Africa: Our Top 10 National Parks

Northeast of South Africa sits the Kruger National Park. This national treasure is adored by locals and guests alike and stretches across an area of 7,523 square miles. Bordering Mozambique and Zimbabwe, the Kruger is one of the oldest protected areas in Southern Africa and has been largely popularized in recent years due to the prevalence of Africa’s “Big Five”.

The Park enjoys a year-round sunny climate and visitors are offered an array of lodges and campsites from which to explore the land. There are 17 luxury safari lodges and 13 rest camps in the park offering a choice of accommodation options to suit all types of travelers. Further to the North, large fever tree forests and giant baobabs pepper the landscape and add to the sense of calm that perpetuates throughout.

Steeped in history, ancient San rock paintings and important archaeological sits such as Masorini and Thulamela, reflect the culture, people and events that have shaped the Kruger for over a century.

The Namib-Naukluft National Park in western Namibia is Africa’s largest game reserve and an ecologically protected area. The Park itself includes a portion of the Namib Desert and sits on over 20,000 square miles. It is comprised of gravel plains, desert, canyons and mountains but it is perhaps best known for the giant, rust-red sand dunes of the Sossusvlei area. One of the most striking traits of the dunes is their vibrant coloring of red and orange hues. The colors also denote their age with the brighter colors indicating the older dunes in the area.

This iconic section of the park boasts the highest sand dunes in the world and sits alongside a dry pan that rarely fills with water. It is here that the remoteness of the area really hits home and this complete isolation from modern life creates an immersive communion with nature that is not easily achieved elsewhere.

Bordering Botswana, the Hwange National Park in west Zimbabwe is the preferred meeting place of the largest elephant population in the world (roughly 50 000 recorded). Here, elephants congregate on mass during the dry season (August to October) and these super herds can be spotted on the banks of the watering holes dotted throughout. Covering 5863 square miles, the grasslands and woodlands are home to Africa’s Big Five as well as a over 400 species of birds.

Visitors can enjoy self-driving game drives or horseback safaris amongst other activities, with its proximity to Victoria falls providing an additional attraction to those eager to immerse themselves in the wilderness of Zimbabwe even further.

Volcanoes National Park in Rwanda is one of the most luxurious of its kind. Named for a chain of dormant volcanoes, the park encompasses an ancient forest and includes access to the Musanze Caves formed after the last volcanic eruption over 62 million years ago.

Here, endangered mountain gorillas roam the forests and mountains of the area and guests are invited to learn more about them while taking in their natural habitat. Tracking these mountain gorillas is the highlight of this destination and your experience starts at the park headquarters, where trekkers are assigned a gorilla group. Rangers then lead groups into the dense forest where they are allowed to passively spectate while these hairy giants commune with one another.

An extraordinary experience from beginning to end, a visit to Volcanos is a bucket-list travel experience that is best suited to those looking for an active retreat in the wild.

The Serengeti National Park is a World Heritage site and one of the most iconic national parks of all of those scattering the African continent. Sharing a border with Kenya’s Maasai Mara National Reserve, this expansive region occupies nearly 5791 square miles. Big cats roam freely across these empty plains with approximately 4000 lions, 1000 leopards and 550 cheetahs recorded.

However, despite its prevalence of big cats, it is the wildebeest that migrate through the park each year that have made it so iconic. Aptly referred to as “The Great Migration”, two million wildebeest traverse these plains annually in search of greener pastures. And with over 2 million wildebeest and ungulates populating the landscape, this is truly a sight to behold.

Aptly referred to as one of the greatest wildlife sanctuaries in the world, the South Luangwa National Park sits alongside the Luangwa River of eastern Zambia. The concentration of animals that pepper the banks of this river is unparalleled and supports a flourishing wildlife population of leopards, lions, elephants, giraffes, and hyenas. The original home of the “walking safari”, here guests are encouraged to explore the surrounding area by foot to fully experience this vast wilderness region firsthand.

This wild Zambian game park spans over 3494 square miles and contains approximately 60 animal species and 420 different bird species. The Park is also well-known for its large herds of elephants and an abundance of hippos that gather in and around the rivers and lagoons. During the rainy season, the dry bushveld transforms into a lush jungle and attracts flocks of migrant birds from Europe and Russia including the sacred ibis, saddle bill and fish eagle amongst many others.

Uganda’s second largest national park, Queen Elizabeth has one of the highest biodiversity ratings of any reserve in the world. In addition to almost a hundred animal species, the park is also home to more than 600 bird varieties. As the country’s most popular safari destination, the park is famous for its primate species, its large concentration of hippos and the rarely seen, tree-climbing lions only found in one other place in all of Africa.

The landscape of the area varies enormously with lakes, wetlands, tropical forests and open savannahs all supporting a diverse range of local wildlife. Boat safaris on the Kazinga Channel are a highlight when visiting the park and a cruise on these waters guarantees your chances of spotting the hippos, crocodiles, elephants, buffalos, lions and leopards that wander freely throughout.

Further east, in the Kyambura Gorge or “Valley of the Apes”, is a densely forested area where black and white Colobus monkeys, olive baboons, red tailed monkeys, chimpanzees, giant forest hogs and a host of forest bird species reign supreme.

Odzala-Kokoua National Park in the Congo is one of Africa’s oldest national parks. Situated in the heart of the Congo Basin rain forest, this incredible region is regarded as the second largest rainforest in the world after the Amazon. A dense and expansive habitat that spans over 5212 square miles, it is one of the most biologically diverse and species rich areas on Earth. Visitors to the park can enjoy kayaking through the forest waterways or quiet walks in the woodlands where chimpanzees, western lowland gorillas and elephants roam free. A lesser-known treasure of the African continent, Odzala offers a tranquil retreat into nature that is unsurpassed in its beauty and diversity.

Pendjari National Park’s stunning landscapes and plentiful wildlife make it a dream for photographers and nature lovers alike. Perched on the borders of Burkina Faso and Niger, this area is one of the most important humid ecosystems and is characterized by forests, ponds, rivers, savannahs, and swampy meadows.

Stretching across 1814 square miles, the Pendjari River bounds the park on three sides, with the quartzite cliffs of the Atacora Hills providing the backdrop to the final, southeastern boundary. Whilst animals such as monkeys, elephants and antelope find shelter within its borders, Pendjari is especially known for its prominent birdlife, with over 300 species in total.

One of the quieter and less popularized national parks in Africa, a safari at Pendjari is complimented with a swim at the beautiful Tanongou waterfalls and cultural visits to traditional Tata Somba homesteads and Peulh camps.

Spanning from the north of Cape Town all the way to its most southwestern edge, the Table Mountain National Park is the best urban-based national park in the world. Table Mountain sits in the center of the park and its summit provides incredible views of Cape Town and Table Bay. Guests to the city can easily enjoy this scenic attraction free of charge, with multiple entry points scattered throughout the peninsula. While meandering across the various hiking paths, biking trails and footpaths, visitors are also able to enjoy quiet picnics in the forested areas or local delights at the restaurant located at the top of this iconic mountain peak.

Wildlife in the area ranges from antelope to baboons and even birds but the park is most revered for its rare and endangered plant species, which makes it the Cape Floristic Region World Heritage site. For those wishing to take in the sites of the park in relative comfort, there is also a cable car that travels to the top of Table Mountain in mere minutes enabling you to relax and simply enjoy the panoramic views over the city.