Safaris

Nobody will put Kissama (Quiçama) National Park on the list of the top national parks in Africa, but it's the best in Angola and that's still something. After more than 25 years of civil war with wide-scale poaching there were hardly any wild animals left in Angola, so large game animals have been reintroduced to Kissama National Park - and with good results. Today the park is home for elephants, giraffes, zebras, kudos, wildebeests and many more - but no predators bigger than civet and mongoose. You can stay at the park, but a day trip from Luanda is also possible.

A trip to Kissama National Park usually includes a river safari up the Kwanza River. From a small motorboat you go looking for crocodiles, blue monkeys, lizards, fish eagles and other birds. Like a safari in Kissama National Park, a Kwanza river safari isn't mindblowing compared to the top river safaris in Africa, like Chobe in Botswana, but still - this is Angola and something entirely different.

Parc National de la Pendjari is arguably the most magnificent national park in West Africa – it boasts the largest remaining intact ecosystem in the region. The rugged mountains and wooded savannah is a sight in its own right, but visitors are pretty much guaranteed to see elephants, buffalos, hippos and a vast number of antelopes here. Elusive West African lions and the critically endangered Northwest African cheetah also roam the park. However, to spot any of these predators, superhuman persistence and luck are needed. Only a couple of dozen lions are left in the park and when the cheetahs were last counted, back in 2008, only 5–13 individuals called Pendjari home. As with many of West Africa’s national parks infrastructure is limited and hiring a guide is highly recommended. It can be done at the entrance or at the better hotels in Natitingou. Pendjari National Park was added to the existing UNESCO World Heritage site of Parc National du W in 2017, which now constitutes the vast transnational W-Arly-Pendjari (WAP) complex, spread across Benin, Burkina Faso and Niger.

In terms of both variety and diversity, Chobe Naitional Park is just ridiculously good. It's divided into four distinct sections, where Chobe riverfront is the most popular - partly because the density of animals is great here and partly because of its proximity to Victoria Falls (in Zimbabwe and Zambia). Chobe is famous for its large elephant herds, which you can get terrifyingly close to. But warthog, hippo, zebra, giraffe and different species of antelopes, including lechwe and sable, are all among the usual game - but there are no rhinos. There is a good chance to see lions and, with a bit of luck, even a hunting leopard or cheetah. Chobe River makes out the park's natural boundary to north and is great for some midday river safari when the animals come down to drink - this is particularly good during dry season (May through October). But for the best chances to see some predators, you can't beat morning and to some extent evening drives - and who wants to miss the wonders of the red African sun setting behind a herd of elephants!

Normally, a river safari on Chobe River is part of safari trip to Chobe National Park, but we have given it a separate entry because it's a very different type of safari than the usual game drive in jeeps. The animals use Chobe riverfront to drink from, particulary during the dry season (May through October). Shortly before midday, the first elephants usually show up, quickly followed by the rest of the herd. Most will just sip from the water edge, but some might go for swim or even dive. At midday, the riverbank can be packed with elephants, giraffes, buffaloes and various antelopes, all standing side by side cautiously sipping. Big pods of hippos cooling off in the water make river navigation a cautious affair for hippos are extremely protective of their younger ones and get easily agitated - and they are fast.

There are many different ways of viewing wildlife, but none really come close to gliding along silently in a makoro dugout canoe. Makoros are used by local people of the Okavango Delta to fish and traverse channels, although as a tourist you may end up with a fibre-glass version rather than a traditional wooden one. Travelling by makoro is a magical experience. The silence is almost complete, and unlike walking safaris it is possible to get (sometimes disconcertingly) close to wildlife, all of which will appear enormous from half a metre above the water surface. But with or without wildlife, this is without a doubt one of the most memorable and special ways of experiencing the unique environment that is the Okavango Delta. Just watch out for those hippos!

A mandatory thing to do while in Gaborone is a visit to nearby Mokolodi Nature Reserve. This not-for-profit game reserve is run by the Mokolodi Wildlife Foundation. It has two of the Big Five, leopard and (white) rhino, along with giraffe, zebra, kudu, impala, hartebeest, wildebeest and hippo, just to name a few. Bird lovers will also be happy with more than 300 species, including easy-to-spot hornbills. Mokolodi also functions as a wild animal orphanage and is taking care of a few retired predators, like hyena and cheetah. You can do the safari in your own 4WD car or get there by public transport and join a two-hour game drive.

The Okavango Delta is a place of wonder – it is as simple as that. The myriad of waterways that weave their way through the otherwise unforgiving Kalahari provides sanctuary for a plethora of animals, from the Big Five and the rare African wild dogs to countless species of birds. The experience changes depending on your mode of transport – safari vehicle, plane, makoro canoe or on foot – and the seasonal variations are equally significant. The Okavango Delta is home to vast populations of elephants and is a great place to spot predators of all kinds, but it is also a unique habitat, and an Africa that is difficult to find anywhere else. Watch a herd of buffalo make their way across the water from one island to the next, or a clan of hyenas lounging on one of the many small airstrips, as you enjoy the many canals, swamps and islands that make up this stunning inland delta.

11,500 km2 of plain, savanna and rainforest bisected by the Comoé River, with inselbergs on its northern rim reaching 600 metres in height. In other words, Comoé National Park has a lot to offer. A lot, except tourist infrastructure, that is. This means that most of the park is strictly do-it-yourself. However, there's hope should you lack your own 4x4, tent and provisions. A research station in the southern part of the park, near the village of Kakpin, can help organise pirogue trips on the river, and a lodge in Kafolo, on the park's northern fringes, arranges safari drives. As for animals, the park is home to hippos, elephants, lions and African wild dogs, but due to poaching in the 90s chances are that you'll have to settle for the bird life, antelopes and maybe the park's dwarf crocodiles if you're sailing the river. The park is a UNESCO World Heritage Site due to its plant diversity, rather than its animals.

This rather small private wildlife sanctuary is a great place for some low key safari. The reserve is quite pretty, although it lacks the usual spectacular wildlife like lions, rhinos, elephants, lions or buffalo. On the bright side, it means you are allowed to walk or bicycle around the park on your own, something that is rare in Africa. The game consists mostly of impalas, kudus, zebras, warthogs, monkeys and various antelope species, but there are hippos and crocodiles, so stay clear of the water’s edges. The Main Camp, built on the banks of a river, have a sun deck where you can observe these beasts in action mere meters away, with a cold beer in your hand - perfect.