Kasanka National Park

Contrary to popular belief, Africa’s largest mammal migration does not occur in the mighty Serengeti ecosystem that covers Tanzania and Kenya, rather it takes place in Zambia’s tiny Kasanka National Park, which covers a mere 390 square kilometres.Each year, towards the end of October, the first of between 8 and 10 million straw-coloured fruit bats come to Kasanka to roost, remaining here until the middle of January. During this time they will consume an estimated 330,000 tonnes of fruit. The window to see this spectacle is limited owing to access and rains, but a handful of trips operate in the early and middle part of November.Accommodation is simple but comfortable and as well as the bats visitors can see some of the parks other 114 mammal species, including buffalo, sable antelope and Lichtenstein’s hartebeest. As with many of Zambia’s parks, Kasanka is very much a special interest destination and a remarkable one at that.