Zambia's Kafue National Park

Useful Information

History

The area was protected as a reserve in 1924. In April 1950, the status was upgraded to a national park by the Governor of Northern Rhodesia. In the 1950s, the authorities began developing park infrastructure.

Infrastructure was required to provide visitors access to the area’s natural wealth. Surveying boundaries and roads and clearing sites for camps got underway. Authorities built airstrips and camps. After consultation with chiefs, the relocation of villagers out of the national park concluded in the 1960s. With permits, villagers were allowed to fish seasonally, harvest wood for fuel and building, pick fruit for sustenance and gather salt from the pans.

Wildlife

Kafue contains four of the Big Five, excluding the rhinoceros. Leopard are often encountered in forested areas. Large prides of lion, up to 20 strong, move throughout the reserve, and cheetah are found especially in the north. Kafue is also a stronghold for the endangered African wild dog. Although wild dog are never easy to see, Kafue provides a strong chance because the Greater Kafue ecosystem holds one of Zambia’s largest populations.

Elephant are abundant. The Kafue River and its tributaries contain large pods of hippo and some of the largest crocodile in Southern Africa. You will encounter herds of puku and red lechwe. Elusive species like blue duiker, yellow-backed duiker, sitatunga, roan and sable are regularly recorded. Other mammals include pangolin, aardvark, bushbaby, honey badger and more. It is a birder’s paradise, with over 500 species documented, including Zambia’s endemic Zambian barbet.

Vegetation & Terrain

Kafue is both the oldest and biggest national park in Zambia. The area is predominantly covered by miombo woodland, grassland and shrubland, although wooded grasslands, riparian forests and acacia woodland occur. Northern Kafue is known as the Busanga Plains: a rolling plateau of miombo woodland, mopane woodland and grassy dambos (shallow wetlands) in places. The area is veined by many tributaries of the Kafue River, which in turn create corridors of hardwood riverine forest, navigable by dugout canoes during the rainy season.

The park includes various wetlands, such as the Busanga Swamps in the far north-western region, the Kafue Flats, Lukanga and Lushwishi swamps, listed as wetlands of international importance under the Ramsar Convention. These lush areas and the variety of ecosystems are critical to the animals they support. Sycamore fig and baobab are prominent and culturally significant in the area.

Activities

A variety of safari opportunities are available. Birding safaris are popular in Kafue, and specialist birding drives accompanied by expert rangers are available. Day and night drives in 4x4 vehicles are an excellent way to view larger animals and cover more ground. Walking safaris offer a more hands-on way to experience the terrain. During the rainy season, safaris on the Kafue River using dugout canoes are a unique way to explore the surroundings.

At certain times of year, hot-air ballooning is available in the park, offering a breathtaking aerial view of the grasslands, wetlands and larger animals roaming the rolling plains. Sunrises and sunsets across this African safari are spectacular, and the area offers superb opportunities for photographers and cinematographers. Fishing is also allowed in the park; African pike and barbel are regularly caught off the banks of the Kafue River and its channels. At night, lie back and admire a sky crowded with stars.