Wilderness Busanga Bush Camp newsletter – August 2026

With the long service, most of the staff are very familiar with both our service standards, and the environment, and are fountains of knowledge for our guests, given their understanding of the area through the seasons. 

The average August temperatures were chilly in the mornings before warming up during the course of the day, then dropping drastically again in the evenings. This 2026 winter has been particularly cold, with temperatures as low as 2°C overnight. 

We a had an interesting mix of guest nationalities this month, with the first two to three weeks dominated by our local Indian community. These regular visits encouraged our chefs to hone their skills preparing halaal meals, delicious masala teas, and more Indian cuisine in general. 

It’s been great to see that the small cubs we left at the end of last season are turning into real-deal lions. It is always nice to monitor the growth of these lions, as we are so invested in their progress, and they are unquestionably a great highlight on game drives. 

Mohawk has definitely been pushed away from the central area, and was last seen at the far end of the park with a noticeable limp. We are not too sure of his whereabouts now. Naughty George (his name derived from his behaviour, such as biting tyres when he was a cub) and Lushimba (named after the nearby river) are now controlling the central area, while Alex has been dominating the northern side. The numbers in different prides are huge – as many as 15 or more in the ones with cubs. I remember the night BBC was ‘invaded’ by a big pride that stayed overnight and spent the whole day at the swimming pool, with their cubs playing in the floodplain below. 

The 2026 season has been such a marvel for big cat sightings, with most on our guests also having the chance to see leopards and cheetahs on most drives.

We serve our guests’ last-day brunches up at our beautiful swimming pool deck with its spectacular views over the floodplain. 

Later in the day after their game drives, we link up again at the Bush TV (the camp fire pit) to recap on how everyone’s day was, with the guides sharing their impressive knowledge. Pictures and stories are swopped while sipping on favourite beverages.  

In terms of activities and wildlife sightings, we have hosted a number of photographers who were really pleased with the work of our guides. Our guests took brilliant pics of birds, the aquatic animals, lions and cheetahs, as well as leopards, to mention just a few. We set up sundowner drinks with lovely gin & tonic, the famous ‘Mosi’ beer, and any other requested beverages to help guests watch the African sun go down.

One of the outdoor activities I personally fancy is the lovely brunch that we set up at the former Kapinga Camp, a few kilometres from BBC. The camp has lovely shade – just what is needed after an early morning drive, when you want to cool off with a cold drink and excellent meal from Chef Lemon. After brunch, we head back into camp for siesta time. 

We had wonderful guests who truly appreciated our teams’ service. As management, we made sure that there was a consistent flow of information within the team.

Camp Manager: Richard Mwansabamba
Assistant Manager:  Monica Mubita 
Guides: Pyben Mbewe, Willard Kaleyanungu
Housekeeping: Paggy Kilumelume, Kennedy Baswene, Richard Zulu
Maintenance: Clement Ndumba
Kitchen: Lemon Lungwa, Mose Njobvu, Deozy Munuma, 
Waiters: Winnerd Sampa, Fickson Jatwa, Chiyambi Kafuti.