Jealous ? me.... no way - not a bit .... well ok, a little

jealous ? me.... no way not a bit .... well ok, a little. Alright yes I am .

Tyrone's latest stint in the office here in Blighty finished on Wednesday when he flew south to Zambia to base himself at the "Plains camp" in the beautiful Kafue National Park up on the Busanga Plains where our company first arranged safaris a decade ago. Tyrone will be managing this small but very comfortable tented bush camp in his enthusiastic way hosting & guiding guests as they explore the dramatic and vast open grasslands, home to great herds of Red Lechwe & Buffalo and their eternal enemies, Lions. For the next month or so it is a waiting game and Tyrone will be found at Mukambi (base camp for the Plains) working hard on his spotting skills for the benefit of guests staying at this all season river lodge. As soon as water levels drop Tyrone will be heading (wading) to the figtree island where camp will be built and although Comms will be hard to establish to begin with we will be adding updates to our blog / website as the season progresses. We already have some set date safaris arranged for September and itineraries which will visit the North Kafue to stay at the Plains camp and which also explore the wood land and rivers of the North Kafue. This is real africa with few other people for miles and great wildlife. Get in touch with Tony or Clare for details of set dates and itineraries.

The Busanga Plains with Tyrone McKeith

A safari to the Busanga Plains with Tyrone McKeith.

Special Offer only £1450 5 nights 2 nights Mukambi 3 Nights Plains Camp inc transfers all Inc

Other itineraries available check our website or get in touch for a tailored itinerary.

The Busanga plains is a very special place, for much of the year the vast plains are mostly submerged below seasonal flood waters, dotted with islands of acacia and fan palms like desert islands in an ocean. And then in may / june when the waters subside a vast open grass land plain is revealed , dissected in places by steams and gullies, impossible to navigate with out experience and local knowledge. The lush grazing draws great herds of game on to the plains and now the islands become the home of Lions who scan the plains for game. The variety of wildlife on the Busanga Plains is surprising with opportunities to see some very unusual Antelope including with luck, Sitatunga & Sable. And some wonderful predators, Lion of course but also Wild dog and Leopard, Serval and may be just may be Caracal!. And the Birdlife? Wattled Crane, swirling towers of open billed stork, and in the grass Coucal and rosy throated long claw. And what wont you see? other people ! the plains still only have a small number of camps in the whole 750km2 and the number of visitors are minimal.

This year we at Busanga Safaris are on a mission to encourage you to visit the beautiful Kafue and the Busanga Plains and spend some time just getting to know this place. To add to your safari experience Busanga Safaris very own Tyrone McKeith will be based in what is his "Favourite Place" far up on the Busanga at 'The Plains Camp' this small but very comfortable tented bush camp sits on an island of Figtrees away even from the other camps on the plains and in a prime wildlife location.

Tyrone's enthusiastiasum and passion for wildlife is well known and his period as manager at 'Island Bush camp' in the South Luangwa last year which he took up with in days of graduating from University with a degree in Wildlife Conservation. drew many compliments and the beginning of a recognition which will see him follow in the steps of some of the best known in the safari game.

We have a choice of safari ideas which can include a longer stay (7 days) at the Plains Camp or which incorporate some other hand picked camps in other area's of the Kafue such as Hippo Lodge which provide the visitor with a well rounded Kafue safari experience.

We have space available on our September Kafue Safari. but can arrange dates to suit you, with some periods of August seeing camps in the Kafue/busanga already filling up we would encourage you to enquire early.

Golden Eagles Breeding

Whilst in Spain getting the house ready for our short break walking and birding
visitors escaping the weather in the UK. Clare has been keeping one eye always to the sky above the valley scanning for the resident Golden Eagles who soar on the ridges.
And on the 19th Clare spotted a pair of Eagles display flying with in sight of the house, they then settled on the ridge and were seen mating.
Now that is a rare sighting...!
Tony, Clare or our man in Spain 'Jules' will be happy to host you on short break visits to explore this areas birding and wildlife. You could fit in Golden Eagles and Iberian Lynx in just a week..
Contact Tony who will be happy to help you arrange a trip to the Valley where you can stay in our village house and enjoy the beauty of the area, makes a fantastic base for a Summer holiday away from the crowds.

Availability going fast

What a difference a year makes.
Interest in safari travel is showing
a marked improvement over last year
and some small camps are likely to
fill more quickly in 2010.
With a great choice of suggested safaris
and new itineraries.
If you had thought about a safari in
2010 now is the time to get planning,
there are still savings to be made and
Busanga Safaris will always try to avoid
single supplements. Contact us for more details...

Meet the Lions

Guides at Porini Lion Camp and Mara Porini Camp who guide our guests during our PORINI WILDLIFE SAFARI have completed training on predator ecology and identification which will provide invaluable information on the lion and cheetah populations in the Olare Orok and Ol Kinyei Conservancies adjacent to the Maasai Mara. Within the safety of the conservancies, lion numbers have increased to 51 in Olare Orok and 19 in Ol Kinyei. These healthy prides of lions with their many cubs appear to have taken up permanent residency within the conservancies. Their food supply is plentiful and they are often seen hunting and socializing a short distance from the Porini Camps.
Profiles on the cheetah families and the individual lions and their prides are available in camp and in each vehicle. PORINI WILDLIFE SAFARI guests now have the opportunity to practice their lion identification skills and gather data regarding the health and habits of these magnificent animals.
Adding an extra dimension to what is a very varied and interesting safari which uses some very comfortable and traditional safari camps.
Have a look at the safari in more detail on our website. These are small camps and so numbers are limited,book early!

2010 the year of the Set departure & Guided Safari

We are seeing a lot of interest in our set departure and escorted safaris for 2010.
With firm dates set for safaris to Zambia and Zimbabwe we expect to add more dates
and more destinations as the year goes on. Each safari is small group with just a maximum of 6 guests frequently we will go with just 4.
Guided from start to finish, your guide will certainly enhance the safari giving a deeper insight into the areas we visit and maximizing the chance of great wildlife encounters and with your guide handling everything there is nothing to think about apart from enjoying the experience.
Check out the website for our Set date / guided safaris or if you have an idea of where you want to go and would like to be guided why not get in touch and we will put together a guided trip just for you.

Iberian Lynx photo

Hi All
I thought you would like to share in one of my life's unforgettable experiences with the world's rarest cat - Iberian Lynx.
After almost knocking the animal over we watched astonished as it nonchalantly padded it's way parallel to the car (5-6m away) and then dropped down an embankment. We got out and again watched it through binoculars for the next half an hour as it walked slowly away through the undergrowth before coming to rest right out in the open. It was incredible and more so because my camera has been going faulty the last couple of days and I had just two goes to get one shot, which under the circumstances I am extremely proud of - hope you like it too.
Take care and good luck for 2010 to you all.
Cheers Jules