The World's Best Safari Locations

From the Swahili for journey, a safari is a trip where you can see wild animals in their natural habitat. Here are the best locations around the world to go on safari and see the planet's amazing creatures.

See the Big Five

The ultimate safari experience is seeing the Big Five game animals: lion, leopard, rhinoceros, elephant, and Cape buffalo. Tracking down these stars of Africa will take you into the east and south of the continent. The Serengeti National Park in Tanzania and the Maasai Mara National Reserve in Kenya make up the Mara-Serengeti ecosystem. Over two million animals move between the two countries each year in the Great Migration, giving you ample opportunities to see the area’s wildlife. Another good choice is Kruger National Park, the oldest national park in South Africa. At two million hectares, the large park is home to the Big Five, as well as giraffes, zebras, wildebeest, and more. If you don’t spot what you’re looking for in Kruger, you can increase your chances at one of the areas many private reserves. These have a high density of animals, so you're more likely to see your favorite.

Discover Other Animals

If you’re looking for something beyond the Big Five, choose a safari location that lets you see Africa’s other animals. Volcanoes National Park in Rwanda and Bwindi Impenetrable Forest National Park in Uganda are home to troops of mountain gorillas, as well as golden monkeys and chimpanzees. If you’re interested in the animals that live in the water, you can’t go past Mosi-Oa-Tunya National Park in Zambia. The park encompasses the breathtaking Victoria Falls and gives you opportunities to see hippos, crocodiles, and over 450 bird species. To see one of the continent’s smaller inhabitants, head to Makgadikgadi Pan in Botswana. Here you can spend an afternoon watching meerkats searching for food, watching for predators, and playing in family groups.

Non-African Safari Experiences

While the traditional safari is African, there’s a wide world to explore and unique animals living in every corner. If you’ve always wanted to see Australia’s wildlife, visit Kakadu National Park. Although there aren’t any kangaroos, you can see the similar wallabies and wallaroos, as well as migrating birds and saltwater crocodiles. In Ranthambore National Park, India, Bengal tigers stalk around ancient ruins in the forest. You can also spot monkeys, panthers, bears, and antelope. The Pantanal Wetlands in Brazil are the world’s largest tropical wetland system. Jaguars, howler monkeys, and giant otters call the wetlands home, as well as capybaras, the world’s largest rodents.