Busanga Plains - Kafue - June 2023
Zambia is thriving at the moment and is one of Africa’s hottest safari destinations at present. There are many great destinations such as South Luangwa and Lower Zambezi National Park however the country has other incredible reserves like the Kafue National Park, At over 2.2 million ha (approx. 5 million acres) it is one of the great game reserves of Africa. It is slightly bigger than Kruger Park, yet there are no fences and a fraction of the number of tourists. It is hard to manage such a park and prevent poaching however the Zambian government has recently partnered with African Parks, signing a management deal that will ensure the best possible conservation of the reserve going forward.
Kafue National Park has a huge variety of wildlife and large herds of some of the rarer antelope species. The reserve is largely dominated by thick woodland areas however in the south and far north are some endless open plains. In June of 2023, I headed up with guests and long-time friends to explore the region. What we found was incredible - magic scenery, huge concentrations of wildlife and the best part of it - so few other people around making this one of hte true exclusive wildlife destinations.
The photos below tell a story of this special part of Zambia…
A magical sunrise from Busanga Bush Camp - the misty conditions of the winter months provide excellent photographic opportunities
Huge herds of Red Lechwe congregate along the flooded Lufupa River with vultures perched on a stunning backdrop of white thorns (Acacia polyacantha)
Red Lechwe on alert with lions in the area!
Red Lechwe and lion meeting! This cropped image tells a story that unfolded in front of us (but at quite some distance) - a pride of lions ran in and grabbed a young lechwe which was just a good enough meal for one of the lionesses. However these antelope, in a bid to keep an eye on the danger, end up trailing the lions at close quarters and get very close to the lions - a couple of the older females are excellent hunters and almost lure them into deeper water where they have the advantage!
And then the most incredible site - we watched through binoculars as a lioness sprinted full speed at the Lechwe, chasing them through deep water. She tackled one with ease and suffocated it. This did not go unnoticed by a rather larger hippo who seemed to be very familiar with this situation. For he promptly challenged the lioness…
What happened next was incredible. There was a stand-off and some back and fourth until a truce was reached. Both the lioness and hippo fed off the carcass sharing the meal for at least thirty minutes. Many reference books will tell you hippos don’t eat meat. Some will say they will nibble on old carrion. This hippo seemed to really enjoy the fresh meat - at one stage he even flicked his head up (with behaviour that reminded me of a crocodile) and swallowed a chunk of meat. After this, the lioness pulled the carcass further away and was joined by the rest of the pride.
The lions vs Lechwe vs Hippo was a real highlight of the trip and provided some great viewing of these cats - the rest of the time we had some distant views and we also spotted this rather nervous male hidden up in the thick bush of an island.
Lichtenstein’s Hartebeest - an odd-looking antelope that is well represented in the area. In the Busanga they are found in some of the open areas but in other parts of the Kafue, they apparently occur in herds of 100 or more, often found on the fresh grass in the dambos, especially after fires.
Roan antelope occur in large herds in this part of Kafue - the reserve is a real stronghold for this species that is often shy and found in the thick woodland areas of parts of this continent. The Busanga Plains offers a great opportunity to see this species out in the open and in large herds. We saw one breeding herd of at least 25 and a few other smaller herds.
Magical sunsets are almost a daily occurrence in this part of the world! Snacks and treats with our excellent guide Willard!
Bird life was excellent and we saw over 100 species in a short time with many highlights. Here a western-banded snake eagle poses at last light.
We saw plenty of vultures - white-backed, white-headed, hooded and lappet-faced. These birds are not everyone’s favourites yet if you give them time and watch them squabbling over a kill they are incredibly entertaining.
It was very pleasing to see large flocks of grey-crowned cranes, some numbering over 100 strong. There were also lots of youngsters showing the area is conducive to breeding success. Together with this species, there were also good numbers of wattled cranes.
Never easy to leave such a place but we came back to our aircraft that had been parked for the duration of our stay - happy it had been left alone by hyenas! Not evident here are all the Tsetse flies which were a real nuisance in the woodland. Fortunately, the flood plain areas are free of these pests (which cause no harm other than some sore and annoying bites)!
Busanga Plains Map
Enjoying a hippo sunset with guests - the country has huge numbers of hippos and the concentrations here are incredible too!
Mammal list for Busanga:
Lion, Leopard, Buffalo, Elephant, Wildebeest, Red Lechwe, Impala, Puku, Oribi, Roan Antelope, Warthog, Zebra, Reedbuck, Bushbuck, Civet, Yellow Baboon, Vervet Monkey, Lichtenstein’s Hartebeest, Side-striped Jackal, Hippo
