All throughout Africa there are game reserves each with something unique and different to see. Your experience at the Okavango Delta would be a very different experience to the Masai Mara game reserve for example.
Perhaps the reason a safari would be high on any wildlife enthusiast’s bucket list is because the animals are virtually free. It is probably the closest you will ever get to see such large groups of animals living side by side in their own natural environments.
Seeing a lion behind bars in a zoo, eating it’s chopped up steak is no comparison to seeing a lion in the wild hunting for their own food and survival.
African Safari’s are important for funding of the parks which ensure the reserves are looked after, the habitats of these animals are preserved and teaching the tourists about conservation.
The wildlife itself in Africa is quite diverse and the types of species that you will see on safari may change from one reserve or country to the next.
Finding the right safari for you really comes down to what you want to see and do as an extra activity, such as climbing Mt Kilimanjaro. Many tour operators however will combine parks and even countries into the one tour.
As for viewing the Big Five and other African native animals, one of the most popular places is Kruger National Park in South Africa. This reserve covers 18,989 square kilometres making it the largest safari park in Africa.
To witness one of the most exciting and unbelievable events throughout the year then I suggest checking out the Annual Migration. This is the largest and longest land migration of animals found anywhere in the world.
Each year around 2 million herbivores make this dangerous trip from around October until April. The migration touches foot in Botswana’s Okavango Delta, Kenya’s Masai Mara game reserve and the Serengeti.
So if you are after a more real experience, seeing wildlife in their natural habitats and behaving as they are meant to then you must try an African Safari.
You can find a whole range of safari tours online to suit the needs of many types of travellers.
Why Choose a Safari? Photo Gallery
The Big Five
What you will see or hear mentioned a lot while researching an African safari is a group of animals known as the ‘Big Five’.
The name, Big Five derives from hunting days with the five big game animals named as the most desired trophies and in modern times that name has stuck.
The Big Five animals are as below;
Lion
Cape Buffalo African Elephant Black Rhinoceros Leopard
Sure enough a ‘ Small Five’ where also named which are much harder to find and they are as follows; The Ant Lion
Red Billed Buffalo Weaver Elephant Shrew Leopard Tortoise Rhino Beetle
There are of course many other species within the game reserves across Africa that you will see on your journey, animals such as Giraffes’, Antelope, Springbok, Hippopotamus, Crocodiles, Hyenas, Cheetahs, Zebras and a whole lot more.
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