A 720km² floodplain in the far north of Kafue National Park, where lions hunt in the water, red lechwe move in their thousands, and Zambia’s rarest predator — the cheetah — is more at home than almost anywhere else in the country.

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What Is Busanga Plains

In the far northern reaches of Kafue National Park — Zambia’s oldest and largest protected area — sits Busanga Plains, a 720km² seasonal floodplain fed by the Lufupa River. Unlike the miombo woodland that covers most of Kafue, Busanga is open grassland dotted with date palms, fig trees, and termite mounds, flooding each rainy season and draining again through the dry months into one of the richest wildlife landscapes in Africa.

It’s often compared to Botswana’s Okavango Delta for good reason — the same seasonal rhythm of flood and drought concentrates enormous numbers of wildlife into a relatively small, open area, making it one of the most rewarding places in Zambia to watch predators and prey play out in the open.

At a Glance

Size	720km² (72,000 hectares) of seasonal floodplain
Best time to visit	July to October (dry season, plains accessible and wildlife concentrated)
Access	Closed/inaccessible during the wet season (November–April) when the plains flood
Known for	Water-hunting lions, red lechwe migration, cheetah, Chaplin’s barbet (Zambia’s only endemic bird)

The Wildlife: Water-Hunting Lions, Cheetah & Rare Antelope

Busanga is best known for something most lions never do: hunting in water. As the plains flood, resident lion prides — some up to twenty strong, part of a lion conservation unit alongside South Luangwa since 2005 — chase red lechwe through channels of standing water, wading and swimming in pursuit of prey most predators would avoid entirely. It’s this behaviour that’s earned them the nickname “flying lions,” often seen leaping across the plains’ drying channels in pursuit of prey.

The plains support one of the healthiest concentrations of red lechwe in Zambia, a near-endemic antelope species once at serious risk, now thriving here in herds that number in the thousands. Alongside them: puku, roan, sable, Lichtenstein’s hartebeest, wildebeest, and buffalo, all drawing in a serious predator lineup — lion, leopard, wild dog, and cheetah, one of the few places in Zambia where cheetah are reliably seen.

Birdlife is exceptional too, with Chaplin’s barbet — Zambia’s only endemic bird species — found here, alongside wattled and crowned cranes, secretary birds, and ground hornbills across the open grassland.

Ways to Experience Busanga Plains with Brightpath

There’s more than one way to experience Busanga Plains with Brightpath, and both are starting points rather than fixed packages. The Busanga Plains Luxury Safari is a 5-day, 4-night fly-in experience based at the exclusive Wilderness Shumba Camp, available June through October — ideal if comfort and speed matter most. For travellers with more time and a taste for adventure, Busanga also features on Zambia’s Grand Migration, a longer overland circuit reaching the plains by road and pairing it with Liuwa Plain’s wildebeest migration and Kasanka’s bat migration. Duration, pace, and accommodation style on either trip can be tailored around your time, interests, and budget — get in touch and we’ll help shape the right version of Busanga for you.

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