Kafue National Park (KNP)

Kafue National Park is Zambia’s oldest park and by far the largest. It was proclaimed in 1950 and is spread over 22,400 square kilometres - the second largest national park in the world and about the size of Wales.

Situated on the Western side of Zambia and covering an area of 22,400square kilometers, Kafue National Park is the country's largest park. Two rivers flow through the park, the Lufupa and the Lunga, both tributaries of the Kafue river, which is part of the park's Eastern boundary.

The park spills into three of Zambia’s provinces and has an impressive range of over 450 species of birds and abundant wildlife i.e. Elephant, Lion, Leopard, Buffalo, Sable, Roan Antelope, Spotted Hyena, Puku, Wild Dog, Red Lechwe, Hippo, the only visible absentee being the giraffe.

Other species found in the Park include the rare and secretive yellow-backed duiker, common duiker, kudu, grysbok, warthog, bushpig, serval, jackal, baboon, vervet monkey, porcupine, civet, genet and many species of mongoose.

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.Kafue's ecological diversity has resulted in an impressive array of wildlife and wide range of species. Game viewing in the south is more difficult than the north due to thick woodlands.

Unusual features are the knobbly termite mounds scattered across the plains. There are teak forests, large numbers of the striking ‘candelabra’ tree, and many large black boulders often looking deceptively like a herd of elephant. Much of the park is covered by ‘Miombo’ Woodland opening out into large grassy dambos.

For more information on the Kafue National Park and other game reserves, see also:

Zambia National Tourist Board (ZNTB) - zambiatourism_website

Zambia Nationa Tourist Board (ZNTB) - Kafue National Park