A Journey Through Zambia’s Living Heart

Fifteen days in Zambia has a way of recalibrating your senses. Time stretches. Sounds sharpen. Dust, light, and animal movement become the rhythm by which you live. From the vast floodplains of Kafue to the riverine forests of the Lower Zambezi, this journey unfolded as a masterclass in wild Africa, raw, intimate, and unforgettable.

Busanga Plains: Where the Wild Begins

Our adventure began with a short flight north from Lusaka, expertly flown by Julie, touching down on a dusty airstrip deep in northern Kafue National Park. Waiting for us was Willard, our guide for the next four days, whose calm confidence immediately set the tone. The slow drive to camp at sunset was deliberate. Busanga rewards patience. Within minutes, we ticked off a new species for the team, an oribi. Soon after, a massive herd of sable appeared, and then, as if scripted, a young male leopard stalking warthogs across the open plains, 200 meters away.

We watched him until biting flies sent him into the long grass, then continued northwest across golden floodplains toward camp. A fire crackled, sundowners glowed, and the realization landed gently, we were the only guests in camp. Busanga was ours.

Day two began before dawn, coffee delivered at 5am under a moonlit sky. Lions had been roaring through the night, and we raced east past herds of lechwe and puku. We arrived to find two male lions, Mohawk and Alex, fresh from a territorial battle, separating and roaring into the morning haze. Smoke from distant fires filtered the rising sun, bathing the scene in burnt orange light.

A lioness soon called her tiny cubs from cover, moving them east to keep them safe from the dominant males. Not far away, vultures fed on the remains of a subadult lion, casualty of the night’s conflict. Busanga is beautiful, but it is honest.

Afternoons brought elephants crossing open plains, sable moving in single file through tall grass, and hippos emerging from mud baths as the heat softened. One evening, a lioness attempted an unsuccessful hunt across the river while we watched from the hippo pools, returning to camp under a veil of stars and conversation by firelight.

Day three delivered hyenas finishing off a lechwe kill at sunrise, and later reunited us with the same pride of lions. Alex bore fresh wounds. Lionesses bickered over scraps near Shumba Camp before splitting off, one settling on a termite mound near her hidden cubs. We lunched on Kapinga Island and that afternoon ventured far north, off-road, searching for a cheetah and her cubs. We found only the remains of a kill, until sunset revealed a lone cheetah cub. A cheer erupted. Busanga had given us one last gift.

Our final morning brought plains game aplenty before we flew south to central Kafue and Musekese Camp. To be continued…