Wildlife & Safaris in Africa

Endless golden plains in Tanzania host the world’s greatest wildlife spectacle, the Great Migration, when nearly two million wildebeest and zebra sweep across in search of rain-fed grass. Big cats are exceptionally abundant here, and dramatic river crossings draw huge crocodiles and heart-stopping predator action.

Kenya’s flagship reserve is a rolling savanna famous for dense lion prides, cheetahs hunting in the open and the migration herds that pour across the Mara River from July to October. Its wide, uncluttered plains make for some of the whole continent’s most reliable big-cat viewing.

A vast collapsed volcanic caldera cradles a self-contained wildlife haven where lions, elephants, hippos and one of Africa’s densest concentrations of animals graze the crater floor. This is one of the very few places where you might still glimpse a critically endangered black rhino in the wild.

In Botswana, a river that never reaches the sea fans out into a shimmering labyrinth of channels, islands and lagoons. Explored by dugout canoe or on foot from remote camps, it teems with elephants, hippos, wild dogs and predators in a lush, ever-shifting watery world.

Along Botswana’s northern river frontier roam some of Africa’s largest elephant herds, best seen from a sunset boat cruise as animals crowd the banks to drink. Buffalo, hippos, crocodiles and prolific birdlife share this famously game-rich stretch of water in one of the region’s great parks.

A vast, shimmering salt pan in Namibia lies at the heart of a park where floodlit waterholes become natural theatres, drawing elephants, black rhino, lions and giraffe against a stark white backdrop. The dry season delivers extraordinary concentrations of game and wonderfully easy self-drive viewing.

Snow-capped Kilimanjaro looms over Kenyan swamps where big-tusked elephants wade and dust-bathe, offering some of the most iconic photographs in African wildlife. The park is also known for excellent close-range elephant research, superb light and consistently reliable dry-season sightings of large herds.

Zambia’s celebrated wilderness is the birthplace of the walking safari, letting visitors track animals on foot behind an armed guide. Leopard densities here are among the highest found anywhere on the continent, and the meandering river valley bursts with hippos, elephants and spectacular birdlife.

Zimbabwe’s largest park spreads across teak forest and Kalahari sand, its pumped waterholes sustaining enormous elephant herds through the parched dry months. Lions, buffalo, rare sable antelope and painted wild dogs make it one of southern Africa’s finest, wildest and least crowded reserves.

This misty, tangled Ugandan rainforest shelters roughly half the world’s remaining mountain gorillas. Trekking its steep, vine-choked slopes to sit quietly among a habituated family for a single precious hour is one of the most profound and sought-after wildlife experiences anywhere on the planet.

Ancient, swollen baobabs punctuate a Tanzanian landscape that draws huge dry-season elephant gatherings along its life-giving river. Far less crowded than its famous neighbours, it rewards visitors with enormous herds, tree-climbing lions and pythons, and outstanding birding in a distinctive, sculptural setting.

On the forested slopes of Rwanda’s Virunga volcanoes, guided treks lead to habituated mountain gorilla families and troops of playful golden monkeys. The steep, dripping green terrain and strictly limited daily permit numbers make each hard-won encounter feel wonderfully intimate and utterly unforgettable.

In Kenya’s arid, sun-baked north, the Ewaso Ng’iro River sustains a cast of dryland specialists found nowhere on the classic circuit, including reticulated giraffe, Grevy’s zebra and the long-necked gerenuk. Elephants, lions and leopards add to its wild, rugged and gloriously uncrowded appeal.

South Africa’s flagship park is a self-drive paradise nearly the size of a small country, home to the Big Five and an unmatched range of accommodation. Excellent tarred roads and comfortable rest camps make it one of the most accessible ways to experience a genuinely world-class African safari.

One of Africa’s largest protected areas sprawls across southern Tanzania in a remote wilderness of rivers, lakes and miombo woodland. Boat safaris, guided walking trails and isolated bush camps reveal elephants, endangered wild dogs, hippos and vast tracts of country blissfully free of other visitors.

On the banks of the Zambezi in Zimbabwe, riverine forests and shady pools draw the elephants that famously rise on their hind legs to browse high branches. Renowned for its walking encounters, it offers a raw, self-reliant safari beloved by seasoned and adventurous wildlife travellers.

Rwanda’s beautifully revived savanna park has been restocked with lions and rhinos, completing the Big Five amid a scenic patchwork of lakes, papyrus swamps and rolling emerald hills. Its remarkable conservation turnaround makes for an uplifting, increasingly rewarding and refreshingly quiet safari destination.

One of the world’s largest reserves protects a stark, ancient landscape of open grassland and fossil riverbeds in Botswana. Famous black-maned Kalahari lions, cheetahs and vast herds of oryx roam a deeply remote wilderness that bursts spectacularly to life after the short summer rains.