Wilderness Shumba

Highlights

• Intimate and exclusive, and set in a tree island in the Busanga Plains, Shumba offers one of the most remote and wild safaris on the planet.
• Open for just five months* each year, this off-the-beaten-track camp delivers an unforgettable big cat safari.
• Exceptional diversity of the Busanga Plains draws a wealth of plains game – oribi, roan, sable – and predators including lion, wild dog and cheetah.
• Epic exchanges between the famous lions of the area reveal the unpredictable dynamics between the territorial pridesand the nomadic males that move through.

* after the seasonal rains

NOTE: Wilderness Shumba is open between 01 June and 31 October each year.

Destination: Thrillingly remote, wild and diverse, elegant Wilderness Shumba is found in the beautiful Kafue National Park, the oldest and – at 2.25 million hectares (5.5 million acres) – largest protected area in Zambia. Kafue is the latest reserve in Africa to join the UNESCO World Biosphere Network, designed to support research and safeguard Earth’s wilderness spaces and communities.

Named after the prides of lion seen in the area, the camp is found in the heart of the wildlife-rich Busanga Plains. Famous for its seasonally inundated grassy floodplains and sensational sunrises, with lechwe and puku silhouetted in the golden mist, Kafue is an authentic wildlife safari treasure that can only be explored for five months a year. 

Experience: Shumba means lion, and the area is famous for its ‘flying lions’ seen hunting and leaping across the channels carving through the plains. Guests can look forward to thrilling game drives observing the resident prides of lions. Also on offer, exhilarating infrared-spotlit night drives and seasonal boating excursions, taking in snorting hippo pods and the area’s exceptional birdlife. Back in camp, guests can have a refreshing dip in the crystal-clear pool, enjoy delectable meals cooked on an open fire and marvel at the brilliant night sky.

Purpose: For seven months each year, life around Shumba remains a glorious, wild mystery, and inaccessible for most travellers. Then, the waters recede, and the wilderness becomes a safari wonderland. It’s this extraordinary privilege, not profit, that keeps us here. Our presence helps us continue to protect our wild areas through supporting anti-poaching efforts, expanding the area’s budding conservation tourism sector, and creating local employment. 

Wildlife: Guests don’t have to travel far to see wildlife here. Wilderness Shumba is situated in the heart of the Busanga Plains, among a number of lion pride territories, providing some of the best lion viewing in Africa. The area also boasts more antelope species than anywhere else in Africa, but the stars of the show have to be the lions, which are also often seen in and around camp. Hyena, wild dog and cheetah are spotted on drives, and occasionally even a rare leopard. Also large numbers of plains game such as puku, red lechwe, Lichtenstein’s hartebeest, oribi, buffalo, and wildebeest. A special treat is a ‘resident’ herd of rare roan antelope. Birding enthusiasts can look forward to spotting close to 500 species, including the range-restricted Fülleborn's longclaw.

Wilderness Shumba: The main area is imbued with Zambian hospitality, whether you’re cooling off in the sparkling pool, dining under the stars, or sharing fireside tales – a classic safari ritual.

Set on a verdant tree island, six stylish tented suites raised on wooden platforms stand sentry over these endless plains. The spacious and elegant en-suite tents boast spectacular views of the surrounding plains, while the shaded cushion-strewn veranda invites relaxed contemplation.