KAFUE NATIONAL PARK

    Many parts of Africa claim to offer a ‘real Africa’ experience and the opportunity to visit an untamed wilderness, but few can compare with Kafue National Park.

At over 22,000 km2, Kafue National Park is one of Africa’s largest parks. It is an adventure filled, yet relaxing retreat, where you get the feeling you have the entire park all to yourself.

The Kafue River is the lifeblood, but away from its banks there is a wide variety of woodlands as well as open grasslands. These host a diverse array of wildlife species including over 150 different mammals along with an amazing 470 species of bird. So visiting the various habitats of the park is strongly recommended.

For twenty years, Kafue National Park was somewhat starved of investment and funding, but pleasingly that has now changed with considerable efforts being made to restore the park to its former glory. Ironically that same period may have helped preserve the park’s unique rawness.

Not only have the animals returned (and continue to do so) but now the standards of the Kushiyana lodges provide the perfect opportunity to enjoy this pristine wilderness.

Kaingu Safari Lodge is an owner run lodge situated on one of Africa’s great rivers, the Kafue, some 200 kilometres upstream from its confluence with the mighty Zambezi River. Set in an area of pristine wilderness, KaingU Lodge offers a magnificent safari experience in the heart of the African bush. Walking safaris, river cruises and bird watching, are always special on a river like the Kafue.

Accommodation
One family house and four luxuriously appointed East African safari tents set under thatch and placed on raised rosewood platforms overlook the river. Each unit has a spacious en-suite bathroom and a unique outdoor shower. The thatched central boma with lounge, bar and dining room has a large deck with fireplace overlooking the river.

For more informations :

www.kushiyana.com

'CALAO', QUEZACO ??

    Les calaos (hornbills en anglais) forment une famille d'oiseaux très répandue en Afrique australe.

Le plus courant est le calao à bec jaune, surnommé 'banane volante" en raison de son gros bec jaune. On le trouve partout et en gand nombre, dans la region du Kruger.

Ils nichent dans le tronc de gros arbres (comme le marula). La male scelle le trou et vient tous les jours alimenter la femelle par une fente très étroite. Garantie pour ne pas avoir ses petits mangés par des prédateurs ?.

En general,oui! Ce qui explique leur grand nombre. Mais hélas, parfois, les serpents comme le mamba noir, sont patients et profitent de l'ouverture du trou par la mere pour tuer la portée...

Vous pouvez découvrir l'intégralité de la famille calao dans la 'galerie photos'.

CALAO is the french name for the HORNBILL family; common birds found all over southern Africa.

The yellow-billed one is called 'flying banana', guess why ?

You can discover the whole hornbill family in the 'photo gallery'.