Wilderness Shumba

Wilderness Shumba sits among a cluster of fig and palm trees rising from the Busanga Plains, inside Kafue National Park — at two and a quarter million hectares, the largest protected area in Zambia and one of the largest in Africa. The camp opens each year in June, once the seasonal floodwaters have receded enough to make the plains accessible, and closes at the end of October. For the other seven months, the area is unreachable by most routes.

The camp holds six tented rooms, including a family room. Several lion pride territories overlap in this part of the plains, and the camp takes its name — Shumba, meaning lion — from the resident prides. The lions are known to hunt across the water channels that cut through the grass, leaping between islands. Puku and lechwe graze the floodplain in large numbers, and the plains also hold oribi, roan, sable, cheetah, and wild dog.

Game drives run during the day and at night using infrared spotlights. When water levels allow, boating excursions cover the channels, where hippo and a substantial range of waterbirds are regularly seen. Meals are cooked over an open fire in camp, and the pool sits within view of the floodplain.

Kafue National Park has joined the UNESCO World Biosphere Network, a designation recognising the park's role in conservation research and community support. Wilderness Shumba contributes to anti-poaching work and local employment in the area.