East Africa, Southern Africa & Central Africa
With
Africa is the earth’s second largest continent, and is as diverse as it is vast; filled with things to do that satisfy every traveller’s wishlist – from thrilling wildlife safaris to enthralling cultural encounters, and even heart-pumping adventure activities. Here is our roundup of the best things to do in all the countries we cover in Africa, including Uganda, Kenya, Tanzania, Rwanda, South Africa, Botswana, Zambia, Zimbabwe, Malawi, Madagascar, Namibia, and the Democratic Republic of Congo.
Experience breathtaking Uganda safaris with Wild Whispers Africa. Encounter majestic gorillas, track chimpanzees, and witness the Big Five in their natural habitat. Our expert guides ensure unforgettable adventures through lush rainforests and sprawling savannas
Discover Rwanda’s hidden treasures with Wild Whispers Africa. Trek through misty forests to meet gentle mountain gorillas, explore vibrant Kigali, and immerse yourself in rich culture. Our tailored Rwanda safaris promise adventure and wonder in the Land of a Thousand Hills.
Witness the Great Migration in Serengeti, explore Ngorongoro Crater, and relax on Zanzibar’s pristine beaches. Our expert guides ensure unforgettable wildlife encounters and cultural experiences.
From the iconic Maasai Mara to the flamingo-fringed Lake Nakuru, encounter diverse wildlife and cultures. Our carefully crafted itineraries promise the ultimate East African adventure
Trek through Virunga National Park to encounter rare mountain gorillas, climb active volcanoes, and discover pristine forests. Our expert-guided DR Congo safaris offer intrepid travelers unparalleled adventures
Discover Lake Malawi’s crystal-clear waters, track wildlife in Liwonde National Park, and engage with friendly locals. Our tours blend adventure, relaxation, and authentic cultural experiences
Spot lemurs in lush rainforests, admire baobab-dotted landscapes, and relax on pristine beaches. Our Madagascar safaris reveal the island’s incredible biodiversity and captivating Malagasy culture.
Witness thundering Victoria Falls, enjoy game drives in Hwange National Park, and explore ancient ruins. Our carefully crafted tours showcase Zimbabwe’s natural wonders and rich heritage
Walk with lions in South Luangwa, marvel at Victoria Falls, and canoe the mighty Zambezi River. Our expert guides reveal the hidden gems of this authentic African destination.
Climb towering dunes in Sossusvlei, track desert-adapted wildlife in Damaraland, and explore the hauntingly beautiful Skeleton Coast. Our Namibia safaris promise unforgettable adventures
From Big Five encounters in Kruger to the scenic Garden Route and vibrant Cape Town, experience the Rainbow Nation’s wonders. Our expertly guided tours blend wildlife, culture, and natural beauty.
Glide through the Okavango Delta, spot wildlife in Chobe National Park, and explore the vast Kalahari. Our eco-friendly Botswana safaris offer exclusive game viewing and luxurious accommodations.
Bwindi Impenetrable National Park is a mountain gorilla stronghold in southwestern Uganda, and a UNESCO World Heritage Site. The park’s forests contain up to half the world’s remaining population of the mountain gorillas (Gorilla beringei beringei), making a gorilla trekking safari one of the prime attractions. Certainly it’s a sobering encounter seeing the size and strength of these powerful primates in their jungle habitat; yet it’s also humbling to be in such an intimate setting with our close relatives. Beyond gorillas, other wildlife in Bwindi includes chimpanzees, baboons and more than 350 bird species.
However, the main tourist activity in Bwindi is gorilla trekking: visitors are driven deep into the forest, accompanied by guides, scouts and armed rangers, and search for habituated mountain gorilla families. When found (usually after several hours’ walk), small groups of visitors are led to within about 10 metres of the gorillas to observe and take photographs. Other tourists activities include scenic forest walks, birdwatching and cultural visits to the nearby Batwa pygmy communities. Ultimately, it may be the stunning scenery that brings people to the park: the picturesque Munyanga River Falls, where visitors can bathe, and the Rushura Hill, which has panoramic views of the surrounding forests and the valleys beyond.
Spanning the western end of Uganda, Queen Elizabeth National Park receives the highest number of safari vistors in the country. Abundant in biodiversity, the park harbours species such as lions, leopards, elephants, hippos, 600 species of birds and many more. Queen Elizabeth’s landscapes of savanna, forests, woodlands and wetlands offer game drive and boat-safari viewers stunning experiences. Tree-climbing lions in the southern Ishasha sector are particularly notable.
Aside from the game drives, safaris on longboat down the Kazinga Channel afford good views of hippos, crocodiles besides a host of other smaller animal species and the reserve’s abundant bird life. A popular side-trip is chimp trekking in the Kyambura gorge just on the fringes of QENP. Birdwatchers also have a field day at Kyambura and several other sites are available for cultural expeditions to the nearby communities. Finally, for the ultimate experience of ultimate luxury, one can go on a hot air balloon ride where one floats above the savannahs and forests of QENP at sunrise.
Every year, more than a million wildebeest, zebra and gazelle migrate through the Masai Mara National Reserve in southwest Kenya. The annual migration of this vast herd throughout the Serengeti ecosystem is perhaps Africa’s most iconic wildlife spectacle, and the Masai Mara is an excellent place from which to view it. The reserve offers superb game viewing in some of Africa’s most spectacular scenery: rolling hills dotted with acacia trees, set among wide-open savannas. The Mara (as it is called locally) is home to one of the world’s greatest concentrations of wildlife, including large predators such as lions and cheetahs, huge herds of elephants, and more than 450 species of birds. The nearby Maasai people are one of the few indigenous ethnic groups still living in their traditional homeland, and cultural visits to Maasai villages and markets provide a fascinating sidebar to any wildlife safari.
The traditional and premier activity in the Masai Mara is the game drive. Morning and late afternoon drives prove more fruitful when the animals are more active. In the summer months (June, July and August) daily hot air balloon safari rides take off at dawn to float over the magnificent but endangered landscapes and wildlife of the Mara. Similar old-world experiences are available with a ride on horseback. Cultural visits to the nearby Maasai villages offer a glimpse into the everyday life of the traditional nomadic pastoralists and their songs and dance. Guided nature walks, birdwatching and photo treks all contribute to a memorable Masai Mara experience.
Amboseli National Park, in southern Kenya, is famous for its large elephant herds and for its views of Mount Kilimanjaro, the highest peak in Africa. Amboseli’s habitats include dry savanna, wetlands and forests, and it is home to a wide variety of other wildlife: lions, cheetahs, ostriches, giraffes, and more than 400 bird species. Maasai communities also live around the edges of the park.
Game drives of all kinds are the main activity here, and the chance to see Amboseli’s elephant herds and other wildlife against the backdrop of Kilimanjaro is a highlight of a visit here. Nature walks with a ranger will give you the chance to understand the park’s ecology, and can be adapted to your preference – from an easy morning walk to a more challenging day in the bush. Cultural visits to the neighbouring Maasai villages are a real treat: you can learn about Maasai customs, partake of traditional activities such as dances, beadwork or fire-making, and be able to ask the locals about their way of life. In addition to safaris, there is the option of birdwatching, photographic safaris and sunset drives.
The Serengeti National Park in northern Tanzania is one of the most renowned safari destinations on Earth. Within its 5,700 sq miles of savannas, woodlands, hills, and rolling grassy plains lie some of the most remarkable large mammals in the world. Perhaps what the park is best known for is its constant migration of over 1.5 million wildebeest, zebras, and gazelles that cross its plains each year in search of new grazing grounds. The wildebeest migration alone draws millions of safari visitors to the Serengeti each year. Apart from the incredible migration, however, the Serengeti also boasts one of the most diverse wildlife environments in the entire world. The park is home to some of the largest remaining populations of lions, leopards, and cheetahs in Africa, as well as more than 500 species of birds, plains game, elephants, hyena, giraffe, crocodiles, and hippo. Driving through the park, one passes through breathtakingly beautiful and diverse landscapes, from the endless plains, to outcroppings of rocky ridges and majestic hills, and riverine forests.
The park’s main activity is game drives, which occur twice a day at dawn and in the late afternoon to catch the wild animals at their most active. Another way to enjoy the magnificent scenery and amazing wildlife is to take a hot air balloon safari, which launches at sunrise and meanders over the savannas of the Serengeti. Guided walks with nature, which encourage the visitors to experience the park’s ecology and the wildlife on the ground, can bring the visitors close to the wild animals, allowing them to truly enjoy smaller wildlife species. Some of the other activities that the visitors can engage in while visiting the Serengeti National Park include bird watching, photographic safaris and cultural visits to the nearby Maasai communities.
Just north of the Serengeti is the Ngorongoro Conservation Area, home to the largest intact volcanic caldera in the world. The Ngorongoro Crater, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, is a truly breathtaking natural marvel, and also a wonderful microcosm of East African wildlife. Its dense population of animals mirrors the Serengeti in almost every way. A visitor can see all the Big Five (lions, leopards, elephants, rhinos, and buffalo) within the caldera, along with many other species of local wildlife, and the conservation area also incorporates the Olduvai Gorge, a paleoanthropological site that has thrown up various examples of early hominins.
And the most popular activity in this conservation area is the game drive into the crater itself – the chance to see many species of wildlife packed into this tiny space. There are guided nature walks on the crater rim where visitors can view the caldera and its wildlife while learning about the area’s geology and ecology. There are cultural visits to the surrounding Maasai communities where tourists are shown various aspects of traditional cultures, such as beadwork, dancing and animal husbandry. There is also birdwatching, photographic safaris and visiting the Olduvai Gorge Museum, scene of famous archaeological digs, such as Leakey’s discovery of the Homo habilis fossil.
Volcanoes National Park in northwest Rwanda is a UNESCO-declared Biosphere Reserve and the site of the world’s only remaining wild population of mountain gorillas. More than half the mountain gorillas in the world live here and visitors can go on a gorilla-trekking safari to see them up close in their natural habitat. Guided, mapped treks allow visitors to enter the gorillas’ territory and see them in their natural jungle habitat. Gorillas in the Mist (1988), based on Dian Fossey’s time in the jungles of Rwanda, was instrumental in raising awareness of gorillas and environmental conservation more broadly. The park’s lush rainforests, mountainous terrain and volcanic peaks offer an excellent natural setting for adventure tourism.
Volcanoes National Park is named after the volcanoes that divide Rwanda and Uganda, and gorilla trekking is the main attraction here, too. You will be taken into the forest to find one of the family groups, and your trek can take one to eight hours depending on the location of the gorillas. While your focus will be on finding the gorillas, you might also find golden monkeys or other primates. Alternatively, you can hike to the summit of Mount Bisoke or Karisimbi, or take a cultural visit to Iby’Iwacu Cultural Village where you can listen to music, dance and learn about their traditions. For a deeper insight into gorilla and general primate conservation, you can visit the Dian Fossey Gorilla Fund International research centre.
The eastern Rwandan safari destination, Akagera National Park, is home to lions, elephants, giraffes and hundreds of bird species, thronged by hippos at one of the continent’s highest densities. Set on the park’s eastern border with Tanzania, Akagera covers a diverse array of ecosystems – from arid open plains to swamps and marshes, from low-lying montane forests to bushland-covered hills and rocky outcrops.
Game drives on open vehicles are abundant, and the diverse topography of Akagera is a core attraction, allowing visitors to get a sense of the vast species diversity within the park’s woodlands, savannahs, lakes, swamps and mountains. Boat safaris on one of the park’s lakes, such as the largest: Lake Ihema, is another way to experience the park and see many of its aquatic wildlife species at close quarters, including prolific populations of hippos and crocodiles and a variety of waterbirds. Numerous guided nature walks are available, taking visitors around the park to get a more tangible feel for its diverse landscapes, ecology and smaller wildlife. Fishing and birdwatching are also popular activities.
It is perhaps Africa’s best-known and biggest safari destination, the ultimate wildlife park. Found in the eastern part of South Africa, Kruger National Park covers a vast landscape of about 20,000 square kilometres, with varied habitats such as savannas, grasslands, forests and rivers. It is home to the coveted Big Five – lions, leopards, elephants, rhinos and buffalo – as well as cheetahs, wild dogs and over 500 species of birds. The well-developed infrastructure and its extensive network of good roads provide for easy and comfortable self-drive as well as guided safaris.
While game drives (often in the early morning and late afternoon) are the most universal activity within Kruger National Park, guided bush walks provide the most intimate experience, allowing visitors to learn about the park’s ecology and spot some of the smaller wildlife species of this incredible reserve. A plethora of bird species also inhabit the park’s abundance of diverse habitats. Other activities include photographic safaris, night drives (helping tourists discover the nocturnal wildlife species), and the park’s various archaeological sites and other cultural attractions, such as the Masorini and Thulamela ruined sites.
The Kgalagadi Transfrontier Park, situated in the Kalahari Desert in South Africa and Botswana, is a truly unique and remote safari destination. Known for its crimson sand dunes, sparsely vegetated plains, and numerous large predators, this is a spectacular park with a diverse range of adapted wildlife species including oryx, springbok, meerkats and most memorably, carnivores such as lions, cheetahs and leopards. The cracked clay pans and thin vegetation of the river beds, grasslands and dune veldts are bleak, haunting and beautiful and the park’s iconic wildlife make it an unforgettable safari destination in southern Africa.
The main activity in Kgalagadi Transfrontier Park is taking game drives along its network of roads to see its characteristic wildlife species. Drives to dry riverbeds and waterholes, which can become very productive areas and hot spots for wildlife, are popular in the dry season when wildlife is concentrated around the few available water sources in the desert. Nature walks offer the opportunity to experience the park on foot and to learn about the ecology and spot small wildlife species. Birdwatching, stargazing, and visits to the nearby San communities to learn about their traditional lifestyle in the Kalahari Desert round off the activities.
The Okavango Delta in northwestern Botswana is one of the most wild and pristine freshwater wetland systems in the world. The internal drainage basin, fed by the Okavango River in Angola, disappears into the sand of the Kalahari Desert, spreading out into a labyrinth of channels, lagoons and islands. The Okavango supports the world’s highest population densities for elephants, lions, leopards, wild dogs and more than 400 species of birds, making it one of the best places on Earth for wildlife-viewing and birdwatching.
The main activity is the always-popular game drive, during which visitors explore the road and track network of the Okavango in search of its many wildiife species. Mokoro (traditional canoe) trips carved by the delta’s waterways and wildlife is another popular activity there. You can take a silent tour through its countless channels and lagoons, spotting animals on the banks as you go. Guided nature walks on its islands give you an insight into the ecology of the delta and a chance to spot some of the smaller wildlife species. There are also birdwalking, fishing, and hot air balloon safaris that fly over the delta’s extraordinary topography.
Chobe National Park in northeastern Botswana is renowned for its large elephant population and beautiful riverfront vistas. Home to at least 120,000 elephants – one of the highest elephant densities in Africa – the park’s diverse habitats of African savannas, grasslands and forests, along with wetlands, support a rich array of other mammal, reptile and bird species, including lions, leopards, buffalo, African wild dogs and more than 450 species of birds. The park’s unique location on the Chobe River offers unique aquatic wildlife‑viewing and birdwatching experiences.
Game drives are the main activity in Chobe National Park, where visitors drive around within the park’s network of roads trying to spot any one of its various wildlife species. Boat safaris (across the Chobe River to the Kasane side) have also become popular, where tourists can view the park’s aquatic wildlife – elephants, hippos, crocodiles and numerous species of waterbirds on the open river. Guided nature walks in open areas allow visitors to venture into the park on foot, exploring its various habitats, and getting an understanding of its ecology and spotting the smaller wildlife species. Other activities include birdwatching, photographic safaris as well as cultural visits to traditional living villages where tourists learn about the local customs and way of life.
South Luangwa National Park in eastern Zambia is renowned for both its leopard density and its walking safaris. This is a wild and varied place, ranging from the wide meandering Luangwa River to mopane woodlands and broad swathes of temporary grasslands and ‘bush’. Some 60 different species of mammal regularly occur here, including lion, elephant, wild dog and over 400 species of bird. The park is ultimately best known for its leopards; the combination of the South Luangwa’s open habitat and its high density of prey makes it one of the finest places in Africa to spot these elusive cats.
Another popular activity in the park is game drives, where travellers traverse the park’s network of roads in search of the diverse wildlife species it boasts. Walking safari, a distinctive attraction of South Luangwa, offers visitors an immersion in the landscapes there, traversing the park’s wildernesses with a knowledgeable guide and armed scout in tow. Night drives are also available, often culminating in the glimpsing of nocturnal wildlife species (including genets, civets and bushbabies). Birdwatching, photographic safaris, and learning about the local culture as part of a village or ‘field’ tour comprise the list of other immersive activities available.
Lower Zambezi National Park is a scenic and isolated safari destination along the Zambezi River in southeastern Zambia. The safari park stands out thanks to its riverfront scenery and rich wildlife. The proximity to the river offers exclusive wildlife viewing experiences, including canoeing and boat safaris. The area around Lower Zambezi is famous for its biodiversity and water-based wildlife watching. There are large populations (up to 20,000) of elephants, lions and leopards, as well as over 300 bird species found in and around the national park. The region has several good lodges and offers great options for experienced birdwatchers.
Game drives along the network of park roads are popular activities in the Lower Zambezi National Park, as are river trips. Canoeing safaris on the River Zambezi are a popular way to see the diverse wildlife species that can be spotted lumbering up the riverbanks or going about their business in the river channels. The use of silent craft allows the canoeists to get so much closer to the wildlife than other modes of transport and, as with all safaris, the serenity of the savannah environment and its style of natural wildlife photographic opportunities are goosebump-ning. Guided nature walks offer a chance to experience the landscapes on foot, while guides provide a knowledgeable perspective on the park’s ecology and its smaller wildlife species. Fishing and river cruises at sunset offer other opportunities to witness the incredible colours of the river in the fading light.
Hwange National Park in western Zimbabwe is the country’s largest national park and the premier wildlife-viewing destination. It has a mosaic of habitats, from the Kalahari sands in the south to the mopane woodlands in the north. The park has more than a third of the wildlife species found in all of Africa, and enormous herds of elephant, lion, leopard, and more than 400 kinds of birds.
We recently went on a 6-day safari with Wild Whispers Africa and had an amazing experience. Our tour guide, Edmund, was very knowledgeable, supportive, and always in a good mood.… read more
I had a fabulous vacation with Wild Whispers Africa – did 6 days of safari, chimps tracking and gorilla tracking. First of all they are incredibly organized and Racheal answered… read more
I used Wild Whispers to help coordinate and book my gorilla trekking adventure for myself and two friends. Rachael was incredibly helpful and quick to respond to any and all… read more
We (three sisters (age 36-52) and our mother (79 yo)) had a great experience travelling with Wild Whispers in Uganda! Our guide, Jacob, took excellent care of us through… read more
Wild Whispers Africa Safaris
Uganda, East Africa
Mob: +256753299565
Tel: +256 312107945
Plot 19 Bukoto Road , Kampala Uganda
Email: info [at] wildwhispersafrica.com
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