4.9 /5
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Highlights

  • Excellent, highly diverse wildlife viewing
  • Recommended for predators – big cats, wild dogs, hyenas and crocodiles
  • Game drives, river safaris, night drives and guided walks
  • Comfortable en suite accommodation throughout
  • Stay at the heart of the famous Busanga Plains
  • Ideal for an off-the-beaten-track safari
  • Easy to combine with Victoria Falls

Overview

Zambia’s biggest conservation area deserves to be explored from top to bottom and this tour delivers just that. Starting in the open woodlands of the southern Kafue and working your way north to the legendary wetlands of the Busanga Plains, you stay at four different camps, each presenting a new aspect of this wild and wonderful park. Morning and afternoon game drives are the main focus but you’ll also explore rivers by motorboat and head out on foot with armed rangers and expert guides. And since some of the accommodation is set in private concessions adjoining Kafue, you can sit back on spot-lit night drives too – a rare treat in Africa – and even go on hot-air balloon safaris.

Another unusual aspect of this safari is that – despite its reputation for wildlife – the Kafue National Park is one of the least visited in the country, leaving you with uninterrupted views and exclusive game sightings. And there is plenty of game: the heavyweights such as elephants, buffalo and hippo are resident in large numbers as are all the big predators: big cats, wild dogs, hyenas and crocodiles. The Busanga Plains are particularly rewarding – a primal landscape of steaming sunrises and great herds of antelope preyed on by lions and cheetahs. And bird watchers will have their hands full: Kafue has a bird list of around 500 species.

Transfers between camps are by vehicle, allowing you to enjoy wildlife sightings all the way, and accommodation takes the form of comfortable chalets or tented suites, each with its own private bathroom and viewing areas. You’ll enjoy great food throughout – often served outside or even away from camp – and have the comfort of electric light in your tent and the convenience of a battery charging station and a laundry service. A tour aimed at delivering as much wildlife as possible, it will appeal to both safari veterans and first-timers, and the accommodation has been chosen to suit both couples and honeymooners as well as multi-generational families travelling together.

Summary

  • Tour Duration: 13 Days

Destinations Visited

Accommodations Visited

Zambia

Kaingu Safari Lodge

3 Nights
Day to day

Itinerary

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Days 1-4: The Southern Plains

Kafue National Park, Zambia
Detailed breakdown

Days 1-4: The Southern Plains | 3 Nights

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Kafue National Park, Zambia

The adventure begins with your arrival at Zambia’s Livingstone International Airport and a road transfer to Kafue National Park where you check in at Nanzhila Plains Safari Camp. This intimate lodge looks out over a ‘dambo’, a seasonal wetland that’s much frequented by wildlife. It’s the only accommodation in the southern Kafue and you have almost 3 000 square kilometres (1 160 square miles) of wilderness to explore with your guide. You may want to spend your time on game drives but there is also the chance to go on morning bush walks – an excellent way to see the smaller details. An area of open grasslands and dense woodland, it’s highly bio-diverse and a good place for lion, cheetah and wild dog.

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Days 4-7: Explore the Kafue River | 3 Nights

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After breakfast it’s a road transfer to Kaingu Safari Lodge, set in a private concession adjoining the Kafue Park. An owner-managed lodge on an especially picturesque stretch of the Kafue River, Kaingu offers both land and water safari activities in an area rich in wildlife, as well as spot-lit night drives in their concession. There is also the chance to visit a local community and gain an insight into life in big game country. Accommodation is raised above the ground and overlooks the river.

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Days 7-10: A Busanga Bushcamp | 3 Nights

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Kafue National Park, Zambia

The northern wetlands of Busanga have long had the reputation for the best game viewing in Kafue and Kasonso Camp sits at the heart of them. A no-fuss bush camp with thatched tented suites, Kasonso gives you the opportunity to explore the area thoroughly on morning, afternoon or even full-day drives. Busanga’s huge herds of swamp-loving lechwe antelope are the magnets that attract concentrations of big cats and wild dogs, but this is also a place of elephants and buffalo as well as rare sightings such as roan antelope and hippo grazing out of the water. The abundance of wildlife, the nature of the land and its natural light means that the Busanga Plains are especially good for wildlife photography.

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Days 10-13: A Riverside Lodge | 3 Nights

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Kafue National Park, Zambia

Your final accommodation – Kafue River Lodge – also sits on a private riverside concession next to Kafue Park, a location which lends itself to a great mix of activities: game drives, walks and boating safaris – you can even hop on a mountain bike for a different perspective. It’s a good time to catch up with home – the lodge has Wi-Fi – and you’ll love the comfort of your river cottage, complete with fireplace, freestanding bath and outdoor shower against a backdrop of chortling hippos in the river below.

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Day 13: Farewell to Kafue

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After breakfast at Kafue River Lodge you’ll sit back on a road transfer to Lusaka International Airport for your onward connection and the end of this safari. If you’d like to add on Victoria Falls or even a beach holiday after this tour, just let us know.

Inclusions tick icon

Inclusions

  • Scheduled activities
Exclusions tick icon

Exclusions

  • International flights
  • Airport taxes
  • All meals and drinks not specified
  • Tips and gratuities
  • Items of a personal nature