The beauty of the Kafue National Park - and the Busanga Plains in particular - is evident in its diverse habitats with floodplains, miombo woodland and open grassy areas known as dambos - creating a paradise for wildlife and birdlife. The Park boasts 55 large mammal species - including 20 antelope and 6 cats - and 491 bird species, including the endemic Chaplin's Barbet.
The Busanga area is home to thousands of red lechwe, ubiquitous puku, stately roan and sable as well as the diminutive oribi and blue duiker. Defassa waterbuck, herds of tsessebe, Lichtenstein's hartebeest, zebra and buffalo make for a full set of antelope. This wealth of game on the plains is also a big attraction for predators, with cheetah, leopard and African wildcat often seen, wild dog, pangolin, and caracal spotted occasionally, and prides of lion up to 20 strong.
The birdlife is certainly an attraction for many people visiting the Busanga Plains, including five species of rollers, six bee-eaters, nine kingfishers and fourteen egrets and herons. There are also specials, such as Wattled and Crowned Cranes, Fulleborn's and Rosy-throated Longclaws, Lanner Falcon and large flocks of Open-billed and Yellow-billed Storks.
Kafue National Park
At 22 500 square kilometres, Kafue National Park is one of the largest National Parks in Africa. It is fed by three rivers, the Lufupa in the north-west and the Lunga and Kafue in the north-east. The Lufupa River floods in the summer, creating a large floodplain delta system that attracts thousands of waterbirds. The Lunga and Kafue rivers are wide and slow-flowing, banded by riverine forest.
Habitats in the Park are diverse, and include floodplains, miombo woodland and dambos. It has good concentrations of plains game and their predators as well as the largest species diversity in Zambia, including animals that are rare or non-existent in other southern African countries, such as Lichtenstein's hartebeest, roan antelope, Defassa waterbuck and oribi. Birdlife is spectacular, consisting of 491 species.
In the extreme north of the Kafue lies the Busanga Plains - one of Zambia's most significant wetland resources and one of the few areas in the world that remain untouched by development and human activity. Covering 750 square kilometres of breathtaking wilderness, it is considered the jewel in the Kafue crown; hence Wilderness Safaris' interest in bringing guests to this spectacular area. This is the best area in Zambia to see cheetah!
