Busanga Safaris

Visited: Apr. 2019 Reviewed: Apr. 07, 2021 Submitted in:

This was about my 10th trip on Safari with Tony McKeith's Busanga Safaris, this time to Zakouma National Park in Chad. I was introduced to him by an old friend for which I am very grateful. I wouldn't look for any other Safari tour operator in Africa. Busanga are great.

Chad was an amazing experience, the birds, amazing flocks of birds: Red-billed quelea in the millions, flamingoes, geese, cranes and many more. You get a very personal, friendly service, ever helpful.

Thank you Tony.

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I first went on a Busanga Safaris trip over 10 years ago. Since then I have been with them nearly every year, to numerous game reserves and national parks, in my quest for wildlife photographs. Without exception, every safari has been planned and executed to perfection with itineraries and transfers coming together flawlessly. Needless to say, I am booked on another safari with them in 2018.

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I booked my safari through Busanga Safaris. It was specifically a photographic safari with wildlife photographer Tom Way and Tyrone McKeith of Jeffery & McKeith Safaris.

We spent four nights at their Musakese base and four at the Ntemwa-Busanga Camp. Tyrone took us to many locations with a wide range of wildlife and was hugely generous in sharing his knowledge of not only the animals but of all the environmental factors behind their presence in the Park. He worked with Tom to put us in the best possible positions for our photographs and Tom gave continuous advice on his approach to taking the shots. I learnt a great deal from Tom whilst still being free to follow my own ideas and progress at my own pace.

On request, Tom also had sessions with individuals to review their work and gave demonstrations of techniques. I know that I will learn even more when I process my photos with his advice still in mind and will, hopefully, be able to further improve om my next trip which will again be with Tom to the Luangwa next year.

Kolo, who is in charge of the non-game arrangements, is a great character and fantastic fun! All the camp staff were absolutely charming, friendly and very professional in their duties - a real credit to the young company. Lovely food from the chefs with an impressive standard of service. Accommodation was excellent - in the bush yes but we were certainly not roughing it even at the more basic Ntemwa camp.

Tyrone is very passionate about the Park and made sure we knew just how much we contributed in many ways from wildlife protection and economic improvements just by opting to visit. I, for one, will be returning.

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This was a Busanga Safaris photographic safari in the company of fine art photographer Tom Way. We were met at Lusaka Airport and spent a comfortable night at Pioneer Camp making the journey by road to Musakese Camp the next day. Our time was split between Jeffery & McKeith Safaris' Musakese Camp and its outlier on the Busanga Plain, Ntemwa. Tyrone was an excellent guide and worked with Tom to find the best positions for our photography. Being in like minded company, we were able to stay longer at each location to maximise our chances of a great picture. We saw and photographed a very wide range of animals and I got quite a few photos that I am proud of.

The arrangements worked perfectly and all the staff were great. The food was excellent and the domestic arrangements faultless.

Jeffery & McKeith Safaris have been heavily involved in the setting up of Musakese Conservation and this supports their strong environmental and community orientation.

This review is rather overdue but since I am returning to Musakese in November 2018 I thought I'd better get writing! And I've booked to visit again in 2019 so both Busanga Safaris and Jeffery & McKeith Safaris most definitely get my seal of approval.

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A tour operator's measure of success is the number of repeat clients they attract. This trip was our THIRD with Busanga Safaris, but our first group trip (only 5 guests) with owner Tony McKeith. Our previous trips have run like clockwork, but having Tony's relaxed and reassuring presence meant that that this one was completely stress-free but packed with excitement.

The Kafue is, as the cliché says, the size of Wales and teeming with game but has amazingly few visitors. If you want to "tick off" the Big Five in the company of a dozen Landcruisers, then the Kafue is NOT for you. This is a place for the wildlife enthusiast and wilderness seeker.

The choice of camps on our "Kafue Adventure Safari" was perfectly balanced - the small, remote Ntemwa Bush Camp on the Busanga Plains, the concession at Musekese and the unique KaingU on the beautiful Kafue River. These camps are immaculately presented and staffed by the most friendly and helpful Zambian people you could wish to meet. The exclusive feel they give you, however, is not just down to the luxury of the accommodation. The focus here is on top-quality guides - these are not just eagle-eyed wildlife-spotters, but knowledgeable professionals with a commitment to conservation and a real feel for the environment they work in and protect. Take a bow, Phil Jeffrey (at Musekese & Ntemwa) and JohnD Muleka (at KaingU). Experienced safari-goers will tell you that it is the guides who make (or break) a trip and these guys were amazing.


Highlights are difficult to pinpoint, because we all have different interests but here are some of ours:

The overnight stay on KaingU's private island in the Kafue river. An amazing, intimate and relaxing time in the wilderness after a long and achingly beautiful journey by canoe. (Note for birdwatchers like me: We had a great view of a Pel's Fishing Owl).


The vast Busanga Plains from Ntemwa - we have never seen so many different species of antelope in a single day- and the pride of lions we had to ourselves.

The sound of a lioness roaring to signal to her old pride at Musekese that she was back for male company after finally leaving her 3 sons to fend for themselves. What a story to unfold in front of us!


The food at all three camps. How do the chefs produce such amazing, tasty and well-presented food with the sort of facilities that would set off a Gordon Ramsey style rant from a British Chef?

We can only hope that life presents us with the chance to return to this special place.

Well done, Busanga Safaris. And well done, Tony McKeith- although with camps and people like these, your job wasn't exactly difficult...

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We travelled with Tony McKeith of Busanga Safaris as group leader on a mobile camping trip in Northern Botswana that took in Savuti, Khwai and Moremi.

Our tents were "no frills" and comfortable and we were very well-looked after by an enthusiastic, friendly camp team who did an amazing job of providing a delicious and different meal for lunch and dinner every day for 9 days out in the bush.

Our guide was Shadreck and he had great local knowledge of each area we visited and he worked hard to ensure we had the most wonderful wildlife sightings. In fact we saw so much that looking back on the trip I can hardly believe how good it was. The highlights list includes female leopard with 6-week old cub, leopards mating, leopard eating a kill in a tree, 4 coalition male lions with a buffalo kill, a large pack of wild dogs with 9 puppies... and that's just some of the predator sightings! Large breeding herds of elephants were another feature of the trip in each park. My favourite was watching two herds of around 20 from a mokoro - we were able to drift silently along the channel to be really close to them drinking. Just breath-taking.

At the end of the camping, we flew out over the Delta to Gunns Camp where we stayed for 3 nights. This was just the perfect end to the trip as it was so relaxing going out on a boat every day and drifting through the channels, watching elephants drinking at the water's edge and the lovely birdlife.

I have been travelling either on trips organised by Tony or with him for 8 years and each trip has absolutely delivered what he promises. I'd highly recommend this Botswana trip for the great wildlife but also to go mobile camping in the bush to have a totally different experience from staying in a fixed camp or lodge.

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I have just returned from a 10 night safari in Zambia and what a time I had! The holiday was meticulously organised by Tony from Busanga Safaris; I knew I was in good hands from the first moment I corresponded with him. After a couple of emails I rang Tony so he could get a really good idea of what I really wanted (within reason!) on my holiday in Africa, and also what I wasn't so keen on (single supplements, six Land Cruisers around one lion...). As I made my enquiry quite late in the year I was probably not in a good position to get a perfect fit, however the resulting 9 nights in the Kafue more than met my expectations.

Everything went like clockwork with transfers and for the majority of my trip I felt like the queen, having a plane to myself (no other passengers were scheduled, I'm not actually the queen...) to the Kafue and then remaining the sole passenger for the car and boat transfers to Musekese Camp. I never had to worry about any aspect of my trip, and it was really handy to have the travel app from Tony to refer to my itinerary on my phone.

The Kafue itself was incredible, and Musekese Camp and Ntemwa-Busanga Camp are both very special places. I enjoyed the most beautiful views, fantastic food, great hosting and exceptional guiding. I had so many memorable wildlife experiences, whether on foot, on a boat or in a car it would be hard to list them all. Here are my top 5: Seeing wild dogs for the very first time; seeing a leopard on a walking safari; elephants making a huge hullabaloo eating their breakfast right next to my tent; seeing a leopard slink right up to the car and give it a good sniff on a night drive; a couple of elephants sauntering by the dinner table as we guests were sitting by the fire enjoying aperitifs... magic!

I recommend Busanga Safaris unreservedly and I plan to book more safaris from them in the future.

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My trip to Zambia last year was one of the most amazing experiences of my life. I had such a fantatsic time that I would go again and repeat the trip in its entirety.

I had always wanted to go on safari but was unsure about doing such a big trip as a solo traveller for fear that it would not be as enjoyable. How wrong I was! From my early conversations with Tony about what to expect, the sites we would see, the food we would eat and sounds that are so far removed from anything heard before, I was hooked.

We stayed in 3 different camps over the 10 days with each offering a slightly different experience from the other. The staff at each were so welcoming that they really made you feel at home and the food they prepared so good that it is difficult to understand how they can prepare it in such remote locations.

Each camp had an abundance of wildlife that every day we were seeing something new. Particular favourites of mine included watching an elephant destroy a tree from the balcony of my own little cottage, seeing the ultra-rare pangolin and watching 2 male lions (brothers) walk directly towards our vehicle while calling to each other. I will never forget how awesome that sound was. It was incredible.

All in all it was such a fantastic holiday and much of that can be attributed to Tony, who's personal touch, empathy towards an individuals needs and his first class attention to detail really made all the difference.

I have already signed up for my next trip with him - South Africa and diving with great white sharks. Can't wait.

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Tony McKeith, who runs Busanga Safaris, is a marvel! I was struggling to arrange a very special Golden Wedding Anniversary holiday for my family of eleven, aged from seven to seventy seven. He quickly grasped what I was trying to achieve, was mindful of our budget and sensitive to all my aims and concerns.

The result was a safari which was voted "Best holiday of our lives"by each and everyone of us. From the smooth journey via Emirates to Lusaka and a night at the Pioneer Camp, we travelled seamlessly to the Kafue National Park. Both the Kaingu Lodge and the Musakese Bush camp were perfect. They each offered the warmest of welcomes, high standard accommodation and haute cuisine in most beautiful surroundings.

Kaingu Lodge was notable for its exquisite and artistic presentation of every detail. It also laid on child specific activities such as making and using bows, arrows and fishing rods and gave us an evening when the staff demonstrated their traditional music and dancing inviting us to join in.

At Musukese, the professional and immensely knowledgable standard of guiding was in a league we had never met before either in Zambia or any other African country. Thanks to their skilled tracking we had constant sightings from a lion killing a waterbuck to leopards stalking within the camp. Whether on foot, in jeeps or by boat on the river they kept us fascinated from the youngest child to the experienced zoologist. What an achievement!

We cannot recommend Busanga Safaris highly enough.

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We have known Tony and Tyrone McKeith for a number of years and finally got round to safaring with them. After a few discussions with Tony over coffee to discuss options, we left the organising/itineray of our trip to Tony. He delivered a safari that offered all the best Zambia has to offer through game drives, bush walks and boating trips.

Week 1 saw us visit South Luangwa staying at Kafunta and Island Bush camp. In week 2 we caught with Tony and Tyrone where they gave us an awesone safari of the Kafue. We stayed at Busanga Plains camp and ended with three nights at Tyrone's Musekese camp.

Tony arranged and delivered an amazing safari - the camps, food, guides and activities were perfect. To top it off the sightings made it the perfect safrai. We are already planning our next safari with Tony and Busanga Safaris.

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12People gave this
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