Safari backwater

Kafue is a genuine safari backwater, one of those niche locations, with a limited road network, relatively few camps and low visitor numbers.

           Rich wetlands

To the north, Busanga Plains is an iconic wetland, renowned for intense buffalo vs lion warfare during the late dry season.

          Intense lions

The lion action during the Jul-Oct dry season can be sensational, especially around the huge fig tree territories out on the northern plains.

          Motorboat safari
   
The Kafue River offers great opportunities for motorboat safari, both around Lufupa and amongst the scenic rapids further south.

          Conservation

Kafue is at the leading edge of conservation. The predator projects in the reserve are particularly interesting and important.

         Authentic camps

Most of the camps here are small, intimate and authentic, being owned by people with a real focus on conservation.

            5 to 8 nights

If you only want to include one of Zambia’s main safari areas (South Luangwa, Lower Zambezi or Kafue), then your safari may be as short as 5-8 nights, with longer versions perhaps including a few nights at Victoria Falls.

           9 to 14 nights 

Most of our guests tend to spend 9 to 14 nights on safari in Zambia, which is enough time to either explore one area in detail or to combine two areas, again including a few nights at Victoria Falls.

             15 to 28 nights

For longer trips, most people will start to combine with safari areas in Botswana or Zimbabwe, or add a self-drive extension in Namibia or the Cape.

The cost of safari in Zambia

Safari in Zambia ranges from quite pricey to surprisingly expensive, certainly less than Botswana, on a par with Zimbabwe, Tanzania and Kenya, more than South Africa. You can expect to spend USD 600 to 2500 per person per night

We are more than happy to work across this range of prices. The only important thing is that we help you find the very best safari to suit your budget.

The two dominant price factors are the length of time that you spend on safari and the specific lodges that you choose to include in your trip. Deploying more time in town, rural and beach locations can bring the total cost down dramatically.

If you have a higher budget, we will help you determine which camps do actually deliver elevated levels of service and experience. We will also highlight other subtle ways in which your trip can be raised to another level, including the use of whole camp bookings, private guides and vehicles, helicopter explorations of remote areas etc.

If you have a medium budget, the best ways to keep a lid on costs are to travel out of the Jul-Oct dry season and to carefully choose lower-cost lodges.  You can also reduce the number of core safari nights and deploy time in more cost-effective beach, town and rural locations. We will help you understand where to trim and where to splash in order to achieve the best overall experience.

If you have a lower budget, then we can always look at other fundamentally less pricey safari countries.

Victoria Falls

A few days at the Victoria Falls can work really well at the front end of a Zambia safari, there’s some lovely lodges, the falls are impressive and there’s loads of other interesting activities in the area.

Lower Zambezi

If you want to add further safari, then Lower Zambezi is an obvious next stop, with the added attraction of water-based safari activities out on the Zambezi River.

South Luangwa

The other great safari area in Zambia is South Luangwa, an iconic and hypnotic location in the Great Rift Valley to the northeast of the country, with very strong wildlife.

The best safari lodges in Kafue

Zambia has around 80 safari lodges, of which around 14 are located in Kafue, most of the remainder being located in South Luangwa.

We are able to include any of these properties in your trip. We ones most like to recommend fall into two categories …

Firstly, there are the truly high-end lodges, which are in the very best locations and offer the highest levels of guiding, hospitality and consistency, suitable for demanding guests.

Secondly, there are the relatively good value camps, which are also in excellent locations and also take their guiding very seriously, but which typically offer lower levels of luxury and have the potential to be slightly less consistent in their delivery, suitable for more easy-going guests.

The properties that we generally prefer to avoid in Zambia are those which are located in busy public-access areas, typically around the main road entrances to national parks.

You can always expect absolute honesty from us when describing the various lodges and camps. Our primary motivation is simply to figure out which ones will suit you the best.

Luxury trips

Our luxury trips to Zambia combine lodges which are in prime locations, where high levels of comfort and service are guaranteed. This does not necessarily mean infinity pools and spa facilities, but it does always mean that you will be hosted and guided by the very best people in the country. That is how to truly guarantee the quality of a safari.

Adventure trips

In our adventure trips to Zambia, we use a much wider range of lodges, still in fabulous locations and offering authentic safari experiences, but often at considerably lower cost. More strenuous activities, like walking safari, are likely to feature more prominently. These cool, sometimes edgy lodges tend to be best suited to guests who are a little more outdoorsy and forgiving.

When to go on safari in Zambia

The safari areas of Zambia are very seasonal. Extremely detailed knowledge of every single camp is needed to properly plan a great safari. When thinking about seasonality it is important to consider the four aspects of weather, wildlife movements, visitor traffic and prices.

May-Jun : Early dry season

The May-Jun season is a period of transition from the hot wet summer to the cool dry winter. Although it is generally considered to be a decent time to visit, before the harshness of the main dry season kicks in.

Out in the safari areas, in dry years the green season should be reaching an end, the long grass should be yellowing and the animals starting to move back towards the permanent waters sources, all of which should lead to an increase in sightings.

In wetter years some elements of the green season conditions may endure all the way into June, making wildlife viewing a little more challenging.

During May-Jun temperatures can drop pretty low during the night, but this has little adverse effect on safari, the days are gorgeous and there are virtually no insects around.

The majority of camps are significantly discounted during this period, perhaps 20% less than during the peak dry season.

Jul-Sep : Dry season

The Jul-Sep dry season is the classic time to visit Zambia and is generally considered to be the best time for wildlife viewing, as serious numbers of animals are drawn in to the permanent water sources from the vast dry hinterland.

During Jul-Aug the cooler temperatures can of the preceding season can continue, but this has little adverse effect on safari, the days are gorgeous and there are virtually no insects around. The weather during Aug-Sep should be perfect.

This is very much the high season in terms of prices. Visitor numbers are also peaking, so traffic avoidance measures (such as staying in more remote safari areas) should be considered. 

Oct-Dec : Hot rainy season

The Oct-Dec hot season represents the transition period between the peak of the dry season and the start of the rains.

During this period the temperatures and humidities can become uncomfortably high in advance of the rains. This can be a very significant issue, especially since the vast majority of camps do not have air-conditioning.

If considerable rainfall does arrive (usually during December) it usually brings a blessed relief from the high temperatures, but can be heavy and prolonged.

Of course the animals are delighted to see the rain and may start to migrate outwards from the permanent waterholes, potentially causing a marked drop off in sightings.

Water flow rates in the Zambezi River can become very low at this time, causing the Victoria Falls to almost run dry and greatly reducing the quality of the white-water rafting too.

Many of the safari camps in Zambia close for the end of the season in November, others continue through to the Dec-Jan holiday season.

The majority of camps are significantly discounted during Nov-Dec, perhaps 20% less than during the peak dry season.

Jan-Apr : Green season

The period Jan-Apr is the main green season in Zambia, an unusual time to visit, when the area experiences the majority of its rainfall.

At this time the landscapes tend to be verdant and beautiful, the animals well fed and there’s lots of babies around, providing a great contrast to the harshness of the dry season.

With the wildlife being more dispersed and the long grasses providing extra cover, wildlife viewing can be a good deal more difficult, usually causing a drop off in sightings.

The temperatures and humidities are usually higher than usual, although not usually to the extent of the preceding season. Conditions are usually pleasant enough.

It's the Dec-Feb period which threatens the greatest chance of more cloud and rain, with safari conditions potentially become a good deal more challenging.

Water flow rates in the Zambezi River can become very high towards the end of this period, the excess spray potentially obscuring views of the Victoria Falls and possibly causing white-water rafting operations to be suspended.

Many of the safari camps in Zambia are closed at this time. Those which do stay open tend to be significantly discounted throughout this season, perhaps 30% less than during the peak dry season.

A major exception is the Liuwa Plain area, which is generally considered to be at its best at this time.

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           Elusive wildlife

The wildlife in Kafue is noticeably less intense than in the other prime safari areas in Zambia, due to the vast areas of arid and relatively infertile bush.

           Short season

Most camps in Kafue are only fully open during the Jun-Oct dry season. The black cotton soil can get famously sticky when it rains.

           Difficult access

Unfortunately, Kafue is a good deal more awkward to get to than most top safari areas, due to the lack of long haul flights into Lusaka.