The Serengeti plains extend for thousands of miles, touching the Masai Mara in neighboring Kenya, and allowing for the longest wildlife migration in Africa. 1.5 million wildebeest and over a quarter million zebras travel alongside the Mara River under the close watch of some of the largest lion prides in Africa. In fact, the Serengeti is famed for its abundance of predators, including cheetahs, silver-backed jackals, and spotted hyenas.
The park also has some of the largest buffalo herds in Africa, and a colossal flock of flamingoes populate Lake Ndutu, south of the park.
Serengeti offers a unique experience once darkness falls. The sounds of the night mix with rare sights of lions and hyenas stalking their prey. Rare small animals, such as bushbabies (with their eerily baby-like cry), only come out at night.
Greater Addo National Park – South Africa
Proclaimed a safe heaven for elephants in 1931, Addo went from housing only eleven elephants to being home to over 350, the largest African elephant population on earth. Other species present in large numbers include rhinos, Cape buffaloes, and black-backed jackals.
The park eventually grew so much that adjacent land had to be purchased to accommodate the animals. It now extends to the banks of the Indian Ocean, protecting the whales, dolphins and great sharks that live there. Africa's second largest population of penguins resides in islands that are also protected as part of the park territory. Plans for expansion are still going strong, with the authorities hoping to gain a million extra acres of land in the next ten years.
Queen Elizabeth National Park - Uganda
Located at the foot of the Ruwenzori Mountains and rightly dubbed the "pearl of Africa," Queen Elizabeth National Park boosts one of the most diverse wildlife concentration of any African reserve, including the world's largest population of hippos and warthogs. A boat cruise takes visitors down the Kazinga Channel, offering stunning views and a chance to meet the gigantic Nile crocodiles.
"Tree climbing" lions make their home in the south sector of the park. The shoebill, a 4-foot high rare and timid bird, also inhabits the park. In fact, 25 percent of Africa's unique birds make their home here, making Queen Elizabeth a bird-watcher paradise.