Big five safari experiences

Of all the Kruger's wild and woolly creatures, the Big Five induces the most gasps - and with good reason! At sunrise (or as sunset approaches), depart from camp on a game drive with your expert guide to track Africa's most famous quintet. Explore the rolling savannah, lush valleys and river banks where you may spy a languid leopard on a branch, elephant splashing in the water, rhino and buffalo snuffling in the grass and a pride of lion snoozing in the shade of a fever tree.

Explore Zimbabwe’s largest national park, Hwange, on a game drive through this beautiful wilderness. The park has one of the largest populations of elephant in Africa, and some patient waiting at the large pans and waterholes ensures an encounter with big herds of these pachyderms as they come down to drink, cool off and cavort. Enjoy your time with the greatest of our 'living dinosaurs' as your guide translates their trumpets! There are also over 100 species of mammals and nearly 400 species of birds ready to be found on your safari in Hwange.

Armed with your camera and your creativity, depart from camp in the golden hour (sunrise or sunset). Your guide will lead you on a 4x4 drive to find the ultimate photo opportunities, whether it is herds gathered around waterholes, a leopard slinking into a tree after an evening of hunting or elephant marching across the savannah. Get tips on framing, angles and letting nature take the lead from photography experts, and return to camp with a reel of epic snaps! Some camps offer a specially adapted photographic vehicle to ensure you get the best shots, and a processing studio to make edits and get prints

Damaraland is a starkly beautiful place of mountains and red-rocked desert vistas. It's in this arid environment that the elephant has learned to thrive with as little as 100mm of rain each year. Join your expert guide on a 4x4 drive into the desert to track these incredible animals as they trek along the parched riverbeds between scarce water sources and feeding grounds.

Traverse the wide-open plains of Tarangire in the most classic sense - a game drive! Head out with the larks or after an afternoon siesta in a 4x4 to cruise around with binoculars firmly affixed to your eyes. Catch sight of huge herds of elephant strolling amongst the sturdy baobabs. Your guide knows all the best places to look! While the park has some pretty spectacular wildlife all year long, the Tarangire River really hits its peak during the dry season. From June to October, it becomes a beacon for creatures from miles around when vast herds of buffalo gather at its banks to drink accompanied by the ever-hungry big cats.

Bumble through this beautiful nature reserve in an open top Land Rover, as experienced guides track down cheetah, lion and rare black rhino. Game drives in Phinda are always remarkable, whether you are out on the open plains or under the cover of the magical sand forest.

Feel the crunch of the soil beneath your boots and learn to hear the tell-tale rustle of wildlife on a bush walk. Straight after breakfast set out to uncover the secrets of the Serengeti. While the specifics depend on where you are, you'll have the chance to take a microscope to the landscape. Joined by your knowledgable guide, follow a flutter of wings to see lovebirds snacking on figs, peer into an earthy warthog burrow and inspect every track you can find. You could just be following a pride of lion (who should be napping in the distance) or thirsty elephant on the way to a waterhole! Whether it's scanning acacia bark for tiny critters or staring skyward to see an eagle soaring overhead, the essence of the Serengeti is yours to experience.

With your expert guide at the helm, set out from camp as the sun just begins to spill over Tanzania and venture into the jewel-green forests and plains of the Ngorongoro Crater. Where bubbling lava once spewed over, there now lives a barely believable variety of wildlife. Don't put your binoculars down for a second as you scan the landscape for the Big Five, including the protected black rhino, majestic black-maned lion and roaming herds of elephant. The plains are awash with vast numbers of antelope and zebra, who erupt into movement when a cheetah speeds across the scene. Finish the day off with a sundowner as the Crater cools around you.

A safari in South Africa isn't complete without a game drive in the Kruger, a stomping ground of the Big Five and a plethora of other wildlife. Depart from camp as dawn breaks or in the cooler afternoon, as your guide introduces you to the wonders of the Kruger. Keep your binoculars at the ready to spot the hordes of plains game (especially in the centre of the park), hippo yawning from the river and the endangered African painted dog. Our pick for the best time to go is in the quieter months of April - May and October - November. Stop for refreshments under the limbs of a baobab before returning to camp.

The acacia-speckled plains and waving golden grass of the Serengeti may be one of the most iconic safari scenes and what better way to see it all than with a game drive? Leave as dawn breaks or in the dusky afternoon, plaster your binocs to your face and get wildlife-spotting...There's a spectacular variety to see! The Serengeti is home to every member of the Big Five so expect to see soulful elephant wandering between the trees, lions snoozing amongst the vast herds of grazing buffalo. And your guide will be there to give you all the insider info. Every piece of the Serengeti offers something unique but whether it's spying on wild dog in the south, watching rhino amble through the brush in Moru Kopjes or losing your breath at the sight of big cats in Grumeti - it promises to be epic.

Under a canvas of stars, set out from camp in a jeep to spy on the wildlife as Amboseli comes alive with a whole new cast of creatures. Even more so than the day, night time belongs to the predators. Lions slink between the trees, sniffing out hidden antelopes, and spotted hyenas howl in excitement as they look for leftovers. In the quiet of the evening, scan the brush for a pair of glowing eyes - then try and figure out if they belong to a bush baby, aardvark or even the shy civet. Your guide knows all and won't let any rustle go unnoticed!

A sprawling 14,650 square kilometres in size, there is a lot of Hwange to explore, and you'll be able to cover the most ground in a luxury Land Cruiser. Joined by your safari guide, head out through the acacia-fringed grassy plains and teak forests in search of Hwange’s big game. The most famous of which are its tuskers, who roam the park and congregate at the water-logged pans. Game drives are the best way to see the variety of wildlife and scenery in the park and they almost always yield unexpected sightings - perhaps a leopard lounging in a tree, or even a pack of rare African painted dogs scampering through the grass. You'll break the journey with an iced drink and snacks, or treat yourself to a lunch in the bush!

Perhaps the most elusive member of the Big Five, the leopard, ranks highly on most safari bucket lists and the private reserves on the western edge of Kruger are just the place to find them. Venture out on a game drive where your expert guide will take you to the known haunts of the local leopards. Although they are masters of camouflage, leopards spend their days draped over tree branches near the Kruger's coursing rivers. Keep your eyes peeled for its distinctive silhouette and swishing tail! We rate the October - November impala calving season to be the best time to do some leopard-spotting, and you may even watch in amazement as the big cat nabs their prey and drags it up a tree in a matter of seconds. Whether it's lazily snoozing under the leaves or in the heat of the hunt, seeing a leopard in the wild is unforgettable.

As South Africa's true safari darling, the Kruger is also chock-a-block with critters of the smaller variety. Chuck on your walking boots for a few hours of exploring the reserve on foot, with a seasoned guide to share the secrets of the bush with you. Spy on the plentiful birdlife in one of Africa's largest fever tree forests, examine the earthy trails for porcupine quills and honey badger tracks and spot the shiny shell of a rhino beetle. Adjust your focus to truly appreciate the finer details on this close-up walk through nature. If you're lucky, you may even see a rare and endangered pangolin! This makes a fantastic post-game drive or pre-lunch activity.

The 'greatest show on earth' is no superlative when it comes to the wildebeest migration, a year-long trek where millions cross the endless plains and rushing rivers to reach sweet grasses. Embark on a game drive that is sure to enchant, excite and overload your senses as you join the viewing party for this epic spectacle. Depending on the time of year, you may watch new life begin on the southern grasslands in February or follow the rambunctious herds on their march northwards before they return to the Serengeti in November. The circuit has no end and neither does the once-in-a-lifetime chance to see this awe-inspiring event.

Depart camp at dawn or in the late afternoon sunshine to discover the epic wildlife of Lake Manyara. With your knowledgable guide to lead the way, endless floodplains, acacia woodlands and shimmering lake reveal grazing plains game, herds of trumpeting elephant and lion draped over the branches of a mahogany tree, not to mention the clouds of pink flamingo. Stop on a grassy spot near the lake to enjoy a morning cuppa or ice-cold sundowner as incredible birdlife dips in and out of the water. As one of Tanzania's smallest and most underrated parks, Lake Manyara has one of the country's highest wildlife densities and you'll have few other safari-goers to contend with.

A vast and highly productive wildlife area, Liuwa Plains is a crucial large-carnivore conservation area. Join the researchers of the Zambian Carnivore Programme (ZCP), a non-profit team dedicated to conserving large carnivores and the ecosystems they reside in, and spend the morning tracking wild dog, cheetah, hyena and lion. Learn about the behaviours of the different species, how the various prides and packs interact, and get some interesting insights into the fantastic work the team does.

As the birds start to sing, set off to explore the Lake Manyara National Park on foot. Armed with a lifetime of knowledge, your guide will take you on a journey through grassy floodplains and lush forests where you'll spy the 'Little Five', named after their larger and more famous counterparts and track big cats, who are often found snoozing in a shady spot. Stop for a picnic of your own under the shade of an acacia before trekking on in pursuit of wildlife. Marvel at your guide's ability to sniff out a herd of elephant, learn the survival tricks of smaller creatures and stroll beside the lake, where flamingos gather in their thousands and thirsty zebra stop for a drink.

From July, millions of wildebeest crest over the plains of the Serengeti on their ever-moving circuit where the thought of fresh grasses is enough to make them plunge across the flowing Grumeti and Mara Rivers. Drive across the savannah, led by your guide with a good nose for finding the action, and watch enthralled as life and death plays out before your eyes. The wildebeest gather like a storm on the southern banks before making a mad dash across the river, Nile crocodile snapping at their heels and big cats waiting to meet them on the other side. This display of pure nerve is one of the most epic events on the African safari calendar and you can easily spend an entire day out!

A mere hop, skip and a jump from Victoria Falls is the spectacular Chobe National Park. It’s famed for magnificent elephant sightings, but there’s plenty more in the way of wildlife to spot, making for a wonderful day of game-viewing. In the morning, you’ll head for the border and meet your Botswana guide for the day. Then, it’s straight to the river for a morning boat cruise and eye-level encounters with the watery wildlife and of course, the iconic herds of elephant that line the banks. You’ll enjoy lunch in a nearby hotel before hopping on a vehicle for an afternoon game drive and (hopefully) some predator action, before returning to the border and crossing back into Zimbabwe.

The rushing Zambezi River just begs to be explored and on a scenic boating safari, you'll see it in all its glory. With a seasoned skipper at the helm, you'll get the 411 on the wildlife who reside in the water and drink on its shores. The boat is specially designed and propeller-free so you'll have no problem gliding over the rapids and meandering into the near-unaccessible coves. Keep your eyes wide open to see wallowing hippos and beady-eyed crocodile, while games plain line the river bank. In between snapping pics, enjoy light refreshments!