[email protected]

Hello -

My husband and I plan to visit Zambia in September of this year for
2-2.5 weeks. We have a modest budget somewhere between backpacker and
luxury, but don't mind camping if it keeps the cost down.

I'm planning to visit South Luangwa, Victoria Falls (Livingstone), and
then either Kafue or Lower Zambezi although not necessarily in that
order.

Any opinions as to what might be better for wildlife viewing - Kafue or
Lower Zambezi? Busanga Plains in Kafue sounds pretty cool, but it
sounds like not too many people go here and I'm not sure why.

Thanks!

Johan W. Elzenga

[email protected] <[email protected]> wrote:

    > My husband and I plan to visit Zambia in September of this year for
    > 2-2.5 weeks. We have a modest budget somewhere between backpacker and
    > luxury, but don't mind camping if it keeps the cost down.
    >
    > I'm planning to visit South Luangwa, Victoria Falls (Livingstone), and
    > then either Kafue or Lower Zambezi although not necessarily in that
    > order.
    >
    > Any opinions as to what might be better for wildlife viewing - Kafue or
    > Lower Zambezi? Busanga Plains in Kafue sounds pretty cool, but it
    > sounds like not too many people go here and I'm not sure why.

Probably because it's remote and there's not much accommodation. I've
been in both places a few years ago, and Busanga plains reminded me of
Serengeti. Wildlife viewing was very good, with lots of lions. Lower
Zambesi is also very nice, but very different.


--
Johan W. Elzenga johan<<at>>johanfoto.nl
Editor / Photographer http://www.johanfoto.nl/

[email protected]

Sounds great since we're primarily interested in wildlife viewing -
where did you stay in Kafue? There seem to be 2 places that also have
bush camps on the Busanga Plains - Lunga River which is super pricey
and Lufupa which seems to want me to go through a travel agent. Any
others that you know of that might be cheaper? Thanks!

Johan W. Elzenga

[email protected] <[email protected]> wrote:

    > Sounds great since we're primarily interested in wildlife viewing -
    > where did you stay in Kafue? There seem to be 2 places that also have
    > bush camps on the Busanga Plains - Lunga River which is super pricey
    > and Lufupa which seems to want me to go through a travel agent. Any
    > others that you know of that might be cheaper? Thanks!

I stayed in Lunga River. It was an assigment, so somebody else picked up
the check... ;-)


--
Johan W. Elzenga johan<<at>>johanfoto.nl
Editor / Photographer http://www.johanfoto.nl/

[email protected]

Lucky - I need assignments like that :) I did find one other place
that is planning to have a Busanga Plains camp in 2005 - Mukambi Safari
Lodge. Still waiting to hear back on pricing.

I checked out your photos too -- amazing. What's your favorite place
in Africa for wildlife photography? I think we might make finally make
the jump to DSLR on this trip...

Johan W. Elzenga

[email protected] <[email protected]> wrote:

    > Lucky - I need assignments like that :) I did find one other place
    > that is planning to have a Busanga Plains camp in 2005 - Mukambi Safari
    > Lodge. Still waiting to hear back on pricing.
    >
    > I checked out your photos too -- amazing. What's your favorite place
    > in Africa for wildlife photography? I think we might make finally make
    > the jump to DSLR on this trip...

My favorite place is probably Masai Mara in Kenya for the sheer volume
of wildlife. The only problem is that the minibusses often outnumber the
animals, so don't go there for an authentic 'Out of Africa' feeling...


--
Johan W. Elzenga johan<<at>>johanfoto.nl
Editor / Photographer http://www.johanfoto.nl/

ralph

On Mon, 17 Jan 2005 17:40:52 +0100, [email protected]lid (Johan W.
Elzenga) wrote:

    >[email protected] <[email protected]> wrote:
    >> Lucky - I need assignments like that :) I did find one other place
    >> that is planning to have a Busanga Plains camp in 2005 - Mukambi Safari
    >> Lodge. Still waiting to hear back on pricing.
    >>
    >> I checked out your photos too -- amazing. What's your favorite place
    >> in Africa for wildlife photography? I think we might make finally make
    >> the jump to DSLR on this trip...
    >My favorite place is probably Masai Mara in Kenya for the sheer volume
    >of wildlife. The only problem is that the minibusses often outnumber the
    >animals, so don't go there for an authentic 'Out of Africa' feeling...
    >--
    >Johan W. Elzenga johan<<at>>johanfoto.nl
    >Editor / Photographer http://www.johanfoto.nl/


There is quite a few game lodges listed for both Kafue, Lower Zambezi
and South Luangwa at www.zamtrade.com

Ralph

Travelynn

I think you would see more animals in the Lower Zambezi than Kafue (but
Kafue is the only place in Zambia where you'd see cheetahs) I found
both areas to be enjoyable. In the lower Zambezi you can also do water
activities such as canoeing. A surprising amount of game can be viewed
from the canoes, but good photography is hard. Although I don't fish,
many others were quite enthused with the tiger fishing opportunities. I
must say the fish they caught (and released) were quite attractive and
apparently put up a substantial fight. You can also doing walking
safaris in the lower Zambezi, which are not an option in the Busanga
Plains part of Kafue, but are done in Lunga.


--
travelynn
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[email protected]

Thanks Ralph - I've seen that. The problem for me is that there don't
seem to be any "budget" places that have good access to Busanga Plains.

Busanga Bush Camp $420 pppn
Shumba $250pppn
Mukambi's new Busanga camp $300pppn

I think I'll have to bite the bullet and go with Shumba - the problem
is they seem to require a minimum 6 night stay if I go through their
recommended agent. This is for transportation reasons though so I
might be able to work around it.

Thanks again!

[email protected]

Hi Travelynn -

Thanks for the great perspective - that's exactly what I've been
looking for. Cheetahs are one of the things that attracted me to
Busanga Plains in the first place, but it still sounds like it would be
tough to see them in 3 days. I also like the idea of seeing larger
herds which sounds more likely in Kafue. I'm not too into the fishing,
but the canoeing sounds like fun. I think now I just have to make a
decision. Thanks again for the help!