If your idea of the perfect vacation involves getting up close and personal with some of the world’s most incredible animals, then a safari holiday is a must for you! Here are 10 amazing safari holidays that you won’t want to miss:
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1. Kruger National Park, South Africa
The Greater Kruger is home to a rich and diverse array of wildlife and habitats. Its fauna includes lions, currently even three wild-born and very rare white ones, leopards, spotted hyenas, cheetahs, elephants, endangered wild dogs, rare-as-hens-teeth pangolin, feisty little honey badgers and endangered rhinos.
Visitors can stay in a luxury Sabi Sand safari lodge or some of the many other sumptuously appointed lodges in the Greater Kruger. Guests enjoy outstanding food and wine, impeccable service, day and evening game drives, sundowners and dinners in the bush, and expertly guided walking safaris.
The Sabi Sands is particularly well known for leopard sightings with several ‘resident’ and habituated leopards that are frequently seen. These include the big and seriously impressive male Malewane, Sengula, the dominant female and Saseka, which means beautiful – and she is!
2. Masai Mara National Reserve, Kenya
The Masai Mara is one of the best places in Africa to see lions, cheetahs and leopards, as well as being home to the annual Great Wildebeest Migration. With Mara’s rich diversity of wildlife, guests are pretty much assured of seeing the rest of the Big Five, as well as hippos, crocodiles, giraffes, hyenas and numerous antelope, insect, reptile and bird species.
Visitors have a good chance to even see some endangered wild dogs. An amazing little predator, the serval, also thrives in the Mara as do two magnificent feathered predators, the secretary bird and the crowned crane.
With some of the most superb lodges in the world, the Masai Mara offers its guests outstanding amenities and comfort, and 5-Star service and cuisine.
3. Serengeti National Park, Tanzania
Established in 1940, the Serengeti is possibly best known as the place where African safaris originated, and for the biggest annual animal migration in the world, namely the Great Wildebeest Migration.
The Park is home to the largest population of lions in Africa. It also has large numbers of elephants, giraffes, hippos, antelopes and zebras, and healthy populations of leopards, cheetahs, and hyenas.
4. Amboseli National Park, Kenya
Think Amboseli, and you think elephants! Amboseli is one of prime locations in Africa to get up close and personal with elephants. The park is also home to lions, cheetahs, hippos and giraffes, as well as a rich variety of other wildlife like wildebeest, Burchell’s zebra as well as Grant’s and Thomson’s gazelles. Balloon safaris offer a fantastic way to explore its magnificent landscapes.
5. Ngorongoro Conservation Area, Tanzania
The Ngorongoro Conservation Area is a UNESCO World Heritage Site and one of the most popular safari destinations in Tanzania. It’s known for its large crater, which is home to a wealth of wildlife, including lions, giraffes, elephants, zebras and hippos. Some of the most superb lodges in the world are located on the rim of the crater ensuring breathtaking views.
6. Etosha National Park, Namibia
With its unique and varied landscapes, Etosha is known as Namibia’s foremost wildlife sanctuary. It houses lions, leopards, giraffes, cheetahs, hyenas, elephants, springbok, zebras, rhino and eland. Accommodation is offered in well-appointed camps in the Park, as well as in a wide range of lodges and hotels just outside it.
7. Chobe National Park, Botswana
Close to that other wildlife paradise, the Okavango Delta, Chobe is one of the best places in Africa to see large herds of elephants and buffalos that converge on the Chobe River banks during the drier months. The Park also houses lions, leopards, hippos, antelopes and hippos, particularly in the lagoons around Linyanti Marsh, which is also a wonderful bird habitat.
8. Hwange National Park, Zimbabwe
Hwange National Park is one of the largest parks in Africa and is home to an incredible array of wildlife, including lions, elephants, leopards, rhinos, large herds of buffalo, as well as endangered African wild dogs. Visitors can go on game drives or guided game walks, and concealed hides at Mandavu and Masuma dams offered wonderful wildlife viewing. The Park also contains some fascinating 18th-century ruins and rock carvings at the Bumbusi National Monument.
9. Selous Game Reserve, Tanzania
Secluded and pristine, the vast Selous Game Reserve offers visitors an undisturbed wilderness that teems with spectacular fauna and flora. It was rightly declared a World Heritage Site. As it allows hiking, wildlife enthusiasts can explore it on foot, and also do fly-camping. The Reserve is home to a variety of wildlife, including lions, elephants, leopards, and hippos.
10. Okavango Delta, Botswana
The Okavango Delta is one of the largest inland deltas in the world and is home to a wealth of wildlife, including lions, elephants, hippos, and giraffes. Visitors can go on game drives, guided walks, boating excursions and mokoro trips to explore this wondrous water world.
Have we whetted your appetite for these spectacular not-to-be-missed safari holidays? Don’t deny yourself the opportunity to visit these unique and memorable places!
