Kafue National Park

Kafue covers around 22,000 square kilometres, making it one of the largest national parks on the continent and larger than several countries, yet it receives a fraction of the visitors of Zambia's smaller parks. Its northern jewel is the Busanga Plains, a seasonal floodplain that dries into open grassland where enormous herds of red lechwe and puku graze, cheetah hunt on the flats, and lions have a habit of lying in the fig trees. The south, around Lake Itezhi-Tezhi, offers miombo woodland, river game viewing and easier road access from Lusaka. It is a park for people who want space.

The landscape

• Busanga Plains - open floodplain with lechwe herds, cheetah and tree-climbing lions.
• Balloon flights - dawn ascents over the plains in season at some camps.
• The Kafue river - boat trips and hippo-lined channels.
• Lake Itezhi-Tezhi - the southern sector's lakeside game viewing.

When to go

The Busanga Plains are only accessible in the dry season, roughly late June to October, once the floods recede - camps there open and close with the water. The southern sector is reachable for a longer season. October is hottest and best for game concentration.

Good to know

The scale is the challenge: driving between sectors takes many hours on rough roads, and most visitors fly into the north. Busanga camps have a short season and book out early. Self-driving is feasible in the south with a good 4x4 but demands fuel planning. The park carries malaria risk. Tsetse flies are present in the woodland areas.

Nearby

Lake Itezhi-Tezhi, the Lusaka road and onward routes to Livingstone.

Key facts