When can I visit the Busanga Plains?

Only in the dry months, from about June or July to October, when the floodwater has drained from the plains. The rest of the year they are flooded and the camps there are closed.

How does Kafue compare with South Luangwa?

Kafue is larger, emptier and less visited, a park of wide wetlands and woodland where visitors often have a sighting to themselves. South Luangwa has the denser wildlife on its river and the walking-safari tradition. Kafue suits a second trip, or a first one that wants space more than numbers.

Can I drive to Kafue from Lusaka?

Yes. The main road from Lusaka to Mongu crosses the park, and the camps on the Kafue river are reached from it in about a day's drive. The tracks inside the park call for a four-wheel drive, and the Busanga Plains in the north are usually reached by light aircraft.

Travel deep dive

Kafue: A Vast Park of River, Woodland and Floodplain

Kafue National Park covers a great tract of western Zambia, one of the largest national parks in Africa, with the Kafue river running through its length. In the south the river widens into Lake Itezhi-Tezhi; in the north it feeds the Busanga Plains, a floodplain that is open to visitors only in the dry months. Between them lie woodland and dambos, the grassy wetlands of the plateau, and the park feels wilder and emptier than the famous parks of the east.

Updated 2026-10-08

The Kafue river and the south

The main road from Lusaka to Mongu crosses the park, and most of its camps stand on the Kafue river within reach of it. The river is lined with tall trees and is explored by boat as well as from the tracks along its banks, with hippos, crocodiles and fish eagles all along it. Further south, Lake Itezhi-Tezhi spreads among drowned trees, a sunset place on the edge of the woodland.

The Busanga Plains

In the far north of the park, the Busanga Plains are a broad floodplain dotted with islands of trees. The rains flood them, and they open only in the dry months, from about June or July to October. Then red lechwe and puku graze the plains in great numbers, and lions hunt among them; the open country and the low morning mist make Busanga one of the most beautiful corners of any Zambian park.

The animals of the park

Kafue is a park of many antelope: sable and roan in the woodland, lechwe, puku and oribi on the wetlands and plains. Lions and leopards live throughout the park, cheetah are seen on the open plains and wild dogs range widely, while elephants and buffalo are present but fewer than in the Luangwa. The rivers and wetlands carry a rich birdlife.

Visiting Kafue

The camps on the Kafue river are reached by road from Lusaka in about a day, and some visitors drive on from them towards Livingstone and the falls. Busanga is usually reached by light aircraft. Drives, boat trips on the river and walks are arranged through the camps, and the dry season, from about May to October, is the time to come; much of the park is hard to reach in the rains.

This overview comes from Visaja's worldwide missions database (visaja.com), checked against official government sources; for binding answers, the mission itself always has the final word.