Kasanka National Park
Open April to December for fly in safaris and all year for drive in safaris
Kasanka National Park is one of the most picturesque parks in Zambia and contains a rich diversity of animal, bird and plant life. Several rare species are abundant in the park, including sitatunga, wattled crane, Ross's Lourie and blue monkeys.Every November and December millons of straw coloured friutbats congregate in a small area of the park to feed on ripening fruit. This is supposed to be the largest congregation of mammals in Africa and possibly the world. Quite a thought.
Despite being one of Zambia's smallest parks at 390 sq. km (39,000 hectares), Kasanka has a wide variety of habitats, each hosting their own associated wildlife. In the Miombo woodland, covering the largest area, you can spot roan, sable and hartebeest; small clumps of evergreen thicket are popular with blue monkeys; and the larger mushitu forest near Fibwe hide, is the seasonalroost for the visiting straw-coloured fruitbats. Dambos, open grassy drainage channels, are scattered through the woodland and home to waterbuck and the rivers and lakes host hippo and crocodiles. One of the key habitats is the swamp where an extraordinary number of sitatunga live - and they can be easily seen from the 60 foot high Fibwe hide.
There is around 100 kilometres of rivers, great for drifting down in a canoe, and the riparian fringe forest is extremely rich in birdlife. It really is worth spending a morning on one of the rivers for not only the birding but for the peaceful, tranquil experience.
Activities
- game drives, night drives, walking, Fibwa hide, fishing and canoeing
Camps that we most regularly book
- The Kasanka Trust runs two camps within Kasanka National park. Wasa Camp overlooks Lake Wasa and is 8 kms from the Fibwe sitatunga hide. The new all-year Mulembo Airstrip is just 2km from camp. Accommodation is in 6 ensuite chalets. A further 3 smaller chalets are also available for singles but are not ensuite and are much smaller. Accommodation is fairly basic but Wasa is a good base for birdwatching and walking.
- Luwombwa Camp on the banks of the Luwombwa River is 20 km from Wasa. It is a peaceful camp offering excellent fishing and birding. It is a short distance from the airstrip which is an excellent spot for visitors looking for sable antelope and Leichtenstein's hartebeest. Three ensuite family size chalets are set on the banks of the river and two non ensuite twin chalets are set a little further back. The camp can accommodate 14 people within the 5 chalets.
- Tours can be arranged of the nearby area including trips to Shoebill island (20 mins flight from Kasanka), Lavushi Manda National park, Lake Waka Waka a beautiful spring lake, Kundalila Falls, Livingstone Memorial, and to Nsalu Cave. As Kasanka Trust has an active community project many clients take the opportunity to visit the local schools or ongoing projects within the area. Walking safaris can be arranged on request.
- Map of Zambia showing Kasanka and Bangweulu
Special Interest Safaris that include Kasanka
Kasanka Bat Safari, Shoebill Safari
