Hunting in Zambia: Leopard, Plains Game Plus Croc OR Hippo

For American and international hunters, the ultimate African safari is not built around a single species. It is about experiencing a diverse wilderness where dangerous game, river systems, predators, and plains game all come together within one vast hunting area.

Few places offer that experience better than Zambia's Kafue region. Covering immense tracts of remote wilderness, Kafue has earned a reputation for healthy wildlife populations, exceptional habitat diversity, and the type of free-range hunting opportunities that have become increasingly difficult to find elsewhere in Africa.

This 16-day safari combines the pursuit of Leopard Hunts with the opportunity to hunt either hippo or crocodile, while also providing access to an impressive variety of Plains Game Hunts. Conducted within the vast Lunga Luswishi Game Management Area, the safari offers a genuine wilderness hunting experience where every day presents new opportunities and challenges.

For hunters seeking more than a single-species safari, Kafue delivers one of the most diverse hunting adventures available anywhere in Zambia.

Safari Overview

Location: Kafue Region, Zambia
Duration: 16 Hunting Days
Hunter Ratio: 1 Hunter × 1 Professional Hunter
Price: US$ 37,000
Trophy Fees: Not Included
Observers: US$ 350 per person per day
Rifle Rental: US$ 50 per day plus US$ 10 per round

• Daily Rates: US$ 33,000
• Dipping & Packing: US$ 3,000
• Hunting License: US$ 1,000

Total Safari Cost: US$ 37,000

Hunting Opportunities

This safari is designed around the pursuit of one of Africa's most elusive predators while providing additional opportunities for dangerous game and plains game hunting throughout the concession.

Available Species on this Safari

• 1 × Leopard
• 1 × Hippo OR 1 × Crocodile
• Additional Plains Game Species (subject to quota availability and trophy fees)

Important

The safari price covers daily rates, hunting licenses, and safari operating costs. Trophy fees for leopard, hippo, crocodile, and any additional species harvested are charged separately according to current trophy fee schedules.

Why Hunt Zambia?

For many experienced African hunters, Zambia represents one of the continent's last great safari frontiers. Vast wilderness areas, low hunting pressure, abundant wildlife, and a strong conservation ethic have helped preserve the type of free-range hunting experience that originally made Africa famous.

Unlike many destinations where hunting is concentrated into smaller areas, Zambia still offers enormous landscapes where wildlife moves naturally across extensive ecosystems. This combination of scale, authenticity, and biodiversity continues to attract hunters seeking genuine dangerous game hunts and traditional safari experiences.

The country's reputation has been built on iconic hunting regions such as the Luangwa Valley and Kafue ecosystem, both of which continue to produce exceptional hunting opportunities for international sportsmen. For those researching hunting in Zambia, the appeal is often simple: fewer crowds, more wilderness, and an experience that still feels genuinely wild.

The Lunga Luswishi Game Management Area

Situated within Zambia's vast Kafue ecosystem, the Lunga Luswishi Game Management Area encompasses more than one million acres of remote wilderness. The area's combination of river systems, floodplains, woodland, and thick riverine habitat creates ideal conditions for a remarkable diversity of wildlife.

For hunters pursuing leopard hunting in Zambia, the concession offers the type of habitat that mature toms favor: dense cover, abundant prey, and limited disturbance. The result is a hunting area that has earned a strong reputation among serious leopard hunters seeking a traditional bait-and-blind safari experience.

The river systems that define the concession also create excellent opportunities for both hippo hunting in Zambia and crocodile hunting in Zambia. Productive waterways support healthy populations of both species while providing a completely different hunting experience from the woodland and plains game portions of the safari. The area's extensive river network is one of the reasons both hippo and crocodile populations remain so healthy throughout the concession.

What makes Lunga Luswishi particularly attractive is the diversity available within a single concession. A hunter may spend one day checking leopard bait sites, the next glassing river systems for crocodile, and another pursuing plains game through the surrounding woodland, all without leaving the hunting area.

Additional Plains Game Opportunities

While leopard remains the primary focus of this safari, the Lunga Luswishi concession also offers exceptional opportunities for hunters interested in pursuing a variety of sought-after African plains game species.

Particularly noteworthy are the area's healthy populations of Roan Hunts and Sable Hunts, two of Africa's most prestigious antelope species. Both are renowned for their striking appearance, impressive horns, and the challenge they present to hunters pursuing mature trophies in free-range environments. For many hunters visiting Zambia, the opportunity to add a quality roan or sable to their safari is every bit as exciting as the dangerous game component itself.

The concession also supports excellent populations of Bushbuck Hunts, particularly in the riverine habitat that borders the area's waterways. Patient hunters willing to spend time hunting thick cover are often rewarded with opportunities at mature rams.

Additional species may include Greater Kudu, Lichtenstein's Hartebeest, Common Waterbuck, Zebra, Warthog, Impala, and several other plains game species, subject to quota availability and seasonal conditions.

One of the advantages of hunting Kafue is the sheer diversity available within a single safari. Hunters can spend the morning checking leopard bait sites, glass river systems for hippo or crocodile, and still pursue exceptional plains game during the course of the same hunt.

As with all quota-managed safari areas, availability of certain species can vary from season to season. Hunters with a particular interest in roan, sable, kudu, waterbuck, hartebeest, or zebra are encouraged to confirm availability well in advance of the safari.

Life in Kafue

A safari in Kafue is a very different experience from many traditional dangerous game hunts. Patience often matters more than distance covered, and attention to detail can be far more important than speed. Every day begins with checking bait sites and reading the signs left behind during the night. Fresh tracks in the sand, movement on a trail camera, or evidence of feeding activity can completely change the day's plan.

International hunters typically arrive through Lusaka before continuing into the Kafue region by road or charter aircraft. The journey itself serves as a reminder of just how remote this part of Zambia remains. Vast wilderness, limited development, and enormous tracts of hunting ground help create the type of safari environment that serious leopard hunters seek.

The hunting season is most productive during Zambia's cooler and drier months when visibility improves, vegetation thins, and leopard activity around bait sites becomes easier to monitor. These conditions also make for more comfortable hunting throughout the day.

While a minimum caliber of .375 is typically required for dangerous game hunting, experienced Professional Hunters will often place greater emphasis on confidence, familiarity, and proper leopard shot placement than raw caliber alone. A wounded leopard is widely regarded as one of Africa's most dangerous animals, making shot selection and discipline critically important.

What makes this safari particularly unique is the variety available within the concession. A hunter may spend the morning checking leopard bait sites, the afternoon glassing river systems for hippo or crocodile, and the following day pursuing plains game through the woodland and floodplain habitats of Kafue. Few dangerous game hunts offer such a diverse combination of species and hunting experiences within a single safari.

For hunters, however, the lasting memory is not the trophy itself. It is the anticipation of waiting for a mature tom to commit to a bait, the quiet conversations around the campfire after dark, and the knowledge that every day unfolds according to the rhythm of the bush rather than a predetermined schedule.

Why This Safari Appeals to Leopard Hunters

Leopard hunting has always attracted a different type of hunter. Success often depends less on covering miles and more on patience, attention to detail, and the ability to let the hunt unfold at its own pace.

This safari is particularly well suited to hunters who value variety alongside the pursuit of a mature tom leopard. Rather than focusing on a single species for the duration of the hunt, the Kafue concession provides opportunities to combine leopard hunting with hippo or crocodile, while also offering access to exceptional plains game throughout the safari.

The scale of the concession, the diversity of wildlife, and the wilderness character of the Kafue ecosystem all contribute to a hunting experience that feels genuinely wild. Days can be spent checking leopard bait sites, glassing river systems, pursuing plains game, or following up on opportunities that arise naturally during the course of the safari.

For hunters whose goal is simply to harvest a leopard, there may be shorter or more specialized options elsewhere. However, for those seeking a traditional African safari that combines leopard hunting with a broad range of hunting opportunities in one of Zambia's great wilderness regions, this hunt deserves serious consideration.

Interested in this safari? Contact Game Hunting Safaris to discuss current availability, trophy fees, travel logistics, and whether this Kafue leopard safari aligns with your hunting objectives.