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Stunning national parks and wilderness areas in Africa

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Kruger National Park
Where Africa's Big Five Roam Free
7.6
About the size of Wales, this park has all of the Big Five and more than 140 mammal species. Paved and gravel roads suit self drive trips. Rest camps on the Sabie River look onto hippos and crocodiles. Guided night drives reveal leopards and hyenas.
Highlights:
  • 🌅 Experience a sunset safari and watch wildlife at dusk
  • 🌿 Take a guided bush walk and learn about the ecosystem
  • 🦁 Spot Africa’s Big Five on classic game drives
Maasai Mara National Reserve
Witness the Great Migration
7.0
At the Mara River crossing points, wildebeest and zebra jump into water full of crocodiles. The herds arrive from the Serengeti around July and stay until October. Balloon flights at dawn drift over the plains. Maasai guides from nearby villages lead walks and cultural visits.
Highlights:
  • 🎈 Take a sunrise hot air balloon safari over the savannah
  • 🐃 Witness the Great Migration crossing at Mara River
  • 🦁 Embark on twice-daily game drives to spot the Big Five
Serengeti National Park
The Ultimate Safari Adventure
7.9
Around 1.5 million wildebeest follow the rains in a loop through Tanzania and Kenya every year. Calving season on the southern plains runs from January to March. River crossings in the north come from July to October. Lions rest on granite outcrops called kopjes. Balloons float over the plains at dawn.
Highlights:
  • 🎈 Enjoy a sunrise hot air balloon safari over plains
  • 🚙 Take a thrilling game drive to spot the Big Five
  • 🦓 Witness the incredible Great Wildebeest Migration spectacle
Etosha National Park
Namibia's Wildlife Sanctuary
7.7
From May to October the dry season pulls elephants, lions and rhinos to Etosha's waterholes. Okaukuejo camp has a floodlit waterhole where black rhinos often come to drink after dark. The white Etosha Pan is so big that it shows in satellite photos. The name Etosha means great white place.
Highlights:
  • 🌅 Drive the Etosha Pan’s vast salt flats at sunrise
  • 🦁 Join a guided safari to spot lions and rhinos
  • 🐘 Watch elephants gathering at the Okaukuejo waterhole
Kilimanjaro National Park
Africa's Rooftop Adventure
7.4
Guides keep saying pole pole, Swahili for slowly slowly, because going slowly helps the body adjust to altitude. Uhuru Peak is 5,895 metres high. Hikers pass five climate zones, from rainforest to glaciers. Most routes take 6 to 8 days. Porters carry the gear and cook the meals.
Highlights:
  • 🌅 Watch the sunrise above the clouds from Stella Point
  • 🌿 Hike through rainforest trails filled with colobus monkeys
  • 🏔️ Climb to Uhuru Peak, the summit of Mount Kilimanjaro
Chobe National Park
Elephant Haven in Botswana
7.9
The Chobe River marks the northern edge of the park, where Botswana meets Namibia. Its floodplain draws one of the largest elephant herds in Africa. Boat cruises at sunset float close to elephants as they drink and swim. Buffalo, hippos and crocodiles line the banks.
Highlights:
  • 🐘 Watch massive elephant herds at Chobe Riverfront
  • 🚤 Take a boat cruise on the scenic Chobe River
  • 🦁 Join thrilling game drives for wildlife spotting
Ngorongoro Conservation Area
Nature's Untamed Sanctuary
7.1
Cool mist drifts over the rim of a crater 600 metres deep and 19 kilometres wide. Cloud clears to show about 25,000 large animals on the grassy floor. Black rhinos, lions and flamingos share the crater. Maasai herders still graze cattle in the wider conservation area.
Highlights:
  • 🛖 Visit a Maasai village and learn their traditions
  • 🐘 Spot the Big Five in one morning safari
  • 🦁 Descend into Ngorongoro Crater for a game drive
Bwindi Impenetrable National Park
Gorilla Encounters in Ancient Forest
8.3
Mist clings to steep ridges of dense forest where the air smells of wet leaves. Around half of the world's mountain gorillas live here. Trackers lead small groups on guided treks. A permit allows one hour with a gorilla family. Bwindi has been a World Heritage Site since 1994.
Highlights:
  • 🐦 Birdwatch over 350 species including rare Albertine endemics
  • 🥾 Join guided nature walks on scenic forest hiking trails
  • 🦍 Trek with endangered mountain gorillas in their habitat
Table Mountain National Park
Epic views and wild landscapes
7.7
The Portuguese sailor Antonio de Saldanha climbed the mountain in 1503. The cableway opened in 1929 and now rides in a cabin with a turning floor. Hikers take Platteklip Gorge, a steep path of about 2 to 3 hours. The park also protects rare fynbos plants.
Highlights:
  • 🌊 Visit the Cape of Good Hope for rugged scenery
  • 🥾 Hike Lion’s Head for breathtaking city views
  • 🚠 Take the cable car to Table Mountain’s summit
Namib-Naukluft National Park
Endless Dunes and Desert Drama
8.2
The Namib has been dry for tens of millions of years, so fog from the Atlantic matters a great deal. Beetles, geckos and welwitschia plants drink from it. The park covers about 50,000 square kilometres. The Naukluft Mountains have a rugged 8 day hiking trail.
Highlights:
  • 🧗 Hike Sesriem Canyon’s narrow rock walls and riverbed
  • 🌵 Explore the eerie Dead Vlei clay pan and ancient trees
  • 🌅 Climb Big Daddy dune for sunrise and desert views
South Luangwa National Park
Walking Safaris and Wild Encounters
8.0
The Luangwa River bends through oxbow lagoons that fill with hippos and crocodiles. Walking safaris began here in the 1950s and still run with armed guides. The park is known for leopard sightings on night drives. The dry season from May to October brings animals to the shrinking river.
Highlights:
  • 🦜 Spot over 400 bird species in diverse habitats
  • 🚶‍♂️ Experience walking safaris guided by expert rangers
  • 🦁 Go on thrilling game drives to see the Big Five
Addo Elephant National Park
Big Five Safari in Malaria-Free Wilds
7.1
Hapoor Dam is a waterhole where herds of elephants drink and splash within sight of a viewing area. The park has more than 600 elephants. It also protects lions, rhinos and buffalo. Addo is one of the few parks with the Big Seven, which adds whales and great white sharks offshore.
Highlights:
  • 🥾 Explore hiking trails with panoramic views of the park
  • 🐘 Observe the famous large elephant herds roaming freely
  • 🦁 Go on guided game drives to see the Big Five
Tarangire National Park
Elephant Paradise with Baobab Backdrops
8.0
The dry air smells of dust and the ground shakes as elephant herds cross the riverbed. Huge baobab trees stand across the park, some thought to be over 1,000 years old. From June to October animals crowd along the Tarangire River. Wildebeest and zebra arrive for the water too.
Highlights:
  • 🌳 Watch baobab trees glow under golden evening light
  • 🦁 Take a guided safari to witness the Big Five
  • 🐘 Spot herds of majestic elephants near the Tarangire River
Hwange National Park
Elephant Herds and Wild Horizons
7.6
In the dry months from July to October, rangers pump water into pans so animals have a place to drink. Hwange is the largest park in Zimbabwe and has more than 45,000 elephants. Wild dogs, lions and sable antelope also live here. Camps look over the pans from platforms.
Highlights:
  • 🐘 Watch elephants gather at the popular waterholes
  • 🚶‍♂️ Join guided walking safaris for close wildlife encounters
  • 🚙 Go on thrilling game drives to spot the Big Five
Amboseli National Park
Elephants Against Kilimanjaro's Backdrop
7.9
Amboseli became a game reserve in 1948 and a national park in 1974. Swamps fed by snowmelt from Kilimanjaro draw large elephant herds. The mountain rises across the border in Tanzania. On clear mornings it fills the sky behind the herds. Researchers have followed these elephants since 1972.
Highlights:
  • 📸 Photograph flamingos and pelicans at Amboseli’s shimmering lakes
  • 🌅 Take a sunrise safari and spot lions, zebras, and giraffes
  • 🐘 Watch herds of elephants roam with Mount Kilimanjaro as backdrop
Okavango Delta
Africa’s Uncharted Water Wilderness
8.0
The Okavango River flows from Angola into the Kalahari Desert. It spreads into an inland delta instead of reaching the sea. Floodwater peaks from June to August, during the dry season. Visitors glide through reed channels in dugout canoes called mokoro, past hippos and elephants.
Highlights:
  • 🦜 Spot diverse bird species during dedicated birding tours
  • 🛶 Glide silently through waterways in a traditional mokoro
  • 🦁 Explore the wildlife on guided 4x4 safari drives
Ukhahlamba Drakensberg Park
Barrier of spears touching sky
7.7
A wall of basalt cliffs rising to more than 3,000 metres marks the border with Lesotho. Tugela Falls drops 948 metres in five leaps. San people painted thousands of rock art images in caves and shelters here. Hikers walk to the huge cliff arc called the Amphitheatre.
Highlights:
  • 🦅 Spot eland and bearded vultures soaring above valleys
  • 🖼️ Explore ancient San rock art at Giants Castle Reserve
  • 🥾 Hike the Giants Cup Trail through breathtaking mountain scenery
Kgalagadi Transfrontier Park
Where predators rule the Kalahari
6.9
Gates open at sunrise and close at sunset, so days here follow the light. Gravel tracks follow the dry Nossob and Auob riverbeds between red dunes. Black maned lions rest under camelthorn trees. Cheetahs and gemsbok cross the open sand. Two countries share this park.
Highlights:
  • 📸 Capture dramatic desert landscapes bursting with life after rain
  • 🦌 Spot springboks and gemsboks on sunset game drives
  • 🦁 Watch black-maned lions roam the red dunes at sunrise
Simien National Park
Jagged peaks of ancient wilderness
7.4
Trekkers here hire a local scout who walks beside them on every route. Trails follow cliff edges above deep valleys. Gelada monkeys, which have bright red chests, graze in large troops on the grass. Ras Dejen, at 4,550 metres, is the highest peak in Ethiopia.
Highlights:
  • 🌄 Witness breathtaking sunrise views over the escarpments
  • 🐒 Spot Gelada monkeys grazing on the mountain plateaus
  • 🥾 Hike to the dramatic cliffs and peaks of Ras Dashen
Sossusvlei
Towering red dunes meet white clay
7.5
At sunrise the red dunes glow like embers. Big Daddy rises about 325 metres and takes an hour or more to climb. Nearby Deadvlei is a white clay pan with black dead camelthorn trees that are around 900 years old. Dune 45, beside the road, is a popular sunrise climb.
Highlights:
  • 🏜️ Marvel at the red dunes contrasting the deep blue sky
  • 📸 Visit Deadvlei and photograph the ancient camelthorn trees
  • 🌅 Climb Dune 45 at sunrise for breathtaking desert views
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