Top 15 Safari Destinations to Visit in Africa
Kidepo is located in the distant north-east of Uganda, close by the borders of South Sudan and Kenya, Kidepo is an enthralling place of semi-arid Savannah, seasonal rivers and low mountains. Kidepo’s remote location makes it Uganda’s most isolated national park. The low number of visitors has preserved the unique ambience of this untouched wilderness.
Kidepo is home to 77 mammal species and the park offers great opportunities for game viewing. 20 species of predator are present, including lion, leopard, and spotted hyena. Black-backed jackal, bat-eared fox, aardwolf, cheetah, and caracal are endemic to Kidepo. The elephant population is over 650 (up from 200 in the mid ‘90s), buffalo are estimated to exceed 10,000, and there are over 50 Rothschild’s giraffes, an internationally important population.
Zebra graze on the plains and both greater and lesser kudu roam around the thick bush. Fortunate adventurers may even see a white-eared kob.
The bird list currently numbers 470 species. 60 of these are recorded in no other national park in Uganda. East Africa’s population of Clapperton’s francolin and the rose-ringed parakeet are found only in Kidepo. There are 56 species of raptor, and the park’s vultures are thriving. Kidepo is also the only place in Uganda where bird enthusiasts can encounter the majesty of the Common Ostrich.
Game drives are the best way to explore the far reaches of the park within a short space of time. Coming face to face with large mammals and predators from the safety of your vehicle is an unforgettable experience.
Most of the walking trails take 2 to 3 hours and wind their way through the Narus Valley. The walk through the Narus Valley is very popular as its short 5km radius is comfortable for most visitors. It gives you ample opportunity to see an abundance of magnificent mammals and birds
Murchison Falls National Park
Murchison Falls National Park is popularly known for having the world’s most powerful waterfall that emits large volumes of water about 300 cubic meters per second or 11,000 ft³/s at a very powerful pressure that cause the surrounding to tremble. The park was first gazetted in 1927 and today is the largest park in Uganda covering an area of 3840 sq. km/1483 sq. miles.
it is home to more than 73 animals’ species among which are four the ‘Big Five’ including buffaloes, leopards, lions and elephants (except rhinos), has three-quarters of the world’s population of Rothschild giraffes plus a healthy population of herbivores which has recently doubled including the Uganda Kobs all of which can easily be seen on a safari in Uganda parks.
visiting the falls to see how large volumes of water from the Victoria Nile forces its way through an approximately 7-meter-wide gorge to plunge 43 meters below into a pool. This powerful water fall creates a thunderous noise with a splashing cloud of fog offering a very breath-taking view worth enjoying.
Launch Trip: This 2-hour launch trip begins at Paraa and offers holidaymakers an opportunity to see various wildlife including large numbers of giant crocodiles, hippos and various birds like the rare shoe bill stork. This offers great photographic opportunities
Game Drives: These are conducted early morning as well as in the early evening offering you a chance to enjoy up-close views of the different animals. The Delta area, Buligi Peninsular and the southern sector are the main game viewing areas.
Chimpanzee Tracking: Within the verdant forest of Budongo are some of the best Chimpanzee Tracking Tours in Uganda. You will enjoy up-close encounters with these great apes.
Bwindi
Bwindi Impenetrable National Park is a UNESCO World Heritage Site and it is the best place in Uganda to track mountain gorillas. The park protects around 40% of the world’s mountain gorilla population and has several habituated groups. The forest is also a bird-watcher’s paradise with 350 species recorded, including many Albertine Rift endemics.
Aside from the endangered mountain gorillas, nine other primate species are found in the forest. These include chimpanzee, olive baboon, black-and-white colobus and L’Hoest’s monkey. Elephant are present but seldom seen. Bush buck and several types of forest duiker can sometimes be spotted. The park has a very impressive bird and butterfly checklist.
The main attraction in Bwindi is its mountain gorillas. Of its population of approximately 400 individuals, more than a hundred are habituated. Bwindi has more than 120 mammal species, but most of these are small forest creatures. Elephant is present, although they are rarely seen. More regularly encountered are bush buck and several types of duikers.
The Forest Park is an outdoor paradise for wildlife watchers, hiking enthusiasts, family vacationers, outdoor lovers, and photographers of all skill levels. Though gorilla trekking tours are the major thing to do, there are many adventure activities that tourists can enjoy in the park.
Gorilla habituation; this fascinating experience is only available and possible in Bwindi Impenetrable Forest National Park and tourists spend a maximum of 4 hours with a mountain gorilla family. This breath-taking experience is a one-of-a-kind experience in the whole world. There are currently two gorilla groups undergoing habituation and tourists can visit them.
Gorilla trekking; Mountain gorillas are indisputably Bwindi’s stars of the show where they were habituated since 1993. There are presently four sectors in the forest with over 19 habituated groups where 18 of them are open for gorilla tracking while the remaining one was reserved for research purposes. Bwindi is the favourite destination for gorilla trekking safari and the most affordable destination to travelers.
Mgahinga
Mgahinga Gorilla National Park is Uganda’s smallest national park. Mgahinga Gorilla National Park is located in the south-western corner of Uganda. The park covers the northern slopes of the three northernmost Virunga Volcanoes: Mt. Muhavura (4,127 m), Mt. Gahinga (3,474 m), and Mt. Sabyinyo (3,645 m). The park is about 10 km south of Kisoro and is bordered to the south by the Volcanoes National Park of Rwanda and to the west by the Virunga National Park of the Democratic Republic of Congo.
Mgahinga Gorilla National Park is home to more than half of the world’s population of the endangered mountain gorilla. Fortunately for the gorilla tours are the main reason as to why the park was created by the Uganda government.
Mgahinga is one of the most scenic given that the park lies on the northern slopes of Mt. Muhabura, Mgahinga and Sabyinyo. These three volcanoes create an unforgettable regional backdrop.
Mgahinga Gorilla National Park is the only destination where Silver meets Gold. The park protects both mountain gorillas and golden monkeys. The golden monkeys are an ancient group of monkeys that are only found in the Virunga
Volcanoes
Volcanoes National Park is a stop centre for all Rwanda gorilla safaris sheltering the highest number of mountain gorillas in the Virunga Conservation area. Volcanoes National Park is roughly 2 hours’ drive from Kigali international airport making it the most accessible gorilla national park in the world. Besides gorillas, Volcanoes National Park is a home for golden monkeys, a variety of birds, reptiles, amphibians, and insects.
In addition to mountain gorillas, Volcanoes national park is home to golden monkeys, Spotted Hyena, buffaloes, elephants, black-fronted duiker, and bush buck. The park also harbours 178 bird species including at least 29 endemics to Rwenzori Mountains and the Virunga.
Visit the tomb of American primatologist Dian Fossey who initiated gorilla protection in the Virunga Mountains lying at Karisoke Research Centre within Volcanoes National Park where travelers visit regularly for a tribute.
Golden monkey tracking complement gorilla trekking safaris in Volcanoes National Park with hundreds of these beautiful and amazing primates always available for visitors to see.
Hiking to the top of Mt Karismbi is one of the key tourism activities you should not miss on your Rwanda safari to Volcanoes National Park. Rising at an elevation of about 4507m above sea level is MT. Karisimbi, a stratovolcano which is the highest of the eight major volcanoes of the Virunga field and the 5th highest in Africa.
Virunga
Virunga national park is the oldest protected area located in eastern part of Democratic Republic of Congo at the borders with Uganda and Rwanda. The national park covers a total area of 7,800 square kilometres and harbours different animal species including mammals like elephants, buffaloes, Uganda kobs, bush bucks, water bucks, giant forest hogs, warthogs, duiker, bush pigs, primates like mountain gorillas, chimpanzees, red tailed monkeys, olive baboons, grey cheeked mangabey, blue monkeys and different bird species like mourning collared dove, black tailed godwit, brown throated wattle eye, blue headed sun bird, thick billed canary among others.
Gorilla trekking is one of the major activities in Virunga national park which attracts a big number of tourists to visit the country. The gorilla trekking journeys in Virunga National Park starts in the morning with a briefing at the park headquarters where after you will be allocated a gorilla family to trek and a park guide who is conversant with trails in the jungle. The park is a home of nine habituated gorilla families which are available for trekking on a daily basis.
Trekking of mountain gorillas in the park takes about 30 minutes to 6 hours and during trekking you will be able to view other wildlife species such as red-tailed monkeys, baboons, and view different bird species among others. Once the mountain gorillas are located you will be able to spend one hour with them in their natural habitat which gives you a chance to observe their habits, lifestyle, watch them feed, breastfeed, play, groom young ones, take photos.
Hiking Mount Nyiragongo is yet another adventurous activity that shouldn’t be missed during your safari in Virunga national park. Mount Nyiragongo is the world’s largest active lava lake and one of the 8 volcanic mountains in Virunga conservation area that stands at an elevation of 3,470 meters above the sea level. Hiking Mount Nyiragongo starts in the morning at around 9:00am with a briefing at the starting point and takes about 5 to 6 hours. Climbing mount Nyiragongo is challenging hence visitors are required to be physically fit.
Kahuzi Biega
Kahuzi Biega National Park is one of the biggest protected areas in the Democratic Republic of Congo located in within Bukavu town and is located on the western bank of Lake Kivu. The park is one of the few safari destinations that harbour the Eastern Lowland gorillas making it a top safari destination for Eastern Lowland gorilla trekking.
The park is mainly composed of swamp and bog vegetation, marshland and riparian forests on hydromorphic ground at all altitudes. Much of the forest in Kahuzi-Biega national park is characterized by continuous vegetation from the summit of the mountains to the lowland regions. A corridor connects the highland section of the national park to the lowland section of the park.
Kahuzi-Biega national park is the only national park in Congo where visitors have the opportunity to track the famous eastern lowland gorillas in their natural habitat. It also has the highest population of eastern lowland gorillas, consisting of about 250 individuals.
The species, which is also known as Grauer’s gorilla, is the largest of the four-gorilla subspecies which include Mountain gorillas, western lowland gorillas, eastern lowland gorillas and the cross-river gorilla.
Tourists in Kahuzi-Biega national park have an opportunity to see habituated Chimpanzees at the Lwiro Sanctuary. Tourists who visit the primate rehabilitation centre are taken through its history and conservation works at the centre.
Serengeti
The Serengeti is one of the most famous parks in Africa and is synonymous with wildlife and classic African scenery. It is Tanzania’s oldest park and a UNESCO World Heritage Site. It is home to the spectacular wildebeest migration and offers top-class wildlife viewing throughout the year.
Every year, over 2 million wildebeest, zebra and gazelle migrate from the Serengeti to the Masai Mara Reserve in Kenya. If you’re there at the right time, you can spot herds of wildebeest and zebra stretching to the horizon crossing the Mara River in the Northern Serengeti and on our daily Serengeti safaris in Tanzania between June to mid- October you will enjoy this experience.
The Serengeti offers some of the best wildlife viewing in Africa. All the major Tanzania safari animals occur in great numbers. Cheetah and four of the Big 5 are easily seen, but rhino sightings are rare, and only black rhino are present. Aside from the big cats, many other predators can be spotted including spotted hyena (especially in the morning), jackal and bat-eared fox.
Ngorongoro
Ngorongoro Conservation Area is in northern Tanzania. Its home to the vast, volcanic Ngorongoro Crater and “big 5” game (elephant, lion, leopard, buffalo, rhino). Huge herds of wildebeests and zebras traverse its plains during their annual migration. Livestock belonging to the semi-nomadic Maasai tribe graze alongside wild animals.
The Crater offers visitors a high chance of seeing all the members of the Big 5 in one place – arguably one of the best-known Ngorongoro Crater facts. The resident lion population is prolific, buffalo herds are healthy, leopards are generally seen around the forested areas, and large herds of elephant are present during the wetter months.
Olduvai Gorge in the Ngorongoro Conservation Area holds some of the most comprehensive history of any place on Earth. Fossils have been discovered in Olduvai’s volcanic rock that date back to about 3.6 million years ago, which have been instrumental in understanding human evolution. These hominid fossils are believed to be the earliest known evidence of the human species.
Maasai Mara
Located in the far southwest of Kenya in the Great Rift Valley, the Masai Mara National Reserve is the East African country’s flagship park: a vast wilderness of abundant big game, spectacular landscapes and the scene of one of the planet’s most dramatic wildlife migrations. The reserve is named after the Maasai people, a semi-nomadic tribe of pastoralists.
The Masai Mara features a stunning kaleidoscope of wild and rugged landscapes, warm and welcoming people and an exciting array of creatures – big and small. World famous for hosting the epic Great Migration, the Maasai Mara welcomes 1.5 million wildebeests onto its sprawling Savannah each July through October.
The Masai Mara National Reserve and conservancies are brimming with life and offer safari travelers a wide variety of activities to choose from. Whether you take to the skies for a high-flying hot-air balloon adventure at sunrise or hit the road for a 4×4 safari, you’re sure to leave the Masai Mara with unforgettable experiences and lifelong memories.
Visit the Mara River, a river in Kenya’s Narok County and Tanzania’s Mara Region that runs through the Maasai Mara/Serengeti environment and crosses the wildebeest migration path.
Ol Pejeta
The Ol Pejeta Conservancy is a 360 km² not-for-profit wildlife conservancy in Central Kenya’s Laikipia County. It is situated on the equator west of Nanyuki, between the foothills of the Aberdares and Mount Kenya.
Ol Pejeta Conservancy has the largest rhino population in Kenya, and is home to the last two remaining northern white rhinos in the world. Ol Pejeta is also home to the Big Five, and has the largest portfolio of activities of any park in Kenya.
Ol Pejeta is the best place to see rhinos in Kenya, and has the most activities available of all the parks and conservancies in Kenya, including game drives, mountain biking, horse riding, lion tracking, running with rangers, cycling and community visits.
During the game drive, you will spot the Big Five, as well as endangered species like the African wild dog, cheetah and oryx, Grevy’s zebra, beisa oryx, and Jackson’s hartebeest. Alongside these you’ll find giraffes, baboons, hippos and hyenas.
Night drives are also possible at Ol Pejeta, allowing the opportunity to spot the nocturnal creatures that roam these grasslands.
Botswana
A landlocked country in Southern Africa has a landscape defined by the Kalahari Desert and the Okavango Delta, which becomes a lush animal habitat during the seasonal floods. The massive Central Kalahari Game Reserve, with its fossilized river valleys and undulating grasslands, is home to numerous animals including giraffes, cheetahs, hyenas and wild dogs.
The country is divided into three main environmental regions. The hardveld region consists of rocky hill ranges and areas of shallow sand cover in eastern Botswana. The sandveld region is the area of deep Kalahari sand covering the rest of the country. The third region consists of ancient lake beds superimposed on the northern sandveld in the lowest part of the Kalahari Basin.
About 150 species of mammals are found in Botswana. These range from 30 species of bats and 27 of rodents to more than 30 species of large mammals. Bird life is prolific, with more than 460 species. Botswana has a great variety of reptiles and amphibians.
There are several national parks and game reserves in Botswana, including the Central Kalahari Game Reserve—the largest reserve in the country and home to such animals as lions, black-backed jackals, elephants, foxes, ostriches, springboks, and zebras. Others include Chobe National Park, the Makgadikgadi Pans Game Reserve, and the Kgalagadi Trans-frontier Park.
Experience the stunning beauty, the unimaginable vastness, the isolation and worldliness, the astoundingly prolific wildlife of the best kept African secret.
Botswana offers the traveler a choice of accommodation options from top class hotels, luxury lodges and safari camps, to budget guesthouses and camping grounds.
Kruger
Kruger National Park, in north-eastern South Africa, is one of Africa’s largest game reserves. Its high density of wild animals includes the Big 5: lions, leopards, rhinos, elephants and buffaloes. Hundreds of other mammals make their home here, as do diverse bird species such as vultures, eagles and storks. Mountains, bush plains and tropical forests are all part of the landscape.
The park is an important stronghold for several of Africa’s most iconic large mammals. It supports more than half the world’s remaining white rhinos, along with substantial populations of buffaloes, elephants, black rhinos, leopards, cheetahs, African wild dogs, giraffes, and one of the few viable lion populations in southern Africa.
Namibia
Is distinguished by the Namib Desert along its Atlantic Ocean coast. The country is home to diverse wildlife, including a significant cheetah population. The capital, Windhoek, and coastal town Swakopmund contain German colonial-era buildings such as Windhoek’s Christuskirche, built in 1907. In the north, Etosha National Park’s salt pan draws game including rhinos and giraffes.
Namibia is one of the most fascinating and diverse countries in the world and a number 1 travel destination. Namibia is world famous for the highest dunes in the world at Sossusvlei and for the Etosha National Park, one of the world’s greatest conservation areas.
Fish River Canyon is one of the most breath-taking Namibia destinations. If you want a glimpse of some of the most dramatic views in the world, this is the place to be. The landscape is surreal, and the best part is that the canyon has a few hiking trails for those who want to enjoy a bit of adventure. The trails here can suit everyone from beginners to experienced hikers.
Namib Desert offers amazing sites like Dune 45, Sesriem Canyon, and the Bonfegels, which are arches that branch off over the ocean, and are a must-visit for all travelers.
Zanzibar
Is a Tanzanian archipelago off the coast of East Africa. On its main island, Unguja, familiarly called Zanzibar, is Stone Town, a historic trade centre with Swahili and Islamic influences. It’s winding lanes present minarets, carved doorways and 19th-century landmarks such as the House of Wonders, a former sultan’s palace. The northern villages Nungwi and Kendwa have wide beaches lined with hotels.
Zanzibar has idyllic white-sand beaches and warm, pale blue waters. it also has rich culture and history, beautiful architecture, unusual wildlife, great forest walks, incredible cuisine, and more.
Zanzibar offers that idealized beach holiday we all fantasize about when enduring a tough winter. The white, powdery sands of the beaches invite you to plop down on a towel or deckchair, bury your feet, and just be. And the blue, blue waters make an ocean dip more appealing than ever before!
There are many absolutely gorgeous, palm-fringed beaches all around the main island of Umguja to visit. You won’t want to limit yourself to just one. So, visit a few and give yourself plenty of time to just soak it all in and let the warmth and sea views work their restorative powers on mind and body.
The sea water around Zanzibar is perfect for swimming all year round. It never gets too cold, even for fussy swimmers!
