Lusaka - The lions of the Busanga Plains in Zambia climb trees.
Why do they do that? Some say it’s just because they can while others theorise that it’s to enjoy the benefit of cool breezes on blazing hot summer days. Another view is that being on the branches they escape the persistent pestering and biting of tsetse flies. And there’s also a notion the lions use trees as look-out posts to spot prey.
Whatever the reason, their tree-climbing antics set them apart from others of their kind.
The Busanga lions are also good swimmers, having to often move through deep water when the area floods every year during the rainy season.
The Busanga Plains are in the north-west of the 22 500km2 Kafue National Park, which was proclaimed in 1950 and is one of the largest and most remote national parks in Africa.
We had flown in on a Wilderness Air light aircraft from the Zambian capital of Lusaka following an enthralling three-day sojourn at the Ruckomechi Bush Camp in Zimbabwe. We were hosted at the Busanga Bush Camp run by Wilderness Safaris. (The camp is accessible by road from Lusaka but it’s a hard 12-hour drive).
Flying in, the overwhelming impression is one of remoteness – an area untouched by development and human activity. Nothing disturbs the bushveld – no fences, gates, electricity poles or lines. On moonless nights it’s pitch black, the only lights those at the secluded camp.
The Busanga floodplains, covering an area of about 750km2, are fed by the Lufupa River system. The water recedes in the dry season, often trapping hippo in shallow pools and leaving vast savannah grassland dotted with tree islands, and termite mounds sprouting fig trees and phoenix palms.
Herds of wildebeest and zebra move out of treeline on to the plains where lion are often seen.
The area is a birder’s paradise with the standing water attracting Crowned and Wattle Cranes, African Fish Eagles, Open-Billed Storks, pelicans and Marsh Owls, among others. (More than 490 bird species have been recorded in the Kafue.)
The Busanga Bush Camp, efficiently managed by Zambian-born Chipasa (aka Chips) Mwamba, has just four spacious, tented rooms on concrete floors. Each has a verandah with a front door view of the plains from cozy beds. Well-designed shower, toilet and grooming areas complete the comfort.
A maximum of eight guests can be accommodated providing an intimate atmosphere and making it possible for a high standard of service.
A stand-out feature is the quality of the food dished up by the chef from the small bush kitchen. We ate around a finely set table swopping bushveld encounter stories with other guests
The communal section of the camp, which is set under a canopy of fig and jackalberry trees, includes a dining, bar and lounge area, a game-viewing platform and a boma with a fire in the evenings. The emphasis is on rustic – and it works! A fig tree close to the heart of the camp is a favourite perch place for lions!
The camp opens on June 1 and closes at the end of October soon after which rain turns the plains into marshlands, most of the roads become impassable and the landing strip unusable.
Activities include day and night drives in safari vehicles, hot air balloon flights (complimentary during a three-night stay in August, September and October), and a bird hide at the hippo pools.
Large herds of puku and lechwe are common and there are also the renowned tree-climbing lions, cheetah, leopard, wild dog, zebra, buffalo, wildebeest, and sable and Roan Antelope, among others.
We went on game drives every morning and evening during our two-day stay, following two hunts by lions – aborted when the intended prey, lechwe, spotted the lion.
One of our most interesting encounters was with a lone hippo which suddenly, in a shallow pool, rolled onto its back and with its legs in the air, wallowed about gloriously. It repeated the antics several times, much to our amusement.
We had seen a toes-up elephant in a mudbath at Ruckomechi – now it was the turn of a roly-poly hippo! What next? What fun!
For more information on the Busanga Bush Camp, contact Wilderness Safaris at
011 807 1800, e-mail them at [email protected], or see their website, www.wilderness-safaris.com.
Saturday Star