Best Safari in Africa for First-Time Visitors: Where Should You Go on Your First African Safari?Planning a first African safari can be surprisingly difficult. The problem is not a shortage of good destinations. It is the opposite. Africa contains so many extraordinary wildlife regions that a first-time visitor can easily…
Gorilla Snacking Songs: Humming in the Jungle – Why Gorillas Sing While They EatImagine walking quietly through a mist-covered African rainforest after several hours of trekking. Your boots are muddy, giant leaves brush against your clothing, and every sound from the vegetation makes you wonder whether the gorillas are close.…
What Is a Typical Day on Safari in South Africa Really Like?A day on safari in South Africa begins earlier than most holidays. Long before resort breakfasts, city traffic or ordinary sightseeing tours begin, safari travellers may already be awake, dressed and drinking coffee in the darkness. Outside, the bush…
At first glance, identifying a zebra seems easy. Black stripes. White body. Horse-like shape. Case closed. Then you travel across Africa and realize zebras are more complicated. Some animals carry broad stripes that continue underneath the body. Others have narrower patterns. Some possess faint brownish “shadow stripes.” One zebra has…
Water controls life in Etosha National Park. That simple fact explains much of what makes the park one of Africa’s greatest self-drive and guided safari destinations. Unlike wetter wildlife regions where animals can drink from rivers, streams and scattered pools across huge areas, Etosha’s dry environment concentrates wildlife around a…
The Masai Mara is one of Africa’s most famous safari destinations, but many travelers assume that visiting it requires a luxury budget. It does not. While the Masai Mara certainly has some of East Africa’s most exclusive lodges, private conservancies and fly-in safari camps, it is also possible to experience…
A baboon walks across an African road carrying a tiny infant beneath its belly. Several younger animals chase one another through the grass. A dominant male sits nearby, watching the surroundings with enormous canine teeth visible whenever he yawns. Most safari travelers immediately recognize the animals as baboons. But then…
Chobe National Park is one of Botswana’s most celebrated wildlife destinations and one of the finest places in Africa for travelers who want to experience enormous elephant herds, river-based wildlife viewing, classic game drives and the wild landscapes of northern Botswana. Situated near the borders of Botswana, Namibia, Zambia and…
Choosing between the Masai Mara and Serengeti for the Great Migration is one of the most common—and most misunderstood—decisions in East African safari planning. The confusion is understandable. The Serengeti in Tanzania and Masai Mara in Kenya are connected parts of the same enormous ecosystem. Wildebeest, zebras and other herbivores…
An African safari does not have to cost thousands of dollars per night to produce extraordinary wildlife sightings. In fact, many of the animals travelers dream about seeing can be observed on budget African safaris, particularly when the trip is planned around wildlife-rich national parks, sensible accommodation, efficient routing and…