Kafue National Park Overview
Established as a National Park in the 1950’s by the legendary Norman Carr, Kafue National Park is located in the centre of western Zambia, spans an estimated 22400 square kilometers, is both the largest and oldest of Zambia’s National Parks and one of the largest in Africa. The Park is named after the Kafue river, which bisects it almost exactly north through to south, and is the largest tributary of the mighty Zambezi river. Thanks to its size and diversity of habitats, Kafue draws a vast variety of wildlife and birdlife species making it a fantastic attraction for visitors to Zambia.
The river feeds into the beautiful yet relatively undeveloped Itezhi-Tezhi Dam, an amazing spot for avid birders and fishermen alike. The Dam was built between 1974 and 1977 in a range of hills through which the river had eroded a narrow valley leading to the broad expanse of the wetlands known as the Kafue Flats.
The northern sector of Kafue is generally made up of endless flat, dry Mopane and Miombo woodlands, but with more picturesque scenery dappled among this where the landscape diversifies into rivers, floodplains and open grasslands dotted with islands of wild date palms, sausage trees and fig trees. It is in these areas where the wildlife tends to be more concentrated and where herds of red lechwe and puku as well as buffalo, zebra and wildebeest can often be seen. In the far north of the park, the Lufupa River flows into the Busanga Swamps which during the rainy months then floods out over the adjacent Busanga Plains. As the area begins to dry out around May, the plains are left as a lush carpet of vegetation attracting large herds of herbivores and high quantities of wildlife including painted dog, lions and cheetah. The Busanga Plains is without a doubt one of the highlights of Kafue National Park.
The southern sector of the park generally receives less rain than that of the north, and the vegetation is therefore less attractive for the wildlife and this combined with the sandier soils as the land stretches south towards the Kalahari and greater levels of poaching mean that the wildlife is undeniably lesser. This area of the park is more suited to those who are more adventurous, love exploring and exercise patience when it comes to wildlife sightings…. which can often be rewarded with some fantastic and unusual encounters.
With different environments to other parks within Zambia, the Kafue is fantastic when combined with other areas, and its low density of visitors make it a wonderful wilderness experience “off the beaten track” and providing one with a completely exclusive experience.
When To Travel
May to June
May is the start of the dry season when vegetation is still green and there is plentiful ground-water. It is cold at night and in the early mornings with temperatures ranging from as low as 6°C.
July to October
These are great months for game viewing as the rains have stopped and animals start to concentrate around water sources as the vegetation becomes drier and less dense allowing for easier game viewing. It is warm during the day with temperatures ranging between 25°C to peak temperatures in October averaging around 33°C.
November to April
The rains usually arrive late October, early November, a welcome relief for the landscape. November through to March are the hottest and wettest months and afternoon showers and thunderstorms are common. Daytime temperatures range from 28°C to 30°C, whilst night and early morning temperatures average about 18°C. The rains start to recede around April. Many of the camps are closed during this period as roads become inaccessible. This being said, one should not be put off by the wet ‘green’ season as there are some camps which remain open in the central northern section of the Park and the lush greenery is beautiful in stark contrast to the dry season.
Getting There
Kafue is located 360km from Lusaka and 200km from Livingstone and so it is accessible by road for self-drivers. The park is also accessible by plane, with many airstrips (some all weather) available for those who prefer to fly in via light air charter; such as Ngoma, Chunga, and Lufupa. The domestic carrier, Proflight, flies direct to Lufupa airstrip on Mondays and Fridays from Lusaka and between the peak season of mid-July to mid-August, it will add additional flights on Wednesdays and Saturdays.
Species
Wildlife
Thanks to its size and variety of habitat types, the Kafue National Park has an amazing diversity of wildlife with an estimated 158 recorded species across the park. Four of the Big Five (no Rhino) are present and it is renowned for its great leopard sightings. Although cheetah is a rarity for Zambia, cheetah can be found throughout the Kafue.
Kafue has an outstanding range of antelope, but you will need to travel the park extensively if you wish to see them all as different species tend to congregate in different habitats. The large herds of Kafue red lechwe which are endemic to the Kafue Basin, rich red colour with black on the shoulders, the rare puku and the shy sitatunga antelope can all be seen around the wet marshland areas and in particular in the Busanga plains.
Across the northern half of the park, there is a good range of mixed vegetation lending itself to kudu, bushbuck, eland, reedbuck, grysbok and the Defesa Waterbuck (an endemic species to the area). Crawshay’s Zebra with its thin dense stripes is another species endemic to the area.
Lions are relatively widespread throughout the Kafue, whereas leopard are seldom seen on the open plains but are commonly sighted throughout the forested areas of the park. Both Painted Dog and Cheetah appear to be thriving, with painted dog seen throughout the park and cheetah predominantly seen in the north of the park.
Aside from the Big Four, there are many smaller, interesting species to look out for including pangolin, aardvark, mongoose, civet, serval, caracal, wild cat, bush baby, honey badger and otters to name a few.
Birdlife
Kafue is renowned as a year-round birder’s destination with an estimated 495 recorded bird species suggesting that the park has probably the richest birdlife of any Zambian park. The best months for birding are November to April during the wet season when migratory birds are present. The Busanga Plains is one of the few known breeding sites for the endangered wattled cranes and it is not uncommon to see large gatherings of these rare birds, sometimes in mixed flocks with the iconic crowned cranes moving in search of food in what is referred to as mega-flocks. Other wetland species include the black heron, ibises, denham’s and kori bustards as well as spur-winged and Egyptian geese.
Notable and specialty bird species include the Ross’s turaco, Narina trogons, African finfoot, black-cheeked lovebird, Böhm’s bee-eater, racket-tailed roller, olive woodpecker, Pel’s fishing owl, yellow-throated leaflove, pale-billed hornbills, the miombo pied barbet and the miombo rock thrush among others.
Established as a National Park in the 1950’s by the legendary Norman Carr, Kafue National Park is located in the centre of western Zambia, spans an estimated 22400 square kilometers, is both the largest and oldest of Zambia’s National Parks and one of the largest in Africa. The Park is named after the Kafue river, which bisects it almost exactly north through to south, and is the largest tributary of the mighty Zambezi river. Thanks to its size and diversity of habitats, Kafue draws a vast variety of wildlife and birdlife species making it a fantastic attraction for visitors to Zambia.
The river feeds into the beautiful yet relatively undeveloped Itezhi-Tezhi Dam, an amazing spot for avid birders and fishermen alike. The Dam was built between 1974 and 1977 in a range of hills through which the river had eroded a narrow valley leading to the broad expanse of the wetlands known as the Kafue Flats.
The northern sector of Kafue is generally made up of endless flat, dry Mopane and Miombo woodlands, but with more picturesque scenery dappled among this where the landscape diversifies into rivers, floodplains and open grasslands dotted with islands of wild date palms, sausage trees and fig trees. It is in these areas where the wildlife tends to be more concentrated and where herds of red lechwe and puku as well as buffalo, zebra and wildebeest can often be seen. In the far north of the park, the Lufupa River flows into the Busanga Swamps which during the rainy months then floods out over the adjacent Busanga Plains. As the area begins to dry out around May, the plains are left as a lush carpet of vegetation attracting large herds of herbivores and high quantities of wildlife including painted dog, lions and cheetah. The Busanga Plains is without a doubt one of the highlights of Kafue National Park.
The southern sector of the park generally receives less rain than that of the north, and the vegetation is therefore less attractive for the wildlife and this combined with the sandier soils as the land stretches south towards the Kalahari and greater levels of poaching mean that the wildlife is undeniably lesser. This area of the park is more suited to those who are more adventurous, love exploring and exercise patience when it comes to wildlife sightings…. which can often be rewarded with some fantastic and unusual encounters.
With different environments to other parks within Zambia, the Kafue is fantastic when combined with other areas, and its low density of visitors make it a wonderful wilderness experience “off the beaten track” and providing one with a completely exclusive experience.
May to June
May is the start of the dry season when vegetation is still green and there is plentiful ground-water. It is cold at night and in the early mornings with temperatures ranging from as low as 6°C.
July to October
These are great months for game viewing as the rains have stopped and animals start to concentrate around water sources as the vegetation becomes drier and less dense allowing for easier game viewing. It is warm during the day with temperatures ranging between 25°C to peak temperatures in October averaging around 33°C.
November to April
The rains usually arrive late October, early November, a welcome relief for the landscape. November through to March are the hottest and wettest months and afternoon showers and thunderstorms are common. Daytime temperatures range from 28°C to 30°C, whilst night and early morning temperatures average about 18°C. The rains start to recede around April. Many of the camps are closed during this period as roads become inaccessible. This being said, one should not be put off by the wet ‘green’ season as there are some camps which remain open in the central northern section of the Park and the lush greenery is beautiful in stark contrast to the dry season.
Kafue is located 360km from Lusaka and 200km from Livingstone and so it is accessible by road for self-drivers. The park is also accessible by plane, with many airstrips (some all weather) available for those who prefer to fly in via light air charter; such as Ngoma, Chunga, and Lufupa. The domestic carrier, Proflight, flies direct to Lufupa airstrip on Mondays and Fridays from Lusaka and between the peak season of mid-July to mid-August, it will add additional flights on Wednesdays and Saturdays.
Wildlife
Thanks to its size and variety of habitat types, the Kafue National Park has an amazing diversity of wildlife with an estimated 158 recorded species across the park. Four of the Big Five (no Rhino) are present and it is renowned for its great leopard sightings. Although cheetah is a rarity for Zambia, cheetah can be found throughout the Kafue.
Kafue has an outstanding range of antelope, but you will need to travel the park extensively if you wish to see them all as different species tend to congregate in different habitats. The large herds of Kafue red lechwe which are endemic to the Kafue Basin, rich red colour with black on the shoulders, the rare puku and the shy sitatunga antelope can all be seen around the wet marshland areas and in particular in the Busanga plains.
Across the northern half of the park, there is a good range of mixed vegetation lending itself to kudu, bushbuck, eland, reedbuck, grysbok and the Defesa Waterbuck (an endemic species to the area). Crawshay’s Zebra with its thin dense stripes is another species endemic to the area.
Lions are relatively widespread throughout the Kafue, whereas leopard are seldom seen on the open plains but are commonly sighted throughout the forested areas of the park. Both Painted Dog and Cheetah appear to be thriving, with painted dog seen throughout the park and cheetah predominantly seen in the north of the park.
Aside from the Big Four, there are many smaller, interesting species to look out for including pangolin, aardvark, mongoose, civet, serval, caracal, wild cat, bush baby, honey badger and otters to name a few.
Birdlife
Kafue is renowned as a year-round birder’s destination with an estimated 495 recorded bird species suggesting that the park has probably the richest birdlife of any Zambian park. The best months for birding are November to April during the wet season when migratory birds are present. The Busanga Plains is one of the few known breeding sites for the endangered wattled cranes and it is not uncommon to see large gatherings of these rare birds, sometimes in mixed flocks with the iconic crowned cranes moving in search of food in what is referred to as mega-flocks. Other wetland species include the black heron, ibises, denham’s and kori bustards as well as spur-winged and Egyptian geese.
Notable and specialty bird species include the Ross’s turaco, Narina trogons, African finfoot, black-cheeked lovebird, Böhm’s bee-eater, racket-tailed roller, olive woodpecker, Pel’s fishing owl, yellow-throated leaflove, pale-billed hornbills, the miombo pied barbet and the miombo rock thrush among others.
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