BUSANGA PLAINS

The Busanga Plains are one of Zambia’s most prolific wildlife areas. Comprising a vast stretch of land in the farthest north-western section of Kafue National Park, it is a landscape of two halves. During the summer green season from about November to April, the wetland is flooded and only wooded islands are visible, making it akin to the Okavango Delta in Botswana. As the water recedes and the rich black-cotton soil dries out, the seasonal floodplain is a blaze of rich grassland, attracting herbivores in strong herds. This savannah almost matches its eastern cousins, the Serengeti in Tanzania and the Masai Mara in Kenya. And where there are grazers, predators are sure to follow…

Photo Credit: African Parks | Marcus Westberg

Surrounded by the Kasonso Busanga GMA (game management area), the Busanga Plains differ from the rest of Kafue’s miombo woodland by being dotted with date palms, sausage trees, occasional baobabs, fig trees and termite mounds. One special baobab is known as Mukondakamwale because legend has it that it enveloped three young women sheltering from a storm.

The Lafupa river, a tributary of the Kafue, feeds the area during the April to October dry season. Notable wildlife includes prides of black-maned lions thanks to an ongoing lion conservation project, herds of red lechwe (once teetering on the brink of extinction), cheetah and Chaplin’s barbet, Zambia’s only endemic bird species. The river supports two species of otter (clawless and spotted-necked) but they are very shy and tricky to see. Some areas may have tsetse fly but they are less prevalent in the dry season (avoid all blue and black clothing as these colours attract them).

The plains are a Ramsar birding site with at least 450 recorded species: summer migrants include lesser kestrel and Montagu’s harrier while birding ‘specials’ are Ross’s turaco and black-backed barbet. Look out, too, for wattled crane breeding sites.

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  • Area: 72 000ha / 178 000ac

The seasonal wetland or swamp is flooded once the summer rains start in about November, making roads difficult to navigate – thanks to the sticky black-cotton soil – until at least April. True drying out may take longer, and many lodges and camps only reopen in about June. The best time for game viewing is in the dry season between August and October when the floodplain is transformed into a golden grassland.

The flight from Lusaka to Busanga airstrip by light chartered aircraft takes about 1.5 hours, and generally only operates in dry season. It is possible to drive from Musekese in southern Kafue, which will take at least four hours. Distances are vast and the road network is not as developed as other national parks so be prepared.

The Busanga Plains support plentiful herbivores including rarer species like sitatunga, Lichtenstein’s wildebeest, Defassa waterbuck, oribi, roan and sable. All the more common grazers are also present such as elephant, buffalo, blue wildebeest, puku, impala, waterbuck, zebra, hippo in massive pods, bushpig and warthog.

Large predator highlights are black-maned lion, leopard, cheetah, spotted hyena, crocodile and wild dogs. Smaller carnivores include serval, caracal, African wild cat, civet, mongooses (Selous, white-tailed and marsh), honey badger and otter (clawless and spotted-necked).

As a Ramsar site, there is excellent birding in Busanga Plains. African fish eagles live on catfish but share the air with Chaplin’s barbet, wattled and grey crowned cranes, lesser kestrels, Montagu’s harriers, Ross’s turaco, black-cheeked lovebirds, rosy-throated longclaws, sooty chats, ground hornbills and black-backed barbets.

Look out, too, for all types of ducks, geese, rollers, eagles, vultures, shrikes, bee-eaters, storks, pratincoles and kingfishers, in addition to lapwings and spoonbills.

Once an ancient lake, the vast, flat plain floods every year once the rains arrive. Fishermen from villages in Kasonso Busanga take advantage of the network of channels between wooded islands to gather their haul during the official fishing season. Once the waters recede and the land dries out, thick grasslands spout, ideal hunting grounds for cheetah, wild dog and black-maned lion. Leopards tend to stick to the treeline and lodges tend to be built on higher ground overlooking the seasonal wetland, sheltered by date palms, fig trees and sausage trees.

While southern Kafue is dominated by miombo, Busanga shifts between a wetland and grassland over the year.

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