Fig Tree Bush Camp

Highlights

• Only four tented suites, eight guests at most
• Tents raised three metres on stilts
• Permanent lagoon on the doorstep
• Small swimming pool
• Morning and afternoon game drives
• Walking safaris in Zambia
• Campfire dinners

Information

• Lodge type: Classic Safari Camp
• Location: Central-northern Kafue National Park, Zambia
• Lodge size: 4 tented suites (maximum 8 guests)
• Recommended stay: 3–7 nights
• Malaria risk: Yes — Kafue National Park is a malaria area; antimalarial prophylaxis is advised
• Getting there: About 4 hours by road from Lusaka to Mukambi Safari Lodge, then a 1.5-hour game-drive transfer to camp; light-aircraft charters land at Chunga airstrip
• Season: Open end of May to end of November
• Children: 12 years and older

Fig Tree Bush Camp – Four Tents on Stilts Above a Kafue Lagoon

Fig Tree Bush Camp is a four-tent rustic safari camp in central-northern Kafue National Park, Zambia, set on the edge of the Shishamba River Lagoon with open grassland behind it. Kafue covers around 22,400 km², making it Zambia's largest national park and one of the biggest in Africa. That space is the point: lion, leopard, cheetah and spotted hyena hunt the plains around camp, wild dog pass through, and the lagoon's permanent water draws game in as the dry season bites.

Fig Tree Bush Camp is built for people who want the bush and very little else. With a maximum of eight guests, there are no crowds at sightings, no queues for the campfire and no noise but frogs, hippo and the odd lion contact call after dark. The camp is owner-operated by Mukambi Safaris, which also runs Busanga Plains Camp further north in Kafue National Park, so the two combine easily on one itinerary.

Rooms and Suites

Fig Tree Bush Camp has four canvas tented suites, each raised about three metres on stilts for a treehouse view over the bush. Three suites face the lagoon and one looks out over the plains behind camp. Every tent has twin or double beds, a large bedroom, a private viewing deck for game-watching between activities, and an en-suite bathroom with a hot-water shower and flush toilet. Nothing is fussy, and nothing is missing: you can watch puku and waterbuck grazing at the lagoon's edge without leaving your deck.

Cuisine and Wine

Fig Tree Bush Camp serves three meals a day, eaten under the canvas of the dining tent or outside around the campfire. Dinner by the fire is the highlight, with the night sounds of Kafue all around you: hyena whooping in the distance, nightjars, and hippo grunting from the lagoon. Local drinks are included in the rate; top-shelf spirits and imported wines are extra.

Facilities

Fig Tree Bush Camp keeps its central area deliberately small: one tented space with a lounge and a covered dining area, and that is it. A stay here is not about décor and furnishings; it is about what surrounds the camp, and what surrounds it is some of the wildest country in Zambia. A small swimming pool with loungers takes the edge off the heat on hot afternoons, especially in October and November.

• Four raised tented suites with private decks
• Tented lounge and dining area
• Campfire boma
• Small swimming pool with loungers

Activities

Fig Tree Bush Camp offers two safari activities: game drives and walking safaris, all within Kafue National Park and led by professional guides and trackers. Early-morning and late-afternoon game drives in open 4x4 safari vehicles cover the lagoon edges and grasslands, with the afternoon drive running into the early evening when predators start to move. Kafue's birdlife alone, close to 500 species, keeps the drives busy between mammal sightings.

Walking safaris at Fig Tree Bush Camp leave early in the morning and last around three hours on foot through the Kafue bushveld. On foot the detail comes alive: tracks in the sand, dung beetles, termite architecture, medicinal plants and birds you would never notice from a vehicle. We highly recommend at least one walk during your stay.

• Morning and afternoon game drives
• Guided morning walking safaris (about 3 hours)
• Birding, with close to 500 species recorded in Kafue

Fig Tree Bush Camp FAQs

Where is Fig Tree Bush Camp?

Fig Tree Bush Camp is in the central-northern section of Kafue National Park, Zambia's largest national park at around 22,400 km². The camp sits on the edge of the Shishamba River Lagoon with open grassland behind it. It is about four hours by road from Lusaka to Mukambi Safari Lodge, then a 1.5-hour game-drive transfer into camp.

How many tents does Fig Tree Bush Camp have?

Fig Tree Bush Camp has four tented suites, sleeping a maximum of eight guests. Each tent is raised about three metres on stilts and has twin or double beds, a private viewing deck and an en-suite bathroom with a hot-water shower and flush toilet. Three suites face the lagoon and one looks out over the plains behind camp.

Is Fig Tree Bush Camp in a malaria area?

Fig Tree Bush Camp is in a malaria area. Kafue National Park, like most of Zambia, carries a malaria risk all year, highest during the wet months from November to April. Guests should take antimalarial prophylaxis prescribed by a travel clinic, wear long sleeves in the evenings and use insect repellent, especially around dusk.

When is the best time to visit Fig Tree Bush Camp?

Fig Tree Bush Camp is open from the end of May to the end of November, covering Kafue National Park's dry season. July to October is peak time: the grass thins, and the lagoon's permanent water draws lion, leopard, cheetah and plains game close to camp. November is hot, with the first rains arriving before the camp closes.

How do you get to Fig Tree Bush Camp?

Fig Tree Bush Camp is reached by road or light aircraft. By road, guests drive about four hours from Lusaka to Mukambi Safari Lodge on the Kafue River, then take a roughly 1.5-hour game-drive transfer to camp. Fly-in guests land at Chunga airstrip inside Kafue National Park. Uyaphi.com arranges the transfers, charter flights and connecting itinerary.

Can children stay at Fig Tree Bush Camp?

Fig Tree Bush Camp accepts children aged 12 years and older. Exceptions for younger children may be considered, but they must be agreed with the camp's management before booking. Families with younger children can stay at Mukambi Safari Lodge on the Kafue River, which Uyaphi.com can combine with other Kafue National Park camps on a tailor-made Zambia safari.

Plan Your Fig Tree Bush Camp Safari With Uyaphi.com

Fig Tree Bush Camp is the camp for travellers who want Kafue National Park the way it should be seen: quietly, closely, and with almost nobody else around. Four tents on stilts above a lagoon, morning walks on foot through lion and leopard country, and fireside dinners under the stars add up to a safari that is all wildlife and no fuss. Kafue is Zambia's largest park and still one of its least crowded, and Fig Tree puts you right in the middle of it.

The how is simple. Fig Tree Bush Camp works beautifully on a road-and-fly Kafue circuit:

• Start with a night or two at Mukambi Safari Lodge on the Kafue River.
• Spend three to four nights at Fig Tree Bush Camp.
• Finish on the floodplains at Busanga Plains Camp.
• Add Victoria Falls or South Luangwa for the full Zambia story.

The when is late May to November, with July to October the sweet spot for game around the lagoon.

Uyaphi.com has been planning African safaris from Cape Town since 1999. That is 27 years of matching the right traveller to the right camp, timing the seasons and smoothing every transfer in between. Tell us your dates and what you want from Kafue, and we'll build your Fig Tree Bush Camp safari around you, with no booking fees and no credit card surcharges.