Africa is home to the most spectacular wildlife viewing on the planet. It’s a place that humbles even the most jaded of travelers, where the cycle of life plays out right before your eyes in some of nature’s most magnificent theaters. See the vast herds of the Great Migration on the mottled plains of the Maasai Mara and the Serengeti. Watch elephants graze in the shadow of Mount Kilimanjaro, or come-face-to-face with a wild silverback gorilla in Volcanoes National Park. Many of the reserves protect Africa’s famed “Big Five”: lion, leopard, elephant, buffalo, and rhino, as well as an astounding diversity of other animals. Hot air balloon rides, game drives, and walking safaris all offer unique wildlife watching adventures. From Kenya and Tanzania, to Namibia, South Africa, and Botswana, a safari in Africa’s top game parks is an unforgettable experience that will forever stir your soul.
1 Maasai Mara National Reserve, Kenya
Maasai Mara National Reserve, Kenya
The magnificent Maasai Mara National Reserve in Kenya is on the wishlist of wildlife lovers around the world. Famous for the Great Migration from July through October, when thousands of wildebeest, Thomson’s gazelle, and zebra travel between here and the Serengeti plains, this park offers some of Africa’s best wildlife viewing. The park protects the “Big Five,” and is known for its large numbers of predators such as lions, cheetahs, and leopards, while hippos and crocs thrive in the Mara River. The red-cloaked Maasai people who live in the park add a fascinating cultural component. In their language, Mara means “mottled,” perhaps for the shadows cast by shifting light through the acacia trees on the cloud-streaked horizons, making a hauntingly beautiful canvas for photographers.
2 Serengeti National Park, Tanzania
Serengeti National Park, Tanzania
The name Serengeti conjures romantic images of seemingly endless acacia-dappled plains, golden savanna, and throngs of wildlife, and this World Heritage-listed park, Tanzania’s oldest and most popular, delivers on all accounts. From December to July, the Great Migration takes place, when more than a million wildebeest, as well as zebra and Thomson’s gazelle, travel between here and the fabled lands of the Maasai Mara, a time-honored pilgrimage that is one of Africa’s greatest spectacles. The famed “Big Five” also live within the park’s borders, and visitors have the chance to see nail-biting predator-versus-prey battles here – especially during the dry season from June through October. Birders can spot some of the 500-plus species, including beauties such as the crowned crane and Fischer’s lovebird.
3 Ngorongoro Conservation Area, Tanzania
Ngorongoro Conservation Area, Tanzania
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Formerly part of Serengeti National Park, Ngorongoro Conservation Area encompasses three magnificent volcanic craters (Ngorongoro is the most famous), as well as the legendary archeological site of Olduvai Gorge, and more than 8,300 square kilometers of savannah, dense forest, and African bush. This is one of the few areas in the world where wildlife and humans peacefully coexist. The proud Maasai people live alongside a diversity of wildlife within this World Heritage-listed area and graze their cattle on these lands. Besides the spectacular volcanically formed scenery, highlights include one of Africa’s densest populations of wild lions as well as black rhinoceros, buffaloes, leopards, wild dogs, cheetahs, and more than 500 species of birds. As part of the Serengeti ecosystem, the area also plays host to the Great Migration as 1.6 million ungulates make their way through here each year between December and June.
4 Amboseli National Park, Kenya
Amboseli National Park, Kenya
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Mount Kilimanjaro, Africa’s highest mountain, presides over this diverse park, which is famous for its large herds of elephants. This is Kenya’s second most popular national park after Maasai Mara National Reserve. Five different habitats lie within its borders, including a swamp system, dense woodlands, savannah, and the dried-up bed of Lake Amboseli. Thanks to these contrasting ecosystems, wildlife is varied and abundant with plenty of big cats, such as cheetah and lion, as well as waterbuck, gazelle, impala, and more than 600 species of birds. Elephants bathing in red dust against the dramatic backdrop of Mount Kilimanjaro is one of the iconic images photographers might capture during the dry season at this famous park. Visitors here also have the chance to visit a Maasai village near the park and learn about this fascinating tribe, who live around the park’s borders.
5 Kruger National Park, South Africa
Kruger National Park, South Africa
The largest and oldest national park in South Africa, Kruger National Park spans almost two million hectares and offers an incredible wildlife watching experience – especially for those who are seeking a self-drive safari. Africa’s Big Five live within its borders as well as an impressive diversity of other wildlife, including African wild dog, giraffes, zebras, hippos, cheetahs, and more than 500 species of birds. One of the best features of this popular park is the abundance of self-catering accommodation, making this a relatively affordable safari destination. The scenery ranges from dense forests to sweeping grasslands and fertile river systems, and the park is also home to Bushman cave paintings and archaeological sites. In addition to the government-run rest camps within the park, several luxury private game reserves lie along the park’s borders.
6 Chobe National Park, Botswana
Chobe National Park, Botswana
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In northeastern Botswana, Chobe National Park boasts the planet’s highest concentration of elephants as well as an enviable diversity of wildlife. This is reason enough to visit Botswana’s first national park, but it’s also a fantastic option for travelers who prefer self-guided safaris. The beautiful Chobe River runs along the park’s northern border, and the fertile waters of the Okavango Delta fan out to the south, attracting abundant wildlife. Chobe is home to Africa’s “Big Five.” Along the lush banks of the Chobe River, large herds of elephant as well as sable antelope and buffaloes come to quench their thirsts. The Savuti Marsh region is known for its predator sightings in the savannah and grasslands, while the Linyanti Marsh is home to the rare red lechwe. Accommodation ranges from bare bones campsites to luxury game lodges, and you can also cruise along the Chobe River in a houseboat. The north-east entry gate lies less than 100 kilometers from Zimbabwe’s spectacular Victoria Falls, which makes a fantastic side-trip option after a rewarding safari. Botswana practices a low-density approach to tourism, which limits the number of visitors allowed in the parks and helps preserve these unique ecosystems.
7 Moremi Game Reserve, Botswana
Okavango Delta
Moremi Game Reserve is the only protected area of Botswana’s magnificent Okavango Delta, one of the richest and most diverse of all Africa’s ecosystems. This vast floodplain fans out across the parched lands of northwestern Botswana supporting a dazzling diversity of wildlife. All the Big Five live within the park’s borders, as well as an abundance of other animals such as hippos, giraffe, kudu, leopards, African wild dogs, and more than 400 species of birds. The lush scenery ranges from snaking sapphire channels and pools, to lagoons, grasslands, and dense mopane forests. Moremi is also unique because it is the first reserve in Africa that local people established due to their concerns for the dwindling wildlife. Chobe National Park borders Moremi, and many travelers visit both while in the region. Like Chobe, Moremi is also an excellent destination for self-guided safaris, though it helps to hire the services of a local guide who can use their experience in the bush to track the game. A unique experience in the park is exploring the waterways of the Okavango Delta in a mokoro or traditional dug-out canoe.
8 Etosha National Park, Namibia
Oryx
Encompassing 22,750 square kilometers in Northern Namibia, Etosha National Park offers superb game viewing in a vast, shimmering salt pan. At its outer reaches, the parched earth of the pan gives way to sweeping grasslands and thorn scrub that supports more than 150 species of mammals including lions, zebras, jackals, springbok, hyenas, elephants, and cheetahs, as well as many beautiful birds – flamingos descend on the salt pans in a riot of orange and pink after good rains, when the pan briefly fills. The park is also home to endangered and relatively rare species such as the black rhino, oryx, tsessebe, and the black-faced impala. Game viewing is best during the dry season from June through November, when animals congregate at the few remaining waterholes to quench their thirsts. Etosha also accommodates self-guided safaris with its excellent tourist infrastructure. Photographers will especially love capturing images of wildlife against the stark, silvery landscapes.
9 South Luangwa National Park, Zambia
South Luangwa National Park, Zambia
