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Africa’s vast land expanses and diverse environments make it a continent where wildlife still thrives in its natural habitat. Though civil wars and poaching have threatened Africa’s natural wonders, the importance of its fauna and flora is recognised and protected across the continent. Visitors to Africa’s game and nature reserves can experience the wonders of wild Africa.

Tourism contributes hugely to nature conservation and local employment and modern management policies recognise the role of local peoples and the importance of incorporating their interests, so wildlife reserves are not elite islands in a sea of poverty and underdevelopment.

Almost every corner of the continent offers a wealth of opportunities for safari experiences. Though the long-established reserves like the Serengeti are world famous, tourists can also opt for smaller, private reserves, some set up to conserve threatened species such as cheetah and the African wild dog. From luxury lodges and game drives to foot safaris with skilled rangers, Africa offers special experiences for all nature lovers.

Many tourists want to see the ‘Big Five’, a name given by hunters not to the largest or most dangerous African animals but to those hardest to hunt. They are elephant, lion, leopard, rhino and buffalo. The hippo, Africa’s most dangerous mammal, is not among them. Some southern African reserves (in South Africa, Zambia and Botswana) offer safari visitors the opportunity to see all five in one location and in a wide variety of spectacular settings. Reserves range from the arid to the lush, with environments ranging from coastal wetlands to towering mountain habitats.

Africa’s Top Wildlife Destinations

Bordering the Masai Mara park and the Ngorongoro Crater Conservation area is Africa’s best known park: the Serengeti, which covers 14% of Tanzania. As well as the savanna for which it is best known, it includes riverine and forested environments. The annual animal migrations of huge herds are one of nature’s great spectacles.

In neighbouring Kenya, Tsavo National Park is equally famous. Comprising two regions, Tsavo East and West, the park includes riverine country and savanna, with mountainous environments in the west.

Moving south, Etosha is a massive arid salt pan in northern Namibia. Established over a century ago, this vast semi-desert park affords easy viewing of animals, that gather at the waterholes to drink.

In Botswana, Chobe National Park may be best known as the site of one of Elizabeth Taylor’s marriages, but its true claim to fame is its rich wildlife along the Chobe River. Chobe is one of Africa’s largest parks, with great elephant herds as well as creatures including Lycaon pictus, the endangered African wild dog. Close by are the extraordinary Okavango Swamps, where lion roar at night, hippo graze and fish eagles swoop. A tour of the web of waterways by mokoro (dugout canoe) is an unforgettable experience.

South Africa’s Kruger Park, in the north-east of the country, includes a great variety of habitats and therefore an unprecedented biodiversity: over 150 mammal species live here. It now forms part of the Great Limpopo Transfrontier Park, which incorporates areas of Zimbabwe and Mozambique.

The transfrontier park, which allows animals to migrate freely without constraint by territorial boundaries, is a relatively new concept that is increasingly used in conservation. The Kgalagadi Tranfrontier Park crosses the South Africa-Botswana boundary and is also a ‘peace park’ as well as a conservation area. Oryx and Kalahari lions are amongst the attractions.

For the well-heeled, the luxury lodges of Shamwari Game Reserve, in South Africa’s Eastern Cape Province, make for the ultimate safari, and are the destination of the rich and royal. Others visit because it is a big cat sanctuary, in collaboration with the Born Free Foundation.

An African safari is not just about the animals. Nowhere will visitors feel the atmosphere of unspoilt Africa more keenly than under these broad skies. As the world turns its attention to exploitation of Africa’s mineral resources, these parks are even more crucial to protecting the fauna and flora of the continent. Ultimately it is tourists from the rest of the world who keep this older, unspoilt Africa alive.