Game Viewing
At Nanzhila Plains Safari Camp you can be as active or lazy as you choose.
For keen nature lovers, guided walks and bush trails are a must. These two-to three-hour walks in the vicinity of the lodge take you along the Kasha drainage line and through areas of woodland and open plain. Accompanied by a knowledgeable guide and an armed Zambia Wildlife Authority (ZAWA) scout, you will be perfectly safe and can enjoy learning about the flora and fauna of this fascinating region.
The emphasis will be on bird life, trees, flowering plants, grasses, traditional usage of the flora, as well as the identification and interpretation of tracks and signs.
Game drives are always popular and take place early in the morning and mid-to late afternoon, when wildlife is most active. These three-hour drives explore an area within a 35km radius of the lodge and focus on larger mammals as well as unique birds and trees.
Because Kafue National Park is mostly undeveloped, the chances of encountering other tourist traffic are remote. Accompanied by a knowledgeable guide, you will feel as if you have the entire park to yourself. The comfortable, custom-built open 4-wheel-drive safari vehicles can tackle the hardiest terrain so you can get up close to the wildlife.
Night drives are a Zambian specialty and are offered as an extension of an afternoon drive, incorporating a sundowner, or as a stand-alone after-dinner activity. The high-powered spotlight that your guide casts on the bush may reveal those species more active at night, for example leopard, genet and civet.
A full-day excursion provides a wonderful opportunity to take in the full diversity of the park. You will depart after breakfast and return at dusk, with a packed lunch and refreshments to keep you going. Your knowledgeable guide will take you along the Kasha, Kanyele, Kaunga and Nkala drainage lines and you will stop at the Elephant Orphanage Project, supported by the David Shepherd Wildlife Foundation, to see orphaned babies elephants being fed by their handlers. A Lake Itezhi-Tezhi lakeshore drive will introduce you to the surreal beauty of this man-made lake, which is well populated with hippo. The excursion ends with a drive through the mysterious Ngoma Forest before returning to the camp across the Nanzhila Plains.
This excursion takes most types of vegetation occurring in the southern Kafue National Park and you have a good chance of encountering the extremely wide variety of both mammal and bird species attracted to different biomes.
Your stay is not complete without a village tour, during which you can learn about the day-to-day lives of people in typical rural communities. Visit a local clinic and school, as well as one of the earliest mission stations north of the Zambezi, and find out how local people interact with wildlife and carry out traditional fishing expeditions. This tour also encompasses game viewing. You depart after breakfast and return late afternoon, once again fortified by a packed lunch and refreshments.