What are the best things to do on vacation in Africa? From going on safari, trekking, or lazing on the beach, there are many great activities and accommodations on offer in Africa.
Here are our first 14 Stunning African National Parks you need to visit. Whatever you decide to do, make sure you travel to Africa and make it a Place to Remember.
Loango National Park, Gabon
Situated between the Nkomi and Ndogo Lagoons,
Loango National Park is the true jewel of Africa’s western coast. The park’s
600 square miles comprises of savannas, pristine beaches, forests and
mangroves. Loango offers breathtaking panoramas and unique opportunity to
observe elephants, buffalos, hippos, gorillas and leopards.
Zakouma National Park, Chad
Established in 1963, Zakouma was Chad’s first
national park. The fauna of the Park includes 44 species of large mammals, and
many species of birds. In 1970, there were about 300,000 elephants in the park;
however, by 2007 the number had dwindled to just 10,000 due to poachers.
Zakouma still struggles with poaching but its animal populations seem to be
slowly increasing.
Tsavo East National Park, Keyna
Occupying an area of over 5,300 square miles,
is one of the oldest and largest parks in Kenya. Tsavo East National Park
provides undeveloped wilderness homes to vast numbers of animals and over 500
bird species. Local Tsavo lions are famous for their maneless adult males.
Hwange National Park, Zimbabwe
Founded in 1928, Hwange is the largest and most
famous national park in Zimbabwe. The park hosts over 100 mammals including 19
large herbivores and 8 large carnivores and about 400 bird species. It is the
only protected area where gemsbok and brown hyena occur in reasonable numbers.
Lag Badana National Park, Somalia
Located on the far southern coast of Somalia,
it is the oldest national park of this country. Apart from its various
wildlife, the park is home to over 200 vascular plant species, of which some 20
are endemic. Nearby coral reefs are also popular tourist sites.
Yankari National Park, Nigeria
Situated in northeastern Nigeria, Yankari
National Park is the most popular tourist spot in the country. The park has
rich wildlife resources hosting over 50 mammal and 350 bird species. Due to
underground geothermal activity, Yankari National Park also features four warm
water springs developed for recreation.
Tsingy de Bemaraha National Park,
Madagascar
Located in the Melaky Region, this national
park is a UNESCO World Heritage Site. “Tsingys” are karstic plateaus which are
very typical of this region. The superposition of vertical and horizontal
erosion patterns has created dramatic “forests” of limestone needles in the
park.
Kilimanjaro National Park, Tanzania
Lying 190 miles south of the equator, the park
features Mount Kilimajaro – the highest mountain in Africa and the highest
free-standing mountain in the world at 19,341 feet above sea level. The park
was declared a World Heritage Site by the United Nations Educational,
Scientific and Cultural Organization in 1987.
Chobe National Park, Botswana
Established in 1967 as Botswana´s first
national park, Chobe is known for one of the largest game concentration in
Africa. It is especially renowned for its spectacular elephant population
counting about 50,000 specimen. Elephants living here are Kalahari elephants,
the largest in size of all known elephant populations.
Bwindi Impenetrable National Park,
Uganda
Situated along the Democratic Republic of Congo
border, this prime Uganda´s national park comprises 128 square miles of jungle
forests that make up one of the richest ecosystems in Africa. Apart from many
mammal, bird or reptile species, the park is notable for its 340 Bwindi
gorillas, half the world’s population of the critically endangered mountain
gorillas.
Etosha National Park, Namibia
Spreading over an area of 8,600 square miles,
Etosha is one of the most famous and important national park in Africa. A
quarter of its area is covered by a huge salt pan (which is from where the park
gets its name). Etosha is home to hundreds of species of mammals, birds and
reptiles, including several threatened and endangered species such as the black
rhinoceros.
Kakum National Park, Ghana
Located in the coastal environs of the Central
Region of Ghana, this park is almost entirely made up of tropical forests. The
most notable endangered species in the park are Diana monkeys, giant bongo
antelopes, yellow-backed duikers and African elephants. Kakum is also famous
for its 1,150 feet long canopy walkway, which connects seven tree tops.
Bale Mountains National Park, Ethiopia
Founded in 1970, this Ethiopian national park
has one of the highest incidences of animal endemicity of any terrestrial
habitat in the world. The park is divided into five distinct and unique
habitats: Northern Grasslands, Northern Woodlands, Afro-alpine Meadows, Erica
Moorlands, and Harenna Forest. It is notable for being home to the largest
populations of both endemic and endangered Ethiopian wolf and Mountain Nyala.
Korup National Park, Cameroon
Extending over almost 500
square miles of mostly undisturbed primary forest, this park can boast of one
of Africa’s oldest and richest rainforests in terms of floral and faunal
diversity. The park is especially suitable for birdwatching and primate
viewing.
to be continued.........check out for our next blog the following 11 stunning Africa National Parks.
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Founded as a game reserve in 1938, this park is one of the best-known national parks in Africa for walking safaris. It hosts large populations of Thornicroft’s Giraffes, elephants and buffalos, while the Luangwa River supports abundant crocodiles and hippos. Unfortunately, the park’s black rhinos were wiped out by 1987.
Established as a wildlife reserve in 1925, the park is a World Heritage
Site now. Apart from its incredible collection of 1500 plant species,
this park also hosts 20 species of amphibians, 60 species of fishes, 38
species of reptiles, 80 mammal species and around 330 species of birds.
