10 Best African Safari Parks and Destinations

10 Best African Safari Parks and Destinations: The word “safari” comes from the Swahili word for a journey. Africa is one of the best places to visit in the world, with a wide range of landscapes, including protected national parks and reserves full of amazing animals, breathtaking views, and other mind-blowing safari experiences.

Africa is the second-largest region in the world, and it has an amazing number of national parks. These parks help protect the many species that live there, many of which are in danger of going extinct, and are very important to the continent’s conservation efforts. Some of them are only here and nowhere else.

Going to these parks is a great way to learn about their projects and enjoy the animals and scenery at the same time. Because of this, Africa has hundreds of national parks spread out across many countries. It may be hard to choose the best national park to visit in Africa, so here is a list of our picks for the best African safari parks and places;

The Serengeti National Park is in Tanzania.

One of the oldest and most popular national parks in Africa, Serengeti National Park is a UNESCO World Heritage Site. It is also home to the famous Great Annual Wildebeest Migration, which is one of the seven natural wonders of the world. Wildebeest, zebras, and gazelles, along with over 1.5 million wildebeest, move in huge groups every year in search of fresh food and water. They are hunted and attacked by dangerous animals.

The trip for these animals is about 800 kilometers long. It goes through the park and Ngorongoro Conservation Crater to reach the Masai Mara National Reserve in Kenya and then back to Serengeti. The most popular and exciting part of a tour in Serengeti National Park is the Great Annual Wildebeest Migration.

Still, Serengeti’s open grassland is home to many animal species, such as the African Big Five (Buffalo, Rhino, Lion, Elephant, and Leopard), giraffes, cheetahs, African wild dogs, and more. Serengeti is also home to more than 500 different bird species, making it a great place for bird lovers to go on safari in Africa. You can visit Serengeti National Park at any time of the year.

The Kruger National Park is in South Africa.

Kruger National Park is in the northeast of South Africa, close to Mozambique. It is one of the biggest parks and forests in Africa. The park was first set up by South African President Paul Kruger as a protected place in 1898.

In 1926, it became a National Park. The park is split into 14 different natural zones, and all of them are full of different kinds of wildlife. Kruger National Park has a good network of roads and is one of the best places in Africa to go on a self-drive tour or stay in style. Kruger National Park is also an important part of South Africa’s past because it is home to many historical and archaeological sites.

3. Uganda’s Bwindi Impenetrable Forest National Park

Bwindi Impenetrable Forest National Park is in the southwestern part of Uganda. It is on the edge of the Albertine Rift and is famous for having a huge variety of plants and animals. Bwindi is an old tropical rainforest that protects the last home of the critically endangered mountain gorillas and is also where the biggest group of mountain gorillas in Africa lives. The best place in Africa for people to go gorilla trekking is in Bwindi Impenetrable Forest National Park.

Fourth, Masai Mara National Reserve in Kenya

It’s likely that Masai Mara National Reserve is the most visited national park in Africa. The park is in the southwest of Kenya. Its name comes from the Maasai people who live in the reserve’s many conservancies. The park is next to Tanzania’s Serengeti National Park and covers more than 1,510 square kilometers. Together, these two parks make up one of the most diverse and beautiful environments in Africa. The reserve has lush plains and rolling hills that are cut across by the Mara and Talek rivers. There are also Maasai communities (enkangs) all over the nearby land.

While on an African safari, the Great Annual Wildebeest Migration takes place in the Mara between July and October. It is one of the most exciting things to see on a safari. Also, the reserve is home to more than 750 species of birds and 95 species of mammals. It is home to the biggest concentration of predators, such as lions, leopards, and cheetahs, as well as large mammals like rhinos, buffaloes, and elephants.

Fifth, Etosha National Park in Namibia

Etosha National Park, which is in the northwest of the country, covers 22,270 square kilometers and is one of Africa’s biggest national parks and tourism spots. People know the park for its huge salt pan, which is 130 km long and more than 50 km wide. It’s so big that it can be seen from space, and there are many more salt pans all over the country. Etosha also has grasslands, savannas, and savanna woods. Still, most of the park is dry and doesn’t have any plants, so it’s easy to see animals.

Etosha National Park is home to many animals, birds, and reptiles, but most people who visit are there for a safari through the pans and woods. Any drinking hole in this dry part of the country is a great place to see animals like hyenas, foxes, lions, caracals, wild dogs, impalas, and elands, to name a few. Etosha National Park is one of the easiest wildlife areas in Africa to get to, and it has a range of safari camps and lodges that offer traditional lodging.

The Okavango Delta is in Botswana.

The Okavango Delta is in the northwest of Botswana. It is made up of permanent marshes and fields that get flooded every so often. The Okavango Delta is a beautiful stretch of water in a dry area. It has been a UNESCO World Heritage Site since 2014. It is a large interior delta system that doesn’t flow into an ocean or sea, and it has a wetland system that is almost full.

During certain times of the year, floods from Angola reach the delta. The highest levels of flooding happen in July. Botswana’s dry season starts at this peak, which brings a lot of plants and animals from the dry countryside. These are some of the most threatened big animal species in the world, like the cheetah, lion, African Wild dog, white rhino, and black rhino.

The delta is also surrounded on the east by the Moremi Game Reserve, which is famous for having some of the nicest safari hotels in Africa and great chances to see animals.

7. The National Park of Volcanoes in Rwanda

Volcanoes National Park is where Rwanda gorilla treks begin. It is in the Virunga Conservation Area and is about two hours’ drive from Kigali International Park. The park is 160 square kilometers big and is in the northern part of Rwanda. It is part of the larger Virunga volcanic conservation area, which also has Virunga National Park in Congo and Mgahinga Gorilla National Park in Uganda.

At first, the park was made to protect the critically rare mountain gorillas, which were in danger of going extinct because of poaching. The park has some of the best luxury gorilla hiking tours in Africa because it has some of the best luxury lodges and hotels in the world. The Volcanoes National Park is home to mountain gorillas, golden monkeys, many birds, amphibians, reptiles, and butterflies, among other animals that make up a great Rwanda tour package.

Eighth, Kidepo Valley National Park in Uganda

Kidepo Valley National Park was created in 1962. It is in the steep, mostly dry plains that lie between Uganda’s borders with Sudan and Kenya. It is Uganda’s most remote national park, in the dry northeastern area. However, many people who make the long trek to Kidepo agree that it is also one of the most beautiful wildernesses in Africa. Kidepo National Park has two main types of habitats: savanna grassland in the Narus Valley in the south and semi-arid short grassland in the north. The park is mostly dry, though, with only one wet season from April to September.

Over 80 kinds of mammals live in Kidepo Valley National Park. It is also home to Uganda’s biggest herds of buffalo. Also, of the 80 animals that live in Kidepo, 28 are native to the area and are protected there. These include the striped hyena, the aardwolf, the bat-eared fox, the hunting dog, and others.

Elephants, giraffes, lions, leopards, oribi, elands, and Jackson’s hartebeest are some of the other animals that live in Kidepo. Also, Kidepo has the second-highest number of bird species reported in Uganda, after Queen Elizabeth National Park, which has 612 species. Kidepo Valley National Park is out in the middle of nowhere, but it can be reached by both road and air.

9. South Africa’s Hwange National Park

Hwange National Park is Zimbabwe’s largest game park, covering 14,600 square kilometers. It is in the northwest of the country, close to the border with Botswana. In the south, the park is mostly semi-desert scrub on the edge of the Kalahari Desert. In the north, it has granite hills, forests, and slopes with mopane woods.

Hwange is home to over 100 species of mammals and over 400 species of birds. It has one of the biggest remaining elephant sanctuaries. Other animals that live in Hwangwe are cheetahs, lions, leopards, giraffes, wildebeests, civets, wild dogs, roan antelopes, and sable antelopes.

You can easily get to Hwange National Park, and there are a lot of cheap places to stay that offer great camping stays. During the dry season (August to October), when water holes get smaller, the best time to see wildlife in Hwange National Park is during these months.

Zoo in Zambia: South Luangwa National Park

South Luangwa National Park is one of the most famous wildlife refuges in Africa. It was made a national park in 1972. This park, which is 9,050 square kilometers in size, has a lot of untouched nature and a lot of different species, which makes for a great safari trip.

The Muchinga Escarpment runs along the park’s west and north sides, and the flowing Luangwa River runs along its south side. The park has beautiful scenery and is home to over 60 animal species and 400 bird species.

There are a lot of animals in the park, especially near the river and on the wide-open fields. One of the most amazing things about it is that people often see leopards and groups of wild dogs. There are also a lot of Thomicroft’s giraffes, elephants, and cape buffalo living in South Luangwa National Park. Also, this park has the best walking safaris in Africa; it’s one of the few safari parks in Africa where people can walk around and enjoy the wild.

These are our picks for the 10 best African safari parks and destinations. However, there are many more amazing African safari places that offer equally exciting wildlife, cultural, birding, hiking, and nature experiences.

Queen Elizabeth National Park in Uganda, Chobe National Park in Botswana, Amboseli National Park in Kenya, Ngorongoro Conservation Area in Tanzania, Lake Manyara National Park in Tanzania, Laikipia Plateau in Kenya, Mala Mala Game Reserve in South Africa, Moremi Game Reserve in Botswana, and Mana Pools National Park in Zimbabwe are some other great African safari parks and places to visit.