Safaris

Mole National Park is considered to be the cheapest safari destination in Africa, with walking safaris costing as little as 5 USD. But that's, of course, not the only reason to visit Mole. Mole National Park is Ghana largest wildlife sanctuary and one of the best places in West Africa for game watching. Though there are big cats (leopards and very few rare lions), the star attraction are the elephants. As there are waterholes near the park headquarter and the motel/lodge, there are pretty good chance to spot elephants on walking safari, particularly in the dry season (October - March). Game drives, both day and night, are also possible with more chances to see some of the many antelopes, deers, and bucks - not to mention the naughty baboons, that will find you first.

Ranthambore National Park is one of the largest national parks in North India, and this is where you have the best chances of spotting the endangered tiger. Besides wildlife such as crocodiles, monkeys, various species of deer, wild pigs, jackals, leopards, birds and peacocks, there are also ruins of an old fort in the park. There is a lot of control over how many jeeps are allowed in the park per day – what times they may drive around and what routes jeeps may take. It is therefore a good idea to pre-book space in a vehicle. Safari here is not like going on safari in Africa, where there are large groups of game, so if you do not spot a tiger on a game drive, a safari here can be quite disappointing. But when one of the large animals suddenly appears in the middle of the road, it is very exciting!

A boat safari on the Black River will take you a bit up river through the mangroves of the Great Morass. There will various birds and of course the main sight, the crocodiles. According to the guide there should be about 400 crocodiles in the river system, but you will probably only see the usual suspects, which all have names like Margaret, Tom and Jerry.

Nairobi National Park is quite unique - where else can you watch giraffes, antelopes and lions wander past your car to a backdrop of skyscrapers? Its location is convenient for those with limited time on their hands, and the park is accessible by 2WD. While it cannot compare to Kenya's premium wildlife parks, the bizarre combination of urban life and African wildlife is well worth the time - and hefty fee. The park also boasts a successful rhino sanctuary, and the Kenya Wildlife Service headquarters are located by the main gate. A fence separates the park from the city, but human-wildlife conflicts still arise when predators venture out of the park and make for the suburbs.

If you have the slightest interest in hippos, you must visit the large freshwater lake Lake Naivasha, which lies in the Great Rift Valley. However, there are only enough activities to spend a single day/night at this lake, which is located 1880 meters above sea level. There is a very large number of hippos in the lake, and when darkness falls, the animals, who spend most of the day in the water, will emerge from the lake and graze on land. Tent sites are fenced off, since hippos are extremely dangerous. They are actually the large animal in Africa that kills most people per year. But you can sit safely and in tranquility in small cabins on stilts and observe/hear the animals eat in the darkness.

The Mara Triangle is the western third of the Masai Mara National Reserve, covering some 510 square kilometres. It is bordered by the Mara River to the east, the Siria Escarpment to the west and north and Tanzania's Serengeti National Park to the south. This side of the reserve is far better managed than the eastern two-thirds, with mostly good roads. When the migration makes its way to the Masai Mara, the river crossings will generally take place from the eastern side into the Mara Triangle, so it is an ideal place to observe this phenomenon. This can take place anytime from mid-June to the end of the year, although mid-August until mid-October is more usual. Wildlife abounds here: lions, leopards, cheetahs, rhinos, elephants, buffaloes, hippos, zebras, hyenas, giraffes, antelopes and hundreds of species of birds. Most of the Triangle consists of open savannah, although the streams and rivers are lined by woodland. There are picnic spots strewn throughout the Triangle; one of the best is 'Out of Africa', halfway up the escarpment, which provides mind-blowing views of the plains.

If you want a remote safari experience without travelling more than a day (by car) from Nairobi, Meru National Park might just be for you. Huge, hot and dusty, but with more wildlife than Tsavo, Meru offers some good wildlife viewing for those with a bit of patience. The park has cheetahs, leopards, lions, reticulated giraffes, elands and a lot of birds. Staying in one of KWS's self-catering cottages inside the park is particularly rewarding, as giraffes, elephants and lions frequently make their way through. You need to look for the wildlife though - this is not the Mara or Lake Nakuru. But if you want to have a park largely to yourself, Meru is a good choice.

If you are going to Kenya on safari, a couple of days at Lake Nakuru National Park is very recommendable! The National Park lies in the Great Rift Valley 140 kilometers northwest of Nairobi. The area is extremely rich in various animal species - and the concentration of animals per square kilometer is unusually high. There are giraffes, rhinos, water buffalos, monkeys and zebras in one big hotchpotch, and not least a very good chance of seeing the elusive leopard, (which is one of the Big Five). The large freshwater lake - Lake Nakuru is filled with thousands of pelicans, flamingos and storks, which are amazing to watch - especially on a morning game drive at sunrise.

Besides other game, you can find "The Big Five" (lion, leopard, elephant, rhino and buffalo) in Masai Mara. A part from dry savanna, there are also rivers with crocodiles and hippos. You may walk around here, but you need to be accompanied by an armed guide, if a crocodile or a lion should suddenly attack. So a walk along the rivers is not for the faint-hearted! However, it is amazing when you experience large animals close to you or get to see an animal hunt. The park covers approx. 1500 square km, so sometimes you need to drive around a bit longer to find wildlife. At the entrance to the park you are often "attacked" by eager Masai women, who want to sell homemade jewelry. They are persistent - but not aggressive or nasty. Furthermore, be aware that there is significantly less wildlife to see, when the annual animal migration into Serengeti National Park in Tanzania takes place.

Tsavo East National Park is huge, hot and dusty. There are three reasons to go here instead of opting for more popular destinations such as Masai Mara or Amboseli: it is much closer to the coast (and thus easier to combine with a visit to Mombasa), you want to be able to drive around all day and barely see another person, or you like hot, dusty places. The entire park has a red tint to it, coloured as it is by the dust. There is a huge number of elephants here - also coloured red by the dust - but self-drivers need to be aware that they can be considerably more aggressive than their Amboseli or Mara counterparts as a result of heavy poaching during the 1960s and 1970s. While there is a decent population of lions, the sheer size of the park - and the abundance of shrubs and bushes - makes spotting them a challenge. Tsavo East makes for an interesting contrast to many of the lusher parks and reserves in Kenya, but most people would find it difficult to justify spending more than a few days here.