Africa is home to a dozen - make that hundreds – of national parks, game reserves and other safari destinations and if you choose to visit our continent there are many breathtaking adventures andluxurious destinations to stay at during your journey.
Every last one of them has something to offer, whether it be a cast of charismatic large mammals dominated by the Big Five, the opportunity to track gorillas or chimpanzees, or more subtle pleasures such as looking for rare birds or colourful butterflies. But for first-time visitors wondering exactly where to go, here are the most incredible three places you’ll definitely need to visit this year.
Etosha National Park (Namibia)
Namibia’s flagship reserve, Etosha is dominated by the vast, saline and normally dry pan for which it is named. The pan is lined by a series of perennial waterholes – some floodlit at night – that attract large herds of antelope, giraffe and other grazers during the dry season.
It is also one of the more reliable parks in Africa for black rhino, which occur here alongside lion, leopard and elephant but not buffalo. Etosha is unusually well geared towards self-drive safaris.
What’s the best time to visit the park?
Game viewing is good throughout the dry season of April to October, and peaks over July to September.
Where to stay?
In addition to the affordable government-run rest camps sited within the park, several more exclusive camps and lodges stand just outside it.
Kruger National Park (South Africa)
The Kruger National Park is South Africa's most exciting African safari destination. Steeped in legend and history, the iconic Kruger National Park in South Africa is waiting for you to explore its vast landscapes and spectacular African wildlife. It is one of the best places to visit in Africa for a self-drive safari, the incomprehensibly vast Kruger National Park would require at least two weeks to explore in its entirety.
Most people focus on the south, due to its proximity to Johannesburg, but the more remote north is where to go if you want to get off the beaten track. It supports 147 mammal species, the most of any African national park, including prodigious populations of all the Big Five, together with cheetah, hippo, zebra, giraffe, warthog, baboon and 20-plus antelope species. It is also home to 517 bird species.
What’s the best time to visit the park?
Any time, but game viewing is best over the dry season from May to September, and improves as the season progresses.
Where to stay?
Just like any other safari destination in the world there is an impressive network of affordable and well-equipped rest camps offering camping and hutted accommodation. Well, they are also luxurious and exclusive private lodges set in various concessions within the park and the private reserves that line its western boundary.
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Serengeti National Park (Tanzania)
The Serengeti National Park is where safari goers come to truly experience an African safari. The park is featured on many National Geographic shows, the park is rich with wildlife, endless plains and sunrises and sunsets that make the heart go wild. It is the ultimate safari destination in the world. Few safari destinations are as exclusive, untouched or unique in their offerings.
The Serengeti is Tanzania’s oldest and largest national park. It is inscribed as an UNESCO World Heritage Site largely on account of hosting the world’s most spectacular annual wildlife migration, comprising up to two million wildebeest, as well as tens of thousands of zebras.
The expansive plains host Africa’s largest lion population, estimated at 3 000 individuals. It is probably the most reliable place in East Africa for cheetah, while leopards are regularly observed in the central Seronera Valley. Other common wildlife includes elephant, buffalo, giraffe, spotted hyena, bat-eared fox and a wide variety of antelope.
What’s the best time to visit the park?
There’s no bad time. June to October offers great general wildlife viewing and an opportunity to catch the wildebeest migration. The wildebeest calve from late January to February. Many repeat visitors favour April and May, when the countryside is at its greenest, rack rates drop, and tourist volumes are lowest.
Where to stay?
There are dozens of midrange to upmarket lodges and tented camps in the Serengeti, as well as several campsites.
