Lion in Kenya by Nigel Wheatley.
AFRICA
Lists such as this one are of course highly subjective but the destinations listed and linked below are the ones we believe are the best in Africa. They have been chosen very carefully and for a multitude of reasons, but mainly based on personal experience of some of them and on dreams of visiting the rest, dreams resulting from what we have heard, read or seen.
Top destinations that didn't quite make it include Morocco, Gambia, Ghana, Cameroon and Malawi. If there are any other destinations you think should be on the list below then please Email us.
For each destination there is a very brief summary. For more details click on the destination name.
For more information click on Top 100 Birds, Top 100 Other Wildlife and Top 50 Other Natural Wonders.
Destinations
Sierra Leone
Several species of monkey, a chance of Chimpanzee and many spectacular and localized birds including Yellow-headed Picathartes, Egyptian Plover,
hornbills such as White-crested, Grey Parrot, Great Blue Turaco, Long-tailed Hawk, Black Bee-eater, Blue-bellied Roller, Emerald Starling and Gola
Malimbe, all in some superb lowland rainforest. The drier season usually lasts from September to May and the best time to look for most birds is between
December and February.
Gabon
Gorilla, several species of monkey, a chance of Chimpanzee and Mandrill, and birds such as Pel’s Fishing Owl, Long-tailed Hawk, Black-headed and Rosy
Bee-eaters, African River Martin and Grey-necked Picathartes in a sparsely populated part of the world. There are no plains like those in East Africa
though, so there are no Lions, Cheetahs, Giraffes, Ostriches and so on. The best time to visit is July-September when Mandrills are most likely and
Humpback Whales are offshore, and October to November when Rosy Bee-eaters and African River Martins are at their nesting colonies.
Central African Republic
(Western Lowland) Gorilla, several species of monkey and spectacular birds such as Red-headed Picathartes, Grey Parrot, Great Blue Turaco and
Bare-cheeked Trogon, in some superb lowland rainforest with wet, open areas known as bais, best enjoyed in the first half of April and from mid-August
to mid-September.
Rwanda
Close encounters with Mountain Gorillas and possibly Chimpanzees, several species of monkey, African Elephant and Hippopotamus, as well as such
spectacular birds as Shoebill, and 25 or so Albertine Rift Endemics including Ruwenzori Turaco, Red-collared Mountain Babbler and Purple-breasted
Sunbird, mostly in superb forested mountains, best visited from June to September.
Uganda
Gorilla, Chimpanzee, several species of monkey and many birds in what is the richest country for birds in Africa (taking into account its small size),
including Shoebill, Green-breasted Pitta, African Green Broadbill and Brown-chested Lapwing make this A Top Ten Destination in
the world. The Nile, the longest river in the world, runs through the country, and in places is full of Hippopotamuses and Nile Crocodiles, with birds
such as Red-throated Bee-eaters nesting in its banks. There are few plains like those in East Africa though, so there are not many plains animals like
Lions and Cheetahs. December-March and June-September are usually the driest times of the year and the best times to visit, especially July-August if
you wish to see birds such as Green-breasted Pitta and Brown-chested Lapwing.
Ethiopia
Ethiopian Wolf, Gelada and Sacred Baboons, Beisa Oryx, Gerenuk and many birds including 30 or so endemics (with Eritrea), one of which is Stresemann's
Bushcrow, as well as Vulturine Guineafowl, Wattled Crane, Arabian Bustard and Golden-breasted Starling. All possible between October and February.
However, several classic African mammals are unlikely to be seen on the standard circuit, including Lion, Cheetah, Leopard, African Elephant, Giraffe,
Hippopotamus, Blue Wildebeest and even zebras.
Kenya
Arguably the best overall wildlife experience in Africa and the world and therefore A Top Ten Destination in the world thanks
to the great diversity of mammals and birds, and the richness of the offshore coral reefs. Lion, Leopard, Cheetah, African Elephant, Giraffe, White and
Black Rhinoceroses, Hippopotamus, Spotted Hyaena, Burchell’s Zebra and Blue Wildebeest are all present, and so are Beisa Oryx, Grevy’s Zebra, Gerenuk
and Golden-rumped Elephant Shrew, as well as Nile Crocodile. The numerous spectacular birds include vast flocks of flamingos, many raptors and beauties
such as Golden-breasted Starling and Golden-winged Sunbird. The best times to visit are June-July when the Blue Wildebeest usually cross the rivers to
enter the Masai Mara (where they usually stay until November), and April and November for birds.
Northern Tanzania
The greatest diversity and highest numbers of large mammals in the world, in some of the world’s most wonderful settings, including the plains of
the Serengeti and the Ngorongoro Crater, and rich coral reefs offshore make this A Top Ten Destination in the world. Lion,
Leopard, Cheetah, African Elephant, Giraffe, Black Rhinoceros, Hippopotamus, Spotted Hyaena, Burchell’s Zebra and Blue Wildebeest are all present,
and birds include flamingos, many raptors and beauties such as Golden-winged Sunbird. The best times to visit are February-March when over a million
Blue Wildebeest, a quarter of a million Thomson’s Gazelles and nearly a quarter of a million Burchell’s Zebras are usually present in the southeast
Serengeti, along with their predators, and June when many of these animals are usually crossing rivers to reach fresh pasture further north and west.
Southern Tanzania
Lion, Leopard, Cheetah, Spotted Hyaena and, possibly, African Wild Dog, as well as African Elephant, Giraffe, Hippopotamus, African Buffalo and
Black-and-white Colobus Monkey, together with such spectacular birds as Ostrich, African Fish Eagle, Secretary Bird, Saddle-billed Stork, White-winged
Apalis and some which are endemic to Tanzania and the Eastern Arc Mountains including Yellow-collared Lovebird and Udzungwa Forest Partridge, all in
some of the biggest, wildest places on Earth. The peak time to look for most of them is usually June to November.
Mozambique
The chance to swim with Manta Rays and Whale Sharks, Dugong, spectacular birds such as African Fish Eagle, Greater Flamingo, Great Frigatebird, Black
Heron, Saddle-billed Stork, Pennant-winged Nightjar, Crab Plover, African Pitta, Green-headed Oriole and White-winged Apalis, but few mammals. However,
some mammals including Lion and African Elephant, have been reintroduced since the mass slaughter which took place during the civil war between 1977 and
1992, and many more reside just across the border in Kruger National Park, Eastern South Africa,
which is easy to include in a visit to Mozambique. The best time for Manta Rays and Whale Sharks is October to March, with December-January the peak
period to look for African Pitta, although it may be wet at this time.
Zambia
Lion, Leopard, Spotted Hyaena and, possibly, African Wild Dog, as well as African Elephant, Giraffe, Hippopotamus, African Buffalo and a roost of
millions of Straw-coloured Fruit Bats, mostly in the superb South Luangwa National Park, together with such spectacular birds as African Fish Eagle,
Black Heron, Saddle-billed Stork, Pennant-winged Nightjar, Black-cheeked Lovebird, African Pitta and, possibly, Shoebill. All this and Victoria
Falls! African Pitta is usually easiest to track down in December and January, African Wild Dog and Shoebill are most likely to be seen in April-May,
and October-November is usually when many birds and mammals congregate around remaining areas of water, Southern Carmine Bee-eaters are at their
colonies and millions of Straw-coloured Fruit Bats roost in Kasanka National Park.
Botswana
Lion, Leopard, Cheetah, African Elephant, Giraffe, Hippopotamus, Spotted Hyaena, Burchell’s Zebra and Blue Wildebeest are all present, and so are Roan
and Sable, as well as Nile Crocodile, and there is a chance of African Wild Dog, Meerkat and Gemsbok in the Kalahari Desert and Okavango Delta, with the
latter full of birds such as Pel’s Fishing Owl, Wattled Crane, Southern Carmine Bee-eater and many egrets and herons, not least Slaty Egret. The best
time to visit is September-October when water levels are usually low, thus concentrating the animals, and the bee-eaters are usually at their nesting
colonies.
Namibia
Lion, Leopard, Cheetah, African Elephant, Giraffe, Black Rhinoceros, Hippopotamus, Spotted Hyaena, Burchell’s Zebra and Blue Wildebeest are all present,
and so are Gemsbok, Sable and Meerkat, while birds include flamingos, Blue and Wattled Cranes, Southern Carmine Bee-eater, Slaty Egret and White-tailed
Shrike, all in some stunning landscapes, not least some of the highest sand dunes in the world in the Namib Desert at Sossusvlei. The best time to visit
is September-October when the bee-eaters are usually at their nesting colonies.
Eastern South Africa
Lion, Leopard, Cheetah, African Elephant, Giraffe, White and Black Rhinoceroses, Hippopotamus, Spotted Hyaena, Burchell’s Zebra and Blue Wildebeest are
all present, and so are Blesbok and Meerkat, as well as Nile Crocodile, and there is a chance of African Wild Dog, while birds include Blue and Wattled
Cranes, and Southern Bald Ibis. Also on land the Drakensberg is a world centre for plant diversity and offshore there is Whale Shark, Humpback Whale
and the Sardine Run. The best times to visit are January-February for wild flowers, May-July for the Sardine Run and August-November for mammals and
birds, especially October.
Western South Africa
Great White Shark, Southern Right Whale, Meerkat, Gemsbok, Bontebok and Mountain Zebra are present, and so are, slightly off the beaten track, Lion,
Leopard, Cheetah, Spotted Hyaena and Blue Wildebeest, while birds include Jackass Penguin, flamingos, Blue Crane, lots of bustards and seabirds such as
albatrosses. What with the the richest area for wild flowers in the world as well this is A Top Ten Destination in the world.
The best times to visit are April to August for Great White Shark, June to November for Southern Right Whale, late August to early September for wild
flowers, and October for birds.
Seychelles
A chance to swim with Whale Sharks and see some of the rarest birds in the world including Seychelles Paradise Flycatcher, one of 12 bird species
endemic to the islands, as well as some spectacular seabird colonies with species such as Great and Lesser Frigatebirds, White-tailed
Tropicbird, and Sooty and White Terns, and shorebirds including Crab Plover, all on some of the most picturesque tropical islands in the world. The best
time for Whale Sharks is usually September and most seabirds nest from May to October during the southeast monsoon, which is breezier, cooler, drier and
less humid than the northwest monsoon which can be particularly wet from December to February.
Madagascar
Ring-tailed Lemur, Indri, several Sifakas and many other lemurs, about 100 endemic birds including five Ground Rollers, four Asities and Helmet Vanga,
near-endemic birds such as Cuckoo Roller and Blue Vanga, and more chameleons than any other place in the world. The best times to visit are July to
September when Humpback Whales are present and October-November when many birds are most likely to be found.
