The countries that provide the best opportunities to view wildlife are primarily in the eastern and southern regions of Africa. Kenya, probably the most progressive African nation in terms of economic and tourism infrastructure, is the country most famous for safaris, but neighboring Tanzania, the home of majestic Mount Kilimanjaro, is equally rich in wildlife and safari opportunities. South Africa, Swaziland, Zimbabwe, Botswana and Zambia are also rich in bird- and wildlife and offer a wide range of safaris to public and private reserves. (Runner-up: Gorilla-tracking trips in Uganda are rapidly gaining popularity among tourists.)

Map of Africa

Kenya

National parks in Kenya are more visited than those in Tanzania or Zambia and are especially good for visitors who want a short, accessible and inexpensive safari. The main bases from which to take a safari in Kenya are Nairobi, a major city with excellent air connections to the rest of Africa and the world, and Mombasa on the east coast. Kenya's most popular wildlife sanctuaries -- Masai Mara (western Kenya), Amboseli (southern Kenya) and Tsavo (Kenya's largest national park and divided into Tsavo East and Tsavo West) -- are terrific places for seeing the animals the hunters described as the "big five" -- the lion, the buffalo, the elephant, the rhinoceros and the leopard. And don't forget about other fascinating animals, such as wildebeests (also known as gnus), zebras and giraffes. Bird life is equally diverse and includes the highly visible and colorful flamingoes as well as ostriches, vultures, cormorants and eagles.

Kenya's most endangered species is the black rhino, which has been ravaged by poachers over the years. Although there are still few black rhinos in the wild, major conservation efforts have its numbers once again on the rise. Rhino sanctuaries have been established in Tsavo and Lake Nakuru national parks. Although the elephant isn't technically endangered, large numbers are killed each year by poachers. (Those numbers fell considerably after the international ban on ivory in 1989.)

You'll find the largest concentrations of bird life on the Rift Valley lakes during January and February, which is the main tourist season and pretty much guaranteed to be hot and dry. Animals also tend to congregate more around water courses in wildlife parks as other water sources dry up, so the viewing is also good for that reason. However, one of the most spectacular events can be seen during the still-dry "shoulder season" from June to September: This is when the annual wildebeest migration from neighboring Tanzania's Serengeti National Park brings close to 2 million wildebeest in search of grassland into Kenya's Masai Mara National Reserve. (Take a look at these unusual creatures!)

Tanzania

Although Tanzania can't match Kenya's strong economy, it offers equally beautiful wildlife reserves, including the famous Serengeti National Park and the Ngorongoro park, which is located in the crater of an extinct volcano. Other sights include naturalist Jane Goodall's chimpanzee sanctuary in the tiny Gombe Stream National Park near the Borundi border. (You don't really need an organized tour here and you can actually mingle with the chimps!)

Visitors describe Serengeti, located in northeastern Tanzania (contiguous with the Masai Mara reserve) as a magical place where you can see millions of hoofed animals -- zebra, antelope, gazelle and wildebeest. The park's rolling savannah plains make spotting wildlife easy, too. Farther afield, the Selous Game Reserve in the southern region of the country is probably the world's largest game reserve with one of the highest concentrations of hippos, elephants (reportedly more than 100,000!), buffalos and crocodiles on earth. Unlike some of Kenya's bustling national parks, Selous offers vast, untouched wilderness. Mt. Kilimanjaro National Park is lush rainforest where wildlife viewing takes backseat to the spectacle of Africa's highest peak. Arusha National Park is one of Tanzania's smallest but most beautiful national parks. It's also one of the few parks you're allowed to walk in (accompanied by a ranger, of course).

Arusha is the safari capital of Tanzania and many, many companies offer a variety of packages departing from that city. (Be careful who you do business with -- Arusha is known as a gathering place for fly-by-night companies looking for gullible tourists. More about choosing and planning for a safari later!) To get to Selous and parks near it, you'll need to depart from Dar es Salaam.

South Africa

Most of the large game in South Africa is concentrated in its well-organized national parks, particularly the largest and most famous, Kruger National Park. Kruger's rest camps are built within protected enclosures, its roads are good and it's easy to tour in a private car as well as in organized groups. (Some tourists find the crowds of visitors -- you need to book ahead especially around holidays! -- and tarmac roads here a little too civilized. If you like your safari a little wilder, you might want to visit some of the private reserves outside Kruger.)

Home to the last substantial populations of black and white rhinos (with horns intact) and to rapidly growing numbers of the African elephant, South Africa boasts significant numbers of the "big five" and also the lesser known "little five" -- the ant lion, the buffalo weaver (huge colonies of this bird live in woven grass cities), the rhinoceros beetle, the elephant shrew and the leopard tortoise. South Africa also boasts 900 bird species, including the world's largest bird (the ostrich) and largest flying bird (the Kori Bustard) and some of the most colorful and beautiful birds, including the sunbird and the ever-present flamingo.

Swaziland

Small Swaziland, one of Africa's monarchies, has very interesting national parks. These include Mkhaya Game Reserve, which is home to some of the black and white rhinos the region has fought so hard to protect, and Hlane Royal National Park, which is located near the former royal hunting grounds and which brought lions back in 1994. Also worth mentioning is Mlilwane Wildlife Sanctuary in the Equlwini Valley. It's one of the few places where you can see wildlife on foot, on horseback and from a bicycle.

Botswana

Since Botswana is a little more off the beaten track, its incredible national parks and game viewing tend to be a little more expensive than in east Africa. Despite its growing tourism industry, Botswana is relatively uncrowded. Two-thirds of the country is covered by the grassy, bush-covered sands of the Kalahari Desert. Surprisingly, those sparse grasses support some of the largest herds of game on the African continent.

Among the best national parks in Botswana are the Chobe National Park, which has a lively and curious population of baboons, who greet visitors at the park's entrance. Most exciting is Chobe's elephant population (estimated at around 100,000), which is among the world's largest surviving continuous elephant populations. The migratory Chobe elephant (part of the Kalahari group) has the largest body of all living elephants. Four-wheel drive rigs are necessary here, since deep sand in some spots can be treacherous, and it's best to avoid the Chobe River area during heavy rains from January to March.

Botswana is also home to Gemsbok National Park, its oldest and most remote game reserve. The park forms Africa's first trans-frontier park with the Kalahari Gemsbok National Park in South Africa, allowing for migration and free movement and creating a vast ecosystem relatively free of human influence. Gemsbok has huge herds of gemsbok (an antelope with sharp, slender horns) and other antelope, like the eland, as well as the famous black-maned lion.

The Moremi Wildlife Reserve is regarded by many as the most beautiful game park in southern Africa, and the Central Kalahari Game Reserve, set up in 1961, is the largest game reserve in the world. The 52,800 sq.km. reserve (it's larger than Switzerland!), located in the center of Botswana and characterized by huge open plains, old riverbeds and salt pans, was formerly home to the Basarwa people. (Encouraged by the government, they have moved -- some unhappily -- to settlements where modern facilities, schools and health care are more accessible.) Viewing of animals, including giraffes, brown hyenas, warthogs, wild dogs, cheetahs, lions and leopards, is best between December and April, when they tend to gather in the valleys and pans.

Zimbabwe

Like South Africa, Zimbabwe draws a lot of tourists because it is accessible and easy to visit, so tour and safari prices are generally lower than in Botswana and Zambia. This country offers a range of spectacular scenery, from the world-famous Victoria Falls, the 1,700 meter-wide waterfalls that plunges deep into the gorge of the Zambezi River, to the beautiful Matopos National Park, with its eerie granite landscape and exotic wildlife. Near Victoria Falls is the unique Hwange National Park, which was set aside for the purpose of conserving wildlife in its natural habitat. In this park are more than 100 different animal species -- including large herds of elephants -- and 400 bird species.

Zambia

Zambia, a little farther off the beaten path than Zimbabwe, offers some of the best safaris in Africa, because of the excellent game viewing in national parks unspoiled by tourism. The South Luangwa National Park, where it's said walking safaris originated, offers an intense concentration of wildlife around the Luanga River and its ox-bow lagoons. Visitors to this park have reported seeing 30 to 70 hippos in the river at one time! The only "big five" species missing is the white rhinoceros, which was hunted to extinction. (Zambia's only remaining rhinos are found in Mosi-O-Tunya Zoological Park at Victoria Falls.)

Zambia's largest (about the size of Wales!) and oldest park is Kafue National Park, where large prides, or companies, of lions can be found. Lower Zambezi National Park is the country's newest wilderness park. It offers unique viewing opportunities since an escarpment along the northern end of the valley acts as a physical barrier to most animals. This means you might see large herds of elephants at the river's edge.