National Parks in Africa

Liberia's only national park is the second-largest area of primary tropical rainforest in West Africa. The 1800 square kilometres of wild rainforest host around 125 species of mammals, including chimpanzees, Diana monkeys, forest elephants, pygmy hippopotamus and duiker antelopes. Most of these are elusive and endangered, so any sightings require luck. Visitors will more likely enjoy the abundance of bird life present in the park. The national park is still mostly without facilities and not geared to visits from individual travellers – it's, therefore, essential to join up with one of the outfits in Monrovia arranging tours here.

For national parks in Madagascar, this one is a little bit different. Where in most parks people first come for watching typical Malagasy animals and endemic fauna, in Andringitra it is all about hiking and beautiful scenery. It takes a while to reach the national park because the road is rough and you need a 4x4 to get there. Whether you opt for a day hike or go on a longer trek with the ascent of Madagascar's highest climbable mountain: Pic d'Imarivolanitra (formerly known as Pic Bobby), you will be able to enjoy some beautiful and diverse landscapes. In the lower regions, where there are still villages, you have the red earth and rice fields, but in the higher regions, the scenery starts to look more like a moonscape.

If there is one national park you should not miss in Madagascar it's Ankarana. Since the North of the country doesn't get a lot of tourism (except for Nosy Be, that is) you won't encounter any large crowd here.
In Ankarana, you get a bit of everything. The national park is mainly known for its extensive caves and its tsingy. There are great and small caves, filled with bats and creepy creatures or with beautiful stalactites. By exploring the caves, you can end up in narrow canyons where the only way in is through the caves.
The tsingy is a kind of stony forest. The limestone rocks have been eroded into a vast area with spikes as sharp as needles. There are trails going over and through them. Just don't fall on them if you don't want to be a human strainer.
Then, as pretty much everywhere in Madagascar, there are plenty of typical plants and animals. Easiest seen are the crowned lemur and the Northern Sportive Lemur, a nocturnal species that your guide will easily spot in holes in tree trunks. Also lots of different kinds of geckos can easily be seen.

This national park is on everyone's itinerary when travelling down the Route Nationale 7 - the classic route in Madagascar. Out of the plains of Western Madagascar rises the Isalo massif. This arid plateau of mainly sandstone formations is home to several unique plants such as the Pachypodium. There are many deep canyons where you can find oases that bring with them a lush vegetation and pools with or without waterfalls that are great for swimming, especially after hiking in the hot climate. You can do day hikes of all lengths or explore Isalo more in depth on a longer camping trip. In and around some of the forests at the canyons there are also several species of lemurs such as ring tailed lemur, Verreaux's Sifaka and the Red-fronted Lemur.

Madagascar's largest and probably most inaccessible national park combines 2,300 square kilometres of rainforest with three marine parks off the coast, all part of a larger UNESCO World Heritage site. Getting access to the park includes a flight to Maroantsetra where the main park office, that organises guides and porters, is located. Getting there over land requires an adventures two-or-three-day journey from Antananarivo. Visitors who make it are rewarded with pristine rainforest and an abundance of wildlife, mostly undisturbed by human activities. Motorised vehicles are banned in the park, which have no roads, limiting any travel to treks, bicycling or boating around the peninsula. Travelling along Madagascar's east coasts requires a five-day trek between Maroantsetra and Antalaha. The shortest treks are three days long, with the longest being a few weeks, sleeping in basic conditions in villages or tents throughout the park.

Only about 40 kilometres from Antsiranana (Diego Suarez), this national park makes a good day trip and also a good place to cool down from the heat of the city. At "Amber mountain", there is a microclimate with temperatures quite a bit lower and a high chance of rain, especially in the afternoon. There are several easy trails to beautiful waterfalls. The dense tropical (rain)forest harbours several species of lemurs. It is mandatory to have a guide as in all parks in Madagascar, which is a good thing because they are experts at finding the animals for you, which you probably wouldn't be able to do on your own. If you get a guide who drives with you to the park you'll probably be able to spot several chameleons on the way there.

The National park of Perinet, also called Andasibe Mantadia, is only a few hours away from the capital Antananarivo. It's a pocket of rainforest where the indri still lives. The indri is the largest species of lemur still existing. All larger lemurs have been extinct.
The indri (called Babako by the locals) spends most of its time in the treetops and jumps from tree to tree. The animal produces a very high-pitched sound that reaches for miles and is sure to wake you up in the morning if you sleep close to the park.
Apart from the indri and some other types of lemurs, you can also see crazy insects, chameleons, orchids and many plants.

Liwonde may not offer the wildlife abundance of South Luangwa in Zambia or the Masai Mara in Kenya, but nevertheless offers some of the best wildlife viewing in Malawi. The park is long, thin and (other than during the rainy season) very dusty. The park follows the Shire River, which contains a huge number of hippos and crocodiles. The river is also the best way to experience the park - it is possible to get within a few metres of hippos and elephants when travelling by boat. There is only a single tour operator providing accommodation inside the park itself (from camping to all-inclusive luxury tents), but it is also possible to camp just outside the gate. There is also a (black) rhino sanctuary inside the park - rhino tracking by vehicle or on foot can be organised through the camp or the national parks office. The roads in the park are fairly rough, but a 2WD should be sufficient for most of the year. The closest town is Liwonde, only a few kilometres from the main gate, where fuel and food can be purchased.

Home to more than 200 species of birds, including pelican and thousands of flamingos, the Parc National du Banc d’Arguin can be enjoyed by both ornithologists and laypersons alike. Adventurous souls will appreciate the fact that the park is accessible by 4WD only and the many dunes that dominate the park's interior offer an excellent opportunity to test one's skills in the soft sand. At places, these dunes of the Sahara rolls directly out into the Atlantic Ocean at high tides. A majestic symbol of the meeting between two of nature's great forces. Nature buffs will also enjoy the superb camping possibilities at Cape Tafarit and Cape Tagabit. Good maps, with GPS-locations, are available at the park offices at both Nouakchott and Nouadhibou and essential for anyone, wishing to drive into the park without a guide – which can also be arranged at the offices.

Gorge Viewpoint is a viewpoint with a fantastic 180 degrees panoramic view over some of Black River Gorges National Park. On clear days, the view will stretch all the way to the coast. To the far right of the viewing area, a waterfall drops off the mountain wall and into the dense jungle below.