Blue Lagoon National Park

Blue Lagoon covers the northern edge of the Kafue Flats, a floodplain that fills and empties with the river each year, and its main sight is the Kafue lechwe: an antelope found only on these flats, with splayed hooves for running through shallow water, gathering in herds of hundreds. A causeway runs out into the plain and a viewing platform stands at the end of it. Waterbirds cover the shallows in the dry months as the water concentrates.

What you actually see

• The Kafue lechwe - the antelope endemic to these flats, in herds of hundreds.
• The causeway - the raised track running out across the floodplain.
• The viewing platform - the tower at the causeway's end overlooking the plain.
• The waterbirds - pelicans, storks and waders concentrating as the water drops.

When to go

June to October is dry and the causeway is passable. The floods from January cut access entirely. Early morning is best for birds.

Honest expectations

Floods cut the causeway for months and the park is then effectively closed. Facilities are minimal and the road in needs four-wheel drive. Lechwe numbers have fallen substantially over the decades.

Nearby

Lochinvar is across the flats to the south, and Lusaka is east.