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African National Parks |
Our favourite wildlife locations in Africa
Kenya
Maasai Mara
Located to the south of Nairobi, and bordering
Tanzania, the Maasai Mara forms part of the huge Serengeti eco-system.
The Mara spreads over 1510 square kilometres of rolling plains,
sudden rocky outcrops, and green winding rivers.
Not only is the Mara blessed with this stunning landscape, but also its animal diversity is one of the greatest in Africa. Surrounded by the grazing lands of the Maasai people, the Mara is a sanctuary for all of the "Big Five" animals: lion, elephant, buffalo, rhino and leopard. The sweet grasses and abundant water ensure a full compliment of plains game such as the Impala and Thompsons gazelle. The deep river pools provide homes for hippo and crocodiles.
Each year, generally in August / September, the Mara is host to the spectacular wildebeest migration, one of the natural wonders of the world! Literally millions of these awkwardly shaped ungulates move across the open plains in an endless stream stretching from horizon to horizon. The movement of this vast herd is fascinating in itself, but it is seldom that a day goes by without the added bonus of watching the predators that follow the herd. Lion, leopard, cheetah and wild dogs rely on the herd for food. Spotting one of these magnificent predators is more or less guaranteed at this time.
Namibia
Etosha
National Park
One of Southern Africa's finest and most important
Game Reserves. Declared a National Park in 1907 and covering an
area of 22,270 square km, it is home to 114 species of mammal,
340 bird species, 110 reptile species, 16 amphibian species and,
surprisingly, only one species of fish.
Etosha takes its name from, and is dominated by, a massive depression in the earth's surface that stretches about 120 km from east to west and at its widest point is about 70 km north to south. The total pan area covers 5000 square km. Etosha means "Great White Place" in the Herero language and in the heat of the day the surface of the pan is dazzlingly white.
Etosha pan is part of the Kalahari Basin, the floor of which was formed around 1000 million years ago. Due to volcanic pressures and earth movements over millions of years, pressure developed from the north and south causing a depression. This depression gradually filled with water, forming a large inland lake. The pan has at various times been fed by different rivers. Some still occasionally flow into the pan, some have naturally diverted their course and others have disappeared altogether.
Today, Etosha rarely has water. It is supplied mostly by rain and in times of good rain, some areas do flood, but the evaporation rate is so high that any water soon disappears.
Tanzania
Park regulations in Tanzania are tougher than in Kenya and this benefits the
animals, in addition there are fewer tourists so the experience is richer.
Muir's Tours suggests Tanzania as the number 1 choice for your East
African adventure.
Tanzania
Gombi National Park
With a lack of big predators Gombi is a special area where certain creatures
have been free to develop. The most famous of these being the Chimpanzee,
join us here for a specialist safari to see humankinds nearest relative.
Tanzania
Serengeti National Park
Every year, triggered by the rains, more than
a million wildebeest, 200,000 zebra and 300,000 Thomson's gazelle
undertake the long zig zag trek to fresh northern grazing lands. Tanzania's
first and most famous park, the Serengeti, is renowned for its
wealth of big cats, the leopards and lions in particular. The
vast area of the park is a major help to the black rhino in its
fight against extinction and it also provides a protected breeding
ground for the vulnerable cheetah. Witness predator versus prey
and the fundamental interdependence of the Serengeti's abundant
species, from more than 500 species of bird to 100 types of dung
beetle.
Tanzania
Ngorongoro Conservation
Area
The first view of this world heritage site
takes your breath away. Ngorongoro is a huge caldera (collapsed volcano), the crater area is over 250 square kilometres and 23
kilometres wide an average depth of 600 metres. Its spectacular
setting and abundance of wildlife combine to make it a wonder
of the natural world. Within the crater there over 20,000 large
animals including some of Tanzania's last remaining black rhino.
Animals are free to leave or enter the crater but most of them
stay because of the plentiful water and food available on the
crater floor throughout the year.
Map
Tanzania
Tarangire National Park
The Tarangire River is a permanent source of water and therefore
it is a perenial haunt of many large animals, particularly large herds of
elephant. During the dry season of June
to November, the animals flock here from a wide area for this known reliable
water source.
Tarangire has only 2400km so is far from being the biggest of the Tanzanian parks, but it has a unique landscape of open flood plains, floodplains, wetlands, rolling hills, rocky outcrops, acacia woodlands and the famous baobab trees.
This is the best place in Tanzania to see big herds of elephant with maybe up to 300 in some cases. Travel can be rough and many of the tracks are difficult / impassable in the rainy season. The sense of wilderness and solitude here is wonderful as it is easy to get away from other visitors and enjoy the wildlife to yourself.
You cannot fail to see zebra, wildebeest, buffalo, elephant, giraffe, oryx and impala. Predators seen here include lion, cheetah and leopard. The park is also a great place for birds, with the endemic ashy starling, rufous-tailed weaver and black-collared lovebird, being some of the highlights.
Tanzania
Lake Manyara National Park
The nearest park to Arusha Lake Manyara National Park is often visited, yet it
is worth devoting at least a day as it is quite unique. With its plentiful water
supply it is a great place for birds with 400+ varieties seen here. Other
attractions are the baboon and the famous tree climbing lions.
Lake Manyara National Park boasts an incredible wealth of habitats, there are swamps, a rainforest and of course the lake, plus the wooded mountain slopes of the Great Rift Valley.
Most of the lodges are sited on the top of the escarpment giving a great view of the lake and surrounding area.
Tanzania
Mahale National Park
A remote location that is regarded as one of the top wilderness locations on the
planet. A great place for chimpanzee watching.
Tanzania
Katavi National Park
Katavi is a very very remote wilderness area in
western Tanzania whuich is teeming with wildlife, the quantity and variety of
which is unmatched anywhere else in Africa.
Facilites are very limited, with just one camp in the park - with one means of getting there - air. The journey takes about four hours from Arusha, including a refuelling stop at Tabora. This is the safari location for the seasoned group who are looking for the true wilderness experience and a safari to top all safaris.
The highlights are the huge number of hippo and elephant. A number of previous visitors told us they went home with the feeling that this is what Africa must have been like 200 years ago.