Located in Zambia’s largest and most established national park, Mukambi Safaris offers a variety of safari accommodation options from which visitors can explore the vast, unspoilt wilderness of Kafue…
Images supplied by Mukambi Safaris and Wild Travel Media
Mukambi Safari Lodge
Stirring to the early morning chorus of hippo grunts and bird songs, you can’t help but get drawn out of bed to investigate. Stepping out onto your private deck, it’s a surreal moment to take it all in. A beautiful morning on the Kafue River welcomes you at Mukambi Safari Lodge.
Mukambi Safari Lodge – Images supplied by Mukambi Safaris and Wild Travel Media
Mukambi Safaris is situated in the vast Kafue National Park, the largest and most established national park in Zambia. Roughly the size of Wales, Kafue spans over 22,000km² of pure unfiltered wilderness. Covering a variety of different landscapes from wetlands and river systems to miombo forests and open plains, the park supports a huge diversity of wildlife including the Big 5 and over 500 different bird species.
As if the lone elephant bull welcome party wasn’t enough at check-in yesterday, today an entire herd paraded past the chalets on their way to the river’s edge. Impala emerges from the scrub to graze peacefully in the safety net of the lodge perimeter while the sound of the unmistakable fish eagle call rings out over the water. Another typical start to a day at Mukambi.
Images supplied by Mukambi Safaris & Wild Travel Media
Images supplied by Mukambi Safaris & Wild Travel Media
For more info about Mukambi Safari Lodge, click here.
Fig Tree Bush Camp
The dusty road to Fig Tree Bush Camp is one less travelled. The camp is tucked away in a remote area of the park on the forested banks of the Shishamba River and is accessible from May to October. En route to the camp a large pack of African Wild Dog lazily sun themselves in the warm morning sunshine. The pups put on a comical display of rough and tumble while the relaxed adults try to enjoy some shut-eye. A truly memorable moment and a great photographic opportunity.
Fig Tree Bush Camp – Images supplied by Mukambi Safaris and Wild Travel Media
Fig Tree Camp, being so secluded, is blissfully tranquil with picturesque views over the Shishamba River and a nearby waterhole. Nestled in the tree canopy, the elevated camp centres around a generously shady fig tree, after which the camp is named and where meals and drinks are served. And if you couldn’t be more relaxed, why not enjoy a massage on the private Shishamba beach or a cooling dip in the infinity pool. The Miombo treeline flanking the Shishamba River is full of wild surprises. Heading back to camp after an evening game drives a beautiful female leopard makes an appearance in the road ahead, slowly pacing and no doubt planning her nocturnal dinner hunt. A special sighting indeed, although not entirely uncommon in these remote parts. A wonderful day in the wild is ended off around the warming campfire under the stars, before retiring to the lantern-lit treehouse tents, hot-water bottles in hand for a cosy night’s sleep.
For more info about Fig Tree Bush Camp, click here
Images supplied by Mukambi Safaris and Wild Travel Media
Although Kafue winters are fairly mild with sunny blue skies and comfortable daytime temperatures, the evenings and early mornings are crisp and cool. Waking up to magical scenes of the misty plains and woodland, the sounds of the birds and the occasional yip of a jackal spur the imagination of what lies beyond. Hot drinks and blankets are a welcome respite against the chill for an early morning game drive and it’s not long before the haze lifts, exposing the beauty beneath, awash with fresh scents and stirring life.
Busanga Plains Camp
Busanga Plains Camp – Images supplied by Mukambi Safaris and Wild Travel Media
If there’s one thing to look forward to it’s the opening of the famous Busanga Plains in the north of the park. The floodplains started to drain earlier this year, so Mukambi’s seasonal Busanga Plains Camp will be open soon as the area becomes accessible again. This part of Kafue National Park requires a chapter all on its own for there is no shortage of poetic descriptions for the scenes which unfold daily. A sight to behold, the grassy landscape stretches for miles, dotted with reed beds and tiny islands of palm groves and lone fig trees. The plains support heaving numbers of game and birdlife, much of which can be admired from the verandah of your own luxury tented suite. As excitement for the new season brews, we look forward to many magical moments in this extraordinary area of Kafue National Park.
For more info about Busanga Plains Camp, click here.
Images supplied by Mukambi Safaris and Wild Travel Media
In the meantime, we end off where we started, on the secluded deck of your luxurious Mukambi suite, except this time fully reclined in the outdoor bathtub with a G&T in hand. Watching the golden sunset over the magnificent Kafue River it won’t be long before you’re back in this extraordinary and unique part of the world.
Words by Wild Travel Media
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