First established in the 1950s, Kafue National Park is the oldest and largest of Zambia’s national parks and the 2nd largest national park in the world. Kafue covers around 22,400 km² and is blessed with an abundant supply of water from several major rivers. Unspoiled, untamed, and vastly underrated as a safari destination, Kafue is slowly attracting more and more visitors who come to escape the crowds and lose themselves in a remarkably diverse natural landscape. The Park is home to four of the Big Five (sadly, no more Rhino), huge herds of plains animals and their predators, including a high density of leopards and large packs of wild dogs. The rivers support huge pods of Hippos and numerous very big Nile Crocodiles.
“Unspoiled, untamed, and vastly underrated as a safari destination, Kafue is slowly attracting more and more visitors who come to escape the crowds.”
The Busanga Swamps and Flood Plains are arguably the jewel in the Kafue crown, attracting thousands upon thousands of grazers like red lechwe, puku, buffalo, wildebeest, and zebra as well as several species of rare animals including pangolin, aardvark, civet, serval, wild cat, and honey badger. Kafue is also developing a reputation among birding enthusiasts due to the diverse habitats that provide homes for around 500 bird species. The wetlands support many species of Heron, Storks, Cranes, and Ibises, as well as Kori Bustards, Secretary Birds, and Geese. In the riverine vegetation, you can find many of the shy, secretive birds like the Narina Trogon, Olive Woodpecker, and Barbets, while the woodland areas have good populations of Hornbill, Barbet, Thrushes, Shrikes, and many more.
