Set in the heart of the Kafue’s Busanga Plains, these camps offer front row seats to a wildlife extravaganza, only accessible for five months a year during winter, after the rainy season. The camps are situated on 28 000 hectares of exclusive wilderness, surrounded by open plains that are home to at least 500 bird species and 158 mammals. In addition to offering the most exclusive wilderness experience in this remote region, every guest visiting the Busanga Plains becomes a conservationist, helping Wilderness Safaris contribute more than USD500 000 to Kafue National Park every year.
“The opening of the Busanga camps could not come at a better time”, says Graham Simmonds, Wilderness Safaris’ Zambezi Travel Shop Manager. "COVID-19 has had a negative impact on the communities whose livelihoods depend on tourism. After a long period without guests in the Kafue, we are delighted to finally welcome them back”.
Even though Shumba and Busanga Bush Camp are only open for the five drier months of the year, Wilderness Safaris is passionately committed to maintaining its ecotourism presence in this diverse wilderness area. Despite the financial losses the company has incurred since opening the camps in 2006, Wilderness Safaris has seen first-hand what a difference its simple presence (and funding of anti-poaching operations) has made. However, the pandemic has also had consequences on the conservation efforts in the Kafue. “As a company we have devoted effort and finances throughout the pandemic to the region, to mitigate the chances of increased poaching, but nothing is as effective as having our full operations up and running”, explains Graham. “Kafue National Park is a vast, immensely beautiful, largely under-appreciated and utterly irreplaceable wilderness that deserves enormous support from the global conservation community”.
“The Kafue is a true treasure in today’s safari world, and it personifies our unwavering belief that by creating life-changing journeys, we can continue what we set out to do 38 years ago – to conserve and restore Africa’s wilderness and wildlife”, ends Graham.
Click here to watch an inspiring video about the vast, untamed Busanga Plains, and here to read an in-depth blog written by Melissa Siebert.
To book, please visit www.wilderness-safaris.com or email: enquiries@wilderness.co.za.
