Originally used only by hunters, the term ‘Big Five’ refers to five of Africa’s greatest wild animals – lion, leopard, elephant, buffalo and rhino. Today we are featuring three Big 5 destinations in Africa.
Kruger National Park
Kruger National Park is the largert reserve in South Africa. Nearly 2 million hectares of land that stretch for 352 kilometres from north to south along the Mozambique border, is given over to an almost indescribable wildlife experience, including the Big 5. Certainly it ranks with the best in Africa and is the flagship of the country’s national parks – rated as the ultimate safari experience.
The Kruger Park is a self-drive destination, although there are guided tour operators, with an excellent infrastructure that includes picnic sites, rest camps, waterholes and hides. The Kruger Park is a remarkable reserve offering an incredible experience of Africa at its most wild.
The Serengeti
Serengeti National Park is undoubtedly the best-known wildlife sanctuary in the world, unequalled for its natural beauty and scientific value. With more than two million wildebeest, half a million Thomson’s gazelle, and a quarter of a million zebra, it has the greatest concentration of plains game including the Big 5 in Africa. The wildebeest and zebra moreover form the star cast of a unique spectacular – the annual Serengeti migration.
Ngorongoro Crater
Ngorongoro Crater lies within the Ngorongoro Conservation Area, which covers more than 8 000 square kilometres (3 100 square miles) of pristine African wilderness. Inspired in design by the Maasai mud-and-stick manyatta (homestead),
The Crater floor is a natural sanctuary for thousands of animals and many species of insects and birds. Lush highlands surround the Crater, falling away to the tawny plains and alkaline lakes of the Great Rift Valley.
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