Best African Safari Wildlife Parks - Our Top 5 Picks
Ruan Starbright • July 21, 2020
Africa is the go-to destination for tourists seeking wildlife safaris. A continent blessed with a stunning variety of wildlife and a wealth of unique experiences.
Whether you yearn to see the Big 5 on safari, the wildebeest migration on the vast open plains of the Serengeti, explore the waterways and wilderness of the Okavango Delta on a mokoro, see river crossings at the Mara River in the Masai Mara or come face to face with mountain gorillas in Bwindi, Africa has a wealth of experiences.
Best African Safari Wildlife Parks
Seeing that Africa is the world's second-largest continent, you can imagine just how many exceptional national parks, game reserves and conservation areas each African country has. This can make it really hard to pick the best African safari destination.
We picked 5 African Safari Wildlife Parks that will offer you the holiday of a lifetime in Africa. Furthermore, the location of the wildlife parks makes it easy to combine with other iconic parks and areas within the country or even bordering countries.
#1 Serengeti, Tanzania
The Serengeti
is the most famous of Tanzania’s national parks and needs no introduction. It is the number one park to experience a luxury Tanzania safari. In the Maasai language, Serengeti means “endless plains,” a very appropriate name for the national park that stages the Great Migration. The Serengeti wildebeest migration is an annual event which sees one and a half million wildebeest accompanied by hundreds of thousands of zebras and other antelope species as they follow the rains in search of food and water.
The Serengeti National Park is a big cat stronghold with an estimated 3,000 lion, and it is also considered one of the best places to observe cheetah who love the open grass plains. The perfect place for an African lion safari. With fewer than 7,000 cheetahs remaining worldwide, seeing them is always very special. The beautiful, graceful and elusive leopard is the crown jewel that everyone wants to see on an African safari and the Seronera Valley in central Serengeti is one of the best places to spot sightings in all of Africa.
With an incredibly dense population of wildlife and never-ending rolling plains, the Serengeti offers an authentic and idyllic wilderness safari. This is THE Africa many people dream of. With an abundance of wildlife, beauty, tranquillity and endless clear, summer days.
Serengeti Tour highlights
• Witness the world's greatest wildlife spectacles, the Great Migration
12 months of the year.
• An abundance of wildlife - the park has the highest concentration of large mammals on the planet.
• Stay in some of the most luxurious safari camps
in Africa.
• Experience the thrill of sleeping under canvas
in a mobile safari camp.
• Sleep to the sounds of the African night.
• Spectacular river crossings
in Northern Serengeti at the Mara River.
• Game drives in specially designed safari vehicles.
• Witness the sunset
over the Serengeti plains.
• Hot air balloon
over the plains of the Serengeti.
• Plenty of wildlife
and landscape photo opportunities.
• With an estimate of 3,000 lions
- the Central Serengeti is known as the “big cat” area.
The Best Month to Visit the Serengeti
Wildlife viewing in the Serengeti is excellent all year round. The dry season from June to October offers some of the best wildlife viewings and sightings. You can witness the migration throughout the year, although you have to plan your safari so that you are in the right place at the right time. The three main highlights are the calving season from February to March, the rut season during May and June and the river crossings from July to October.
Recommended to these traveller types
Couples
– the perfect remote, unspoiled and untamed wilderness area to spend time with your loved one.
Honeymooners - the perfect romantic getaway where you can enjoy a safari one day and then relax on a beautiful beach in Zanzibar the next!
Families – with the luxury Four Season Safari Lodge Serengeti recommended for families going on safari.
Groups – the Serengeti is an ideal destination for corporate and incentive groups.
#2 Kruger, South Africa
Kruger National Park
is renowned for its diversity in wildlife and its conservation efforts, and it is South Africa’s most famous game reserve, covering an astonishing two million hectares – around 20,000 sq km.
The Greater Kruger includes the Kruger National Park, as well as several smaller private game reserves such as the Sabi Sand, Thornybush, Kapama, Timbavati and Klaserie. There is an open fence policy between the national park and the private reserves, which means that animals roam freely between different parks. There is less game viewing restrictions on the private reserves, also allowing off-road driving. These reserves offer unique and personal safari experiences plus the best Big 5 game viewing.
The Greater Kruger includes more mammals (147) than any other African park with Sabi Sand home to the highest density of leopard in the area.
Kruger Park Tour highlights
• Excellent game-viewing.
• Spot the Big 5
during your game drives.
• Breathtaking scenery and a host of outdoor activities.
• Over 500 species of birds.
• Expert guides
to gaining a deep understanding of species’ behaviour.
• Open safari vehicle
in Greater Kruger private reserves.
• Day & night game drives
in Greater Kruger private reserves.
• Walking with elephants
in one of Greater Kruger private reserves, Kapama.
The Best Month to Visit Kruger National Park
The Kruger National Park is a year-round destination as each season offers something unique. The dry season from June to September is the best time for reasons such as pleasant day temperatures and colder nights. During this period the bush is dry and more open, making for better game viewing and with animals concentrating around waterholes as water is scarce.
Recommended to these traveller types
Couples – Thanks to an array of accommodation styles and levels of luxury on offer, the Greater Kruger ensures plenty of privacy and quality time to couples.
Honeymooners – Romantic and secluded locations in pristine wildlife areas make the Greater Kruger an adventure-filled romantic getaway where you can witness the Big 5 and experience luxury.
Families – Kruger is rated as the best park for families with child-friendly lodges that offer exclusive children's programmes.
Groups – It is the perfect group destination as excellent accommodation options, exceptional cuisine, magnificent wildlife experiences and great hospitality.
Honeymooners – Romantic and secluded locations in pristine wildlife areas make the Greater Kruger an adventure-filled romantic getaway where you can witness the Big 5 and experience luxury.
Families – Kruger is rated as the best park for families with child-friendly lodges that offer exclusive children's programmes.
Groups – It is the perfect group destination as excellent accommodation options, exceptional cuisine, magnificent wildlife experiences and great hospitality.
#3 Masai Mara, Kenya
Kenya is among the best safari countries and offers the classic safari experience – with the Masai Mara
probably the most famous game reserve in Africa. The Masai Mara is one of Africa's prime game viewing destinations, with all year abundant wildlife, including the Big 5, the highest density of lions in Africa and with leopard and cheetah common sights. It is, therefore, no surprise that BBC chose to film its Big Cat Diary series
in the Greater Mara.
Surrounding the Masai Mara National Reserve are several conservancies. Which together with the Masai Mara National Reserve, make up the Greater Masai Mara. The conservancies offer more space, fewer vehicles and some very high-quality safari camps. Something else that is special about the conservancies is that you can do walking safaris with Maasai guides, an exciting activity that is not on offer in the national reserve.
The major highlight is when the Great Migration of one and a half million wildebeest
accompanied by hundreds of thousands of zebras reach the Masai Mara from around July for its annual four-month stay. This is also the best time to see the epic crossings of the Mara River.
You'll love your African safari in Kenya!
Masa Mara Tour highlights
• An excellent choice for first-time safari.
• Home to an abundance of wildlife.
• Perfect place to observe the annual Great Migration
of wildebeest and zebra between July to October.
• World-famous river crossings
are an unforgettable spectacle.
• Home to the Big Five.
• Excellent destination to see big cats.
• Vast open plains.
• Excellent birding
with over 500 species recorded.
• Balloon safari
over the Masai Mara.
• Stay in some of the most luxurious safari camps
in Africa.
• Game drives in specially designed safari vehicles.
• Meet the local Masaai tribe.
The Best Month to Visit Masai Mara
Masai Mara is known to have excellent wildlife viewing all year round. The best time to visit the Masai Mara for this world-famous great wildebeest migration is between July and October. February and March are excellent months with an overwhelming number of newborn calves arriving on the plains, and with them comes the predators.
Recommended to these traveller types
Couples
– the perfect location to spend time with your partner.
Honeymooners – will love the Mara’s more intimate and exclusive camps in the private concessions which can easily be combined with a romantic getaway to Lamu Island or Zanzibar.
Families – plenty of camps offer babysitters, activities for children, and 4-sleeper family units.
Groups – the Masai Mara is a perfect destination for corporate and incentive groups.
#4 Okavango Delta, Botswana
Botswana – the African safari destination
where to uncover exclusive safari experiences. The Okavango Delta
would be our pick as our top Botswana destination due to some spectacular wildlife, remote camps, which is only accessible by light aircraft and the sheer beauty of the Delta.
The Okavango Delta is also unique from most other wildlife areas in the number of ways it can be explored, from walking safaris to traditional game drives in open safari vehicles and even from the water in a traditional mokoro, by horse riding or from the air with a helicopter flight.
With only a few rhino's found in the Okavango Delta, it might not be possible to tick your Big 5 bucket list, but the rest is also present with buffalo and leopard particularly common.
Okavango Delta Tour highlights
• Enjoy plenty of wildlife walks.
• Sail in a mokoro
along the waterways of the Okavango Delta, a river that never reaches the sea.
• The largest inland delta
in the world.
• Supports an array of wildlife
from elephant herds to predators such as lion and hyena.
• Untamed wilderness—one of the last on the continent.
• Option to choose between water & land-based camps.
• The Delta is one of the Seven Natural Wonders of Africa.
• Highest concentrations of wildlife
in Africa and low visitor numbers.
• A birdwatcher's paradise
with migrant birds arrive from November to January being peak breeding time.
The Best Month to Visit Okavango Delta
A visit to the Okavango Delta is rewarding any time of the year, but the best time for wildlife viewing is during the dry season from June to October. In addition, this is also when the floodwaters from the Angolan Highlands arrive, and the Delta increases up to threefold in size!
Recommended to these traveller types
Couples
- Botswana is the perfect destination for couples where you can find solitude in its vast wilderness.
Honeymooners - Home to some of the best safari lodges - with stunningly designed, intimate lodges, lots of privacy and some of the best wildlife viewing in Africa.
Families - Great for families with older children (most camps do not allow children younger than 6 years). Several camps offer family chalets and family-oriented activities.
Groups – An excellent destination for smaller groups and corporates as you book camps on an exclusive base.
#5 Bwindi Impenetrable Forest, Uganda
Bwindi Impenetrable Forest is not only known as the country of mountain gorillas
but also as it is one of the most biologically diverse forests in Africa.
Gorilla trekking
is undoubtedly a unique, once in a lifetime wildlife experience not to be missed! A face-to-face encounter with a silverback gorilla in the wild is ranked the best wildlife experience in the world. Spending an hour with a habituated gorilla family is a bucket list experience which will forever remain with you!
Bwindi Impenetrable Forest Tour highlights
• Bwindi Impenetrable National Park is a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
• Trek gorillas
and come face to face with the world’s surviving mountain gorillas.
• Hiking through the Bwindi Forest on nature walks.
• Enjoy amazing cultural activities
with the local Batwa people.
• Enjoy beautiful views of the Bwindi Mountains.
The Best Month to Visit Bwindi Impenetrable Forest
Although gorilla trekking is regarded as a year-round activity, the best time is during the two dryer seasons, from June to August and December to March. Remember that the gorillas live in rainforests, so it doesn't matter when you travel, it will still be humid and wet.
Recommended to these traveller types
Couples
– Excellent for couples seeking a unique, off-the-beaten-track holiday.
Honeymooners
– If you are looking for a life-changing experience and romance, then you want to add gorilla trekking in Bwindi to your list.
Families
– The ideal getaway for families with older children as the minimum age limit is 15 year to trek the gorillas.
Groups
– A great destination for small groups of like-minded people travelling together.
No African safari is ever the same, and you'll always experience and see something different – even if you return to the same destination. For the best African safari tours
and your safari bookings, speak to our safari specialists
who have personally experienced our destinations. They will tell you everything - from the best time to travel, suggest hand-picked places to stay during your trip and make sure you ready and fully prepared for your holiday.
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