafue different from other safari parks?

It comes down to space and the lack of crowds. Because the park is so massive and remote, you can drive for hours without seeing another car, giving you the wildlife sightings entirely to yourself.

Can I see the Big Five in Kafue National Park?

Kafue is home to lion, leopard, elephant, and buffalo. Rhino are not currently present, but the park makes up for this with incredibly rare sightings of wild dogs, cheetahs, sitatunga antelopes, and an unmatched diversity of bird species.

What wildlife can we expect to see?

You'll see massive herds of puku, red lechwe, and buffalo. It is also excellent country for predators, with healthy populations of lions, leopards, cheetahs, and wild dogs.

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