National Parks in Africa

Though Pilanesberg National Park is both smaller and less famous than Kruger, it's an equally good big game reserve - some think it's even better. All of the Big Five (elephant, lion, leopard, buffalo and rhino) are here along with giraffe, zebra, hippo, baboon, hyena, wild dog and a long list of antelopes and birds. You can drive in your own car along a network of tar and gravel roads, and there are both safe picnic areas and hides. The park is fairly small, meaning it's easier to get to the parts where the animals are, but the herds are correspondingly small. The landscape is mostly savanna with tall grass and thorn trees, but there are also bushy regions, rocky outcrops and mountains. The area around Mankwe Dam is particularly good for game viewing. Another appealing feature of Pilanesberg is it's only two hours drive from Johannesburg, making it a possible day trip.

Close to the Swaziland border and in the heart of Zululand is the funky, little town of St. Lucia. This is an ideal stop for those looking to explore the African bush and experience its wildlife. St. Lucia lies amidst a World Heritage Site and everything you see will leave no doubt as to why the area has been classified as so. The neighbouring Hluhluwe - Umfolozi Game Reserve, the oldest reserve in South Africa, is home to the Big Five, including the largest population of black rhinos on the planet. Two creatures difficult to spot in the reserves, crocodiles and hippos, are easily found in the St. Lucia Wetlands Park and its 60 km of hiking trails. If being on foot is too close for comfort, then a boat ride up the St. Lucia River, home to hundreds of these fascinating beasts, will provide a safer way to go. However, don't be surprised to find the odd hippo wandering through the streets of town. Following the day's encounters, be sure to kick back in one of St. Lucia's funky cafes or pubs. There is nothing quite like listening to the call of the wild with a cold drink in hand.

South Africa's west coast is wild - there is no other way to describe it. The Atlantic Ocean is cold and often rough, creating very dramatic scenery. The West Coast National Park is no exception, but has the advantage of a calm lagoon located in its centre, providing beautiful beaches and ideal sailing waters. The best part of the park is no doubt the Postberg. The grasslands here are home to a number of herbivores - elands, zebra, wildebeest and bontebok. But the Postberg peninsula also plays host to a dazzling wildflower display every spring. Fields full of daisies adorn the park, and the coast itself is particularly stunning - here, the flowers grow all the way down to the beach. When done admiring the flower displays, spend some time in one of the park's numerous bird hides, go for a hike or bike ride along the coast, have a picnic or - in season - watch the whales swim by.

Namaqualand National Park is not much to see - and the temperature won't be very pleasant - if you visit in late summer. In spring, however, it is a entirely different story: the park and surrounding farmlands come alive with wildflowers. If there was a list of the world's seasonal wonders, the transformation of this arid region into a carpet of orange, yellow, white, red, blue, purple and pink would surely be on it. Walking, biking or driving through this dazzling display of colour is without a doubt a highlight of any visit to the African continent. It is extremely popular with South Africans, particularly since the drive from Cape Town can be done in a day, but it is never difficult to feel alone in this quite large park. Although it is the least remote section of the park, Skilpad is a good place to start any visit to the park, since the flower displays tend to be good here even during poor years. There are no large, dangerous animals here, so walking and biking is perfectly safe.

The Serengeti is one of the most famous national parks in the whole of Africa – and for good reasons. There are many big cats (particularly lions) and the plains get crowded during the annual migration of more than a million wildebeests and other grazers, when they march to Maasai Mara in Kenya for better grassland. The northward migration normally takes place in June, where the wildebeest congregate on the banks of Grumeti River before crossing, to the joy of the ravenous crocodiles. The southward migration normally takes place in October. But no matter the season, there will always be game (elephants, zebras, buffaloes, giraffes, warthogs, and various gazelles and antelopes) to see in Serengeti. Keep in mind that predators, like cheetahs, leopards, and jackals, are more difficult to see during the lush and green period (November-May) than the dry season (July-October).

For many people Bwindi isn't just the highlight of their visit to Uganda, it is the ONLY place they visit: travel agents often combine a safari in Kenya or Tanzania with a couple of nights here. Bwindi has about half of the world's remaining mountain gorillas, and despite everything else the park has to offer, this is by far its biggest drawcard. It is a beautiful park, but it is also highly varied: this depends largely on where you end up going. Near Buhoma, which is the commercial and administrative hub of the park, you will often be within view of farmed fields, houses or people (even if you have trekked for over an hour) and the hills here are extremely steep. Farther into the park the feeling is far more prehistoric, and you no longer wonder why the forest is referred to as being impenetrable - it's tough going! There are a few other organised activities (nature walks, cultural visits, even multi-day walks into or out of the park), but that's probably not why you'll be coming here. Still, it's worth hanging around for an extra day or two inside the park without the time pressure involved when tracking gorillas.

Despite its proximity to its far more famous cousin to the south, North Luangwa is an entirely different experience. Very remote – access for visitors is by chartered plane only – this is a place to visit if you wish to spend time in a true wilderness, and to do so without seeing more than a handful of people while you do so. The bush here is often fairly dense, making it less suitable for traditional safaris than South Luangwa, but most people come up here to experience the wild on foot, not by vehicle. If you wish to tick off the Big Five in a day, this probably isn’t the place for you (although lions, leopards, elephants, buffaloes and rhinos can all be found in the park). If you wish to experience a real wilderness and get away from the crowds, however, North Luangwa is perhaps the best place in Africa to do so.

South Luangwa National Park is not just the best in Zambia, but considered one of the best in the whole of Africa in terms of variety and density of animals. There are literally animals everywhere: Impalas, pukus, buffaloes, waterbucks, hippos, crocs, elephants, zebras and giraffes, where some are of species that are endemic. Furthermore, there are good chances to come across hyenas, leopards and lions on the game drives. Birds are equally plentyful and come in all colours and sizes so even ornithology-ignorants get drawn by them. Snake eagle and different storks are common - and even the African fish eagle, which is on the Zambian flag, is easily spotted. Lodges in all budget categories can be found near the small dusty village of Mfuwe, the gateway to the park. Here, the wildlife come to you at nighttime, so be careful not to tumble upon a munching hippo or elephant when moving around the lodge grounds (walking outside the lodges is suicidal).

Fancy the chance to get close to elephants and wild dogs on foot – without a guide? Mana Pools is a very, very cool place. It’s absolutely gorgeous, located on the Zambezi River, but it’s the activities on offer that are the park’s real drawcard. Canoeing will allow you to get very close to elephants in particular, but with some luck also other animals as they come down to drink. Most people come here to get close to wildlife on foot, however. While this is always safer with a guide, it’s quite exhilarating to do on your own. A few of the elephants allow people to come very close indeed, something that’s bound to get your adrenalin rushing. And those photos you might have seen of bull elephants up on their hind legs? That’s also likely to be from here.