Of the lion, leopard, and cheetah, most people say that the leopard is the hardest to spot on safari. In actuality, due of their smaller number, cheetahs can be even harder to notice. Since cheetahs are restricted to a small number of areas with the best habitat and predator constraints, regular encounters on safari are typically few and local. Here are SafariBookings’ recommendations for places to visit if seeing cheetahs is on your bucket list, albeit they are not included in any particular order.

 

1. Kenya’s Masai Mara National Reserve

A mother cheetah and her cubs at Kenya’s Masai Mara

The Masai Mara National Reserve (as well as neighboring conservancies Olare Orok, Mara North, and Naboisho) and the Serengeti National Park in northern Tanzania are frequent locations for cheetah sightings. The ideal habitat for cheetahs is the plains of the Serengeti and Mara.

 

2. Northern Botswana’s Okavango, Kwando, Selinda, and Savuti

At Savuti, Botswana, a cheetah strolls past zebras and wildebeest.

Safari-goers frequently see cheetahs in the more open savannah areas because this large area provides ideal cheetah opportunities.

 

The Namibian cheetah at Etosha National Park 3. Etosha National Park

Namibia has more cheetahs than any other country, and Etosha National Park is the greatest collection of these swift animals due to its arid open grasslands, which sustain a healthy cheetah population.

 

4. Private Reserves in South Africa’s Eastern Cape

Safari vehicle and cheetah at Shamwari Game Reserve

Private ownership benefits cheetah populations in the Eastern Cape province of South Africa. At a number of the area’s reserves, cheetahs are frequently sighted.

 

5. Makgadikgadi Pans & Nxai Pan, Botswana’s Central Kalahari Game Reserve

At Central Kalahari Game Reserve, two cheetahs are seen traveling.

The Central Kalahari, Makgadikgadi Pans, and Nxai Pan regions of Botswana are excellent locations for cheetah hunting due to their abundance of prey species, particularly springbok, and open grasslands. Don’t forget to see Piper and Tau Pans, as well as Deception and Passarge Valleys.

6. Cheetah in Buffalo Springs, Kenya, Lewa Wildlife Conservancy, Kenya

Renowned for its exceptional cheetah sightings, Lewa Wildlife Conservancy recently extended this perfect cheetah habitat by removing the fence barriers with its neighbor, Borana Conservancy.

 

7. Southern Tanzania’s Ruaha National Park

Ruaha National Park in Tanzania is still a wonderful place to travel on safari in search of cheetahs, even with the high concentration of lion, leopard, and wild dog predators. It is crucial to remember that for greater vision, you should visit during the dry season. 

8. Zambia’s Kafue National Park

A cheetah stretching in Zambia’s Kafue National Park

Although cheetahs can be found all around the park, the northern Busanga Plains is where they thrive.

 

9. Kenya’s Tsavo East National Park

The Tsavo East cheetah

Amboseli National Park is one of Kenya’s top cheetah viewing locations. However, the expansive Tsavo East National Park’s wide terrain is one of the most dependable. Particularly favorable opportunities are found on the plains east of Aruba Dam.

 

10. South Africa’s KwaZulu-Natal Private Reserves

At Phinda Game Reserve, a cheetah and its cubs

Cheetahs have been reintroduced into several private game reserves in this South African region, and their numbers are thriving.