Found in the center of western Zambia, Kafue National Park is the oldest and largest of Zambia’s national parks. It covers a massive 22,400 sq km.

First established as a National Park in the 1950s by the legendary Norman Carr, Kafue is one of the largest national parks in the whole of Africa. Despite its size and prominent location only two hours’ drive from Livingstone, it remains little-known and largely unexplored with vast tracts of its virgin bush still untouched. Thanks to its size and variety of habitat types the Kafue holds a fantastic diversity of wildlife.

In recent years the Park has seen a well-managed growth in the number of Safari Camps and Lodges that operate in and around the Park. This new interest has brought with it more visitors and investment to the area, notably in infrastructure with a number of well-graded roads and airstrips.

As a consequence of the increasing interest and benefits in terms of investment this brings, the wildlife is beginning to enjoy an increased level of protection by the Zambian Wildlife Authority (ZAWA), always aided and supported by the operators in and adjoining the park.

Size of Kafue National Park Zambia

Located in the center of Zambia is Kafue National Park, and at a size of 22,400 square kilometers (approximately the same size as Wales), Kafue is the country’s largest national park.

Location of Kafue national park Zambia

Kafue National Park covers a massive area in western Zambia. It’s known for its abundant wildlife and the Kafue River, running north to south through the park. In the north, the fertile Busanga Plains are home to lions, zebras, abundant birdlife, and the sycamore-fig trees of Busanga Swamps. In the more remote south, elephants and antelopes roam the Nanzhila Plains, and hippos swim in the waters of Lake Itezhi-Tezhi.

How to get to Kafue national park Zambia

Travel 124kms to Kalomo on the excellent tar road, or T1 which heads to Lusaka. At Kalomo turn left through the open-air market, taking the D714 graded road for 74kms to the southern Dundumwezi Entrance Gate. This gate leads to Nanzhila Plains Camp, Ngoma, and Lake Itezhi-tezhi further north. Recent grading of the Dundumwezi road means that a trip from Livingstone to the Kafue is very doable, even within a relaxed half a day. The Kobil station at Kalomo is the last fuel before the park.

Things to do in Kafue National Park

Wildlife viewing

The Kafue is home to more species of ungulate than any national park south of the Congo Basin. Rare and elusive antelope such as the blue and yellow-backed duiker occur in the thickets, Sitatunga and lechwe in the swamps, roan, sable, and hartebeest in the miombo woodlands, the list goes on.

The park is regarded by those who know it as one of the best places in Africa to find a leopard. In certain areas and at certain times of the year these secretive and elusive predators are frequently seen, especially on night-drives (allowed in the Kafue) and even from afternoon boat cruises along the Kafue River in the hotter months when leopard come down to drink.

A rarity for Zambia is the cheetah. Cheetah cannot be found in the Luangwa or Zambezi national parks and only occur in the west of Zambia, with Liuwa Plains and the Kafue holding the last viable populations of this rare and charismatic predator. In the Kafue cheetah are not solely restricted to the plains, in fact, they do very well in mixed woodland and riverine areas, where they can be found preying on puku and impala, amongst others.

Bird watching

The Kafue is a birders paradise. Thanks to the outstanding array of habitat types, the plethora of bird species the Kafue houses stands at over 500 recorded species, roughly as much as the whole of Europe. With too many to write here, some notable ticks in the Kafue are as follows: Pel’s Fishing Owl, Black-cheeked Lovebird, Chaplin’s Barbet (Zambia’s only endemic bird), Wattled and Crowned Crane, African Fin-foot, Boehm’s Bee-eaters, the list goes on…

Walking Safaris

You will get to experience the African bush at its most intense. These safaris are usually overnight so you have the opportunity to camp in the bush.

Balloon Flights

At certain times of the year, you can explore the Park from an aerial perspective offering spectacular views of the terrain and wildlife.

Boat Safaris

The Kafue River offers a wonderful vantage point to view game coming to the river’s edge to drink or encounter water birds, hippos and crocodiles close up (quite safely!)

When to visit Kafue National Park Zambia

Temperature-wise the Kafue is wonderfully mild due to its altitude, averaging 1100m above sea level; it is generally cooler compared to the Luangwa or Zambezi valleys in October and November, and in fact, the Kafue goes sub-zero in winter (June-August) in some areas. The park is well serviced by a number of all-year-round airstrips, notably at Chunga, Ngoma, and Lufupa- these enable tourists to make the most of the park in any of its ever-changing seasons.

The dry season runs from June to October, with most of the park being inaccessible during the wetter months of November through to April. Inaccessibility however need not be a deterrent to those wanting to visit the Kafue in the ‘green’ season, as it is a spectacular time of year and the lush greenery of the bush is something really to behold. The trick is visiting the camps that do stay open for 12 months (or as close as possible to), Mukambi Lodge, Mayukuyuku, and Musekese Camp being some in the central/northern section of the park.

Where to stay in Kafue National Park

Several have been completely rebuilding and some are brand new. Each offers a different experience, yet all are closely involved with the park and its conservation.

Some of the camps include Shumba camp, Ntemwa Busanga camp, Musekese camp, Mukambi safari lodge, Ila safari lodge, Kaingu lodge, Mukambi plains camp, Fig tree camp, chisa Busanga and Busanga bush camp.

Camping is easily arranged at camps throughout the majority of the park.