High Eight Wildlife Experiences on an East Africa Safari
Africa is an enormous continent with astonishing variety in local weather, tradition, natural world. However when you’re after the basic safari expertise, East Africa is the place to focus. At Nat Hab, we like to take curious vacationers to Tanzania,Kenya, Uganda and Rwanda. Beneath are only a few of the unforgettable adventures that await you on the oldest inhabited continent on Earth.
1. Meet endangered rhinos and zebras at Ol Pejeta Conservancy
In opposition to the backdrop of the beautiful and sometimes snow-capped Mount Kenya sits the famend Ol Pejeta Conservancy on the Laikipia Plateau. What was a working cattle ranch within the Forties colonial days in Kenya has now turn out to be the most important black rhino sanctuary in East Africa and residential to the world’s final two remaining northern white rhinos —which, in fact, we go to in particular person on our Final East Africa Safari and Pleasure of East Africa: Kenya & Tanzania adventures.
In 2014, the 90,000-acre Ol Pejeta achieved IUCN Inexperienced Listing standing, one among solely two African conservancies to be awarded such recognition. The conservancy additionally has endangered Grevy’s zebra and a few of Kenya’s highest predator densities. Nat Hab’s Non-public Cellular Camp has permission to function contained in the conservancy and makes for a cushty, basic safari-era base for recognizing the Large 5 and far more.
2. See Africa’s densest focus of wildlife within the Ngorongoro Crater
The Ngorongoro Crater in northern Tanzania was as soon as upon a time a huge volcano. Some consultants say that if it hadn’t erupted, it may need been taller than Kilimanjaro, the best peak in Africa. It’s the most important intact caldera on the earth, with a 2,000-foot-deep crater as its focus.
Almost three million years outdated, this Eden shelters one of the vital unimaginable wildlife havens on Earth. Round 25,000 animals stay right here, and on our Tanzania’s Nice Migration & Ngorongoro Crater,Pleasure of East Africa: Kenya & Tanzania and Final East Africa Safari, we hold a watch out for elephant, buffalo, giraffe, zebra, wildebeest, eland, gazelle and extra, in addition to hungry predators which can be all the time shut by, like lion, leopard, cheetah and hyena. It’s by no means a assured expertise, however typically we’ve been fortunate sufficient to see one of many few endangered black rhinos that hand around in the crater. Birdlife is awe-inspiring right here, with large flocks of pink flamingos coloring the soda lakes.
3. Go gorilla trekking in Bwindi Impenetrable Nationwide Park
Bwindi Impenetrable Nationwide Park in Uganda is a UNESCO World Heritage Website and one of many planet’s finest locations to see mountain gorillas. These gorillas stay in forests at elevations of 8,000 to 13,000 ft and have terribly thick fur that helps them survive in below-freezing temps at excessive altitudes. Bwindi has almost half the Earth’s mountain gorillas—about 460.
On our Nice Uganda Gorilla Safari, Final Gorilla Safari and Final East Africa Safari, we spend two full days monitoring gorillas in Bwindi Impenetrable Nationwide Park (and have even typically seen them proper on the grounds of our lodge!). Our native guides assist us perceive their habits, and we’ve got an area tracker clued into their earlier actions, giving us the perfect likelihood of discovering them on the mountain. Even when we all know the place they’re, attending to them could be as straightforward as a 15-minute stroll, or we might should spend the day trekking the verdant rainforest on foot.
Trying into the eyes of a wild mountain gorilla has been described time and again by Nat Hab vacationers as “essentially the most profound nature encounter vacationers have ever skilled.”
4. Take an evening drive in quest of nocturnal wildlife
As a result of we discover non-public conservancies along with nationwide parks and reserves, we’ve got the flexibleness and freedom to do sure actions not all the time allowed elsewhere. One instance: night time drives. Through the day, we really feel just like the observers, however there’s one thing particular realizing that at night time, the nocturnal animals have the higher hand at recognizing us. Solely attending to see animals through the day means that you could be miss many animals that solely come out at night time, just like the bush child, porcupine, many species of owl and nightjar. We might even see a noticed hyena or leopard slinking by means of the night time.
Including to the atmosphere are the distinctive sounds we hear: the chirping of crickets, a lion’s roar within the distance, the footsteps of wandering warthogs, and presumably even timber crashing from a worked-up elephant—all taking place underneath one of many clearest skies possible, crammed with twinkling stars.
East Africa has extra to supply than looking for the Large 5. Its nationwide parks and reserves additionally present habitat for round 2,500 totally different species of birds. Ostriches, the most important dwelling birds on Earth, are discovered on the grasslands and savanna of the Serengeti and Maasai Mara in nomadic teams of between 5 and 50 birds. They’re extraordinarily quick on land and might attain speeds of as much as 40 miles an hour!
Additionally straightforward to identify is the African topped crane, the nationwide chook of Uganda. They’ve a shocking crown of stiff golden feathers and a brilliant purple throat pouch that makes them simply identifiable. They’re mostly noticed in dry savanna, marshes and grassy flatlands close to rivers and lakes. In the event you’re fortunate, you could possibly observe their elaborate mating dance, which incorporates plenty of leaping, bowing and spreading their wings to their full six-foot span.
Flamingos can normally be seen in flocks of a whole bunch (if not 1000’s) at Lake Natron in Tanzania, in addition to at Kenya’s Lake Nakuru, Lake Bogoria and Lake Elmenteita. Additionally hold a watch out for Kori bustards, one of many largest flying birds in Africa, usually noticed in Ngorongoro Crater and Serengeti Nationwide Park. Search for them following herds of zebras by means of open savannahs in quest of prey that has been disturbed by hooves.
A crowd-pleaser is all the time the rainbow-colored lilac-breasted curler, the nationwide chook of Kenya. They placed on dramatic reveals of aerial acrobatics (therefore the title “curler”) and are finest noticed in open woodland or bushy savannah, the place they hand around in {couples} on tree branches to hunt for bugs and beetles.
From December by means of March, when there are quick rains, some 2 million wildebeest trek from Kenya’s Maasai Mara to the southern Serengeti in quest of freshly rising grass. They migrate with a whole bunch of 1000’s of zebras, and gazelle and different antelope accompany the large herds as effectively. We do our greatest to plan these journeys when zebras and wildebeest are giving beginning (plenty of alternatives to see infants!), and the herds could also be principally stationary. On that observe, predators do actively hunt down essentially the most susceptible members of the herds, and it’s not unusual to see a lion snag a sick wildebeest or a cheetah attacking a new child that was separated from its mom.
From July by means of October, we head to the northern Serengeti—our deluxe tented outpost is strategically positioned inside one of many important motion corridors for the wildebeest, zebra and gazelle that make this annual 1800-mile migration again south.
7. Seek for Africa’s Large 5 on sport drives and bush walks
All this discuss of the “Large 5,” however what precisely is that? It’s a time period utilized by photographers and wildlife fanatics for a number of the most iconic animals to see on safari: the Cape buffalo, leopard, lion, elephant and rhinoceros. Typically you may hear of a “Large Seven” that features cheetah and African wild canine, or a “Little 5” of the buffalo weaver, leopard tortoise, ant lion, elephant shrew and rhinoceros beetle.
Seeing the Large 5 is just like the fauna model of the Seven Summits—our highly-trained guides do their highest on our East Africa safaris to ship you dwelling with not less than the Large 5 checked off your bucket checklist.
8. Pay attention for a lion’s roar out of your mattress in a bush camp
Our safaris are the furthest factor away from a standard resort expertise. We like to recreate the classic ambiance of days previous with luxurious heavy canvas looking camps like what Roosevelt and Hemingway used to remain in. Think about, after having fun with a candlelight dinner on white linen, you cozy into mattress, solely to listen to a lion’s roar within the distance. That is assured to provide the perfect type of excited chills possible. It’s an expertise that’s not possible to overlook!
On our East Africa safaris, our focus is on secluded and spectacular wildlife encounters away from crowds. Go gorilla trekking in Uganda and Rwanda, and witness the Nice Migration in Tanzania and Kenya.
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Collectively, Pure Habitat Adventures and World Wildlife Fund have teamed as much as prepare almost 100 nature journey experiences across the planet, whereas serving to to guard the magnificent locations we go to and their wild inhabitants.
Request Your 2025/2026 Catalog
Uncover the World’s Finest
Nature Journey Experiences
Collectively, Pure Habitat Adventures and World Wildlife Fund have teamed as much as prepare almost 100 nature journey experiences across the planet, whereas serving to to guard the magnificent locations we go to and their wild inhabitants.
Uncover the World’s Finest
Nature Journey Experiences
Our weekly eNewsletter highlights new adventures, unique gives, webinars, nature information, journey concepts, images ideas and extra. Enroll right this moment!
Uncover the World’s Finest
Nature Journey Experiences
Our weekly eNewsletter highlights new adventures, unique gives, webinars, nature information, journey concepts, images ideas and extra. Enroll right this moment!
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