Kafue National Park

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Kafue National Park, situated in west-central Zambia is the largest park in Zambia and one of the largest in the world (the park is the size of Wales and twice the size of Yellowstone National Park in the USA).

Kafue spills into three of Zambia's provinces and has an impressive range of over 400 species of birds and abundant wildlife, the only visible absentee being the giraffe.

The Kafue River and its tributaries help the great diversity of this landscape of rolling grass plains and forests. Much of the park is wooded but opens up at intervals to wide grassy clearings known as 'dambos', where antelopes are attracted to the good grazing. These are punctuated with termite mounds, spouting fig trees and phoenix palms. Predators such as leopard and lion are found here.

A dominant feature of the park is the Busanga Plains - a vast floodplain fed by the Lufupa River system. This floodplain has been known to recede in the dry season, often trapping hippo in shallow pools.

At Kafwala the river splits into channels creating foaming rapids. It rejoins and continues south to Itezhi-tezhi, where it is dammed to create a massive lake.

Getting Around

Roads in Zambia are often very poor and the ones in and around this park are no exception. Some are even impassable for a 4-wheel drive, so check your route first and avoid the rainy season (November to April/May). The easiest way to visit the park is to let one of the lodges fly you in from Lusaka, Livingstone or Mfuwe.

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