The Big 5 Safari
The term ‘Big Five’ was coined by early game hunters in Africa, often referring to a special group of wild animals that were considered the most dangerous species to hunt on foot. In an age of conservation, wildlife photographic safaris now far exceed hunting, and the expression has been adopted to refer to simply spotting these five incredible animals whilst on an African safari. The Big Five animals are lion, elephant, Cape buffalo, leopard, and rhinoceros. Spotting all five on a single safari is a goal for many first time travellers – and with the right planning, you can certainly maximise your chances. A Big Five safari in Africa offers the chance to encounter some of the continent’s most iconic wildlife.
The Lion, often sleeping through the daylight hours, are most active at night and are frequently heard roaring through the darkness. African elephant, the largest land mammal, have a matriarchal hierarchy and pass knowledge down from generation to generation. Watching a hungry elephant topple a gigantic tree is a riveting sight. Rhino, resembling prehistoric creatures, can be aggressive, especially black rhino, but are always a privilege to encounter in the wild. On the list are the masters of disguise, the elusive and magnificent leopard is a special sighting and often high on an enthusiast’s wish list. Buffalo, can be extremely ill-tempered and dangerous and are always given a very wide berth when encountered on foot.
Whilst big-game hunting has been largely thrown out to history, unfortunately poaching has taken its place and it’s the rhino that has suffered as a result. However, there are several places in Africa where you’ll have the opportunity to see the Big Five animals. There are a good number of places in Kenya where rhino populations are still strong and can be seen daily. The north of Kenya, most notably Lake Nakuru, Ol Pejeta Conservancy and the Lewa Wilderness Conservancy, rhino can still be seen. In fact Kenya is the best place in East Africa where you can see hundreds of Rhino’s.
Elsewhere, Tanzania is home to some of the world’s most extraordinary wildlife safari experiences, from the Great Migration safari in the Serengeti to the ancient wonders of the Ngorongoro Crater. Every big 5 safari we design is tailor-made to your interests, pace, and travel style. Whether you’re planning a romantic honeymoon holiday, family safari adventure, or group expedition, we take care of every detail, so you can relax and enjoy the journey. A trip to South Africa not only shows you the country’s eclectic cultural mix and widely varied landscapes but has some of the most renowned game viewing. Though the term big five safari in Rwanda is still new, most people visit Rwanda to go gorilla trekking in Volcanoes National Park, but surprisingly the country has much more to offer for travellers who want to add a Big Five safari experience to their journey.
Search Through 20+ Big Five Holidays & Itinerary Ideas
Then customize yours with an expert. Our listed big 5 safari tours are chosen to not only inspire but also enlighten you – showing you how top African safari destinations can work together in an itinerary. When it comes to planning Big 5 journeys to Africa, we’re tailor-made travel specialists. An African Safari Expert will customize your vacation, shaping it around your individual wants and preferences. No time to browse? Get in touch with a African Safaris Expert to plan a tailor-made tour around your interests, wishes and budget
8-Days Kenya Safari and Beach Holiday
per person
$1.00-
Experience Optional Activities Hot Air Balloon Rides, Sundowners, Night-Time Game Drives with this premium package.
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Inclusion This package covers Accommodation, Daily Meals, Park Entry Fees & Local Transfers to ensure a worry-free trip.
6-Day Fly-In Safari Kenya
per person
$1.00-
Experience Optional Activities Hot Air Balloon Rides, Sundowners, Night-Time Game Drives with this premium package.
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Inclusion This package covers Accommodation, Daily Meals, Park Entry Fees & Local Transfers to ensure a worry-free trip.
10-Day Best of Kenya and Tanzania Safari
per person
$1.00-
Experience Optional Activities Hot Air Balloon Rides, Sundowners, Night-Time Game Drives with this premium package.
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Inclusion This package covers Accommodation, Daily Meals, Park Entry Fees & Local Transfers to ensure a worry-free trip.
12-Day Kenya and Tanzania Africa Safari
per person
$1.00-
Experience Optional Activities Hot Air Balloon Rides, Sundowners, Night-Time Game Drives with this premium package.
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Inclusion This package covers Accommodation, Daily Meals, Park Entry Fees & Local Transfers to ensure a worry-free trip.
10-Day Tanzania Safari
per person
$1.00-
Experience Optional Activities Hot Air Balloon Rides, Sundowners, Night-Time Game Drives with this premium package.
-
Inclusion This package covers Accommodation, Daily Meals, Park Entry Fees & Local Transfers to ensure a worry-free trip.
7-Day Kenya Safari Adventure
per person
$1.00-
Experience Optional Activities Hot Air Balloon Rides, Sundowners, Night-Time Game Drives with this premium package.
-
Inclusion This package covers Accommodation, Daily Meals, Park Entry Fees & Local Transfers to ensure a worry-free trip.
Tips On Planning a Big 5 Safari In Africa
We assure you that few experiences compare to the excitement of witnessing Africa’s most iconic wildlife—the Big 5 raw, undisturbed in their natural setting. These animals—lion, elephant, rhino, buffalo, and leopard—are now a must-see for any traveler taking up wildlife journeys to Africa. Of course, this poses the question of where the best places to see the Big 5 in Africa are, but before that, consider the following tips.
1. Choosing Malaria-Free Big 5 Destinations
Many of our classic Big 5 safari destinations lie within Africa’s malarial belt and although the risk is often minimal or seasonal, you are strongly advised to work with your safari expert as well as your home medical practitioner or doctor to identify the severity of the risk plus what steps and what medication to take to avoid contracting the disease.
2. Selecting The Best Time to Go for A Big 5 Safari
Africa’s safari seasons have a huge impact on the movement, behaviour and concentrations of animals – including the Big 5 animals – and it pays to know where to go and at what time of year. The most recommended game sightings are traditionally during the destination’s dry season when the vegetation has thinned out, and many animals are concentrated around permanent water sources. It’s also a comfortable time to travel – dry weather, cool nights and warm. Elsewhere, during the wet season, it’s a rewarding time for the birding safari travellers with plenty of migratory birds arriving from different parts of the world.
3. Safety Tips On a Big 5 Safari
The Big 5 are traditionally regarded as most dangerous animals in Africa but that’s from a hunter’s perspective – as a visitor armed with nothing more dangerous than a camera and seated in a sturdy 4X4 with a professional guide and professional big 5 specialist, the risk posed by encounters with the Big 5 is absolutely minimal to zero threat, as your safety is 100% priority.
Choosing The Right Destination for Your Big Five Safari
Choosing where to see the Big 5 on safari will play an important role in your overall trip experience. The fact that the Big 5 can be found across various destinations, not all parks are equal. Luckily, lions, elephants, leopards and Cape buffalos are a relatively common sight in the Masai Mara. Rhinos do occur but are notoriously difficult to spot. In addition to the ‘Big Five’, the Masai Mara is home to an extraordinary variety of interesting animals.
South Africa’s Kruger National Park and its private reserves like Sabi Sands offer some of the best opportunities for spotting all five in one trip. Meanwhile, top safari destinations like Tanzania’s Ngorongoro Crater offer almost guaranteed sightings. The Serengeti National Park also offers plenty when it comes to wildlife sightings – we can assure you won’t be disappointed one bit. Neighboring Rwanda has the Big 5 in Akagera National Park – acting as one of the biggest attractions in Rwanda besides popular silverback gorilla trekking expeditions – Rwanda is truly the Land of a Thousand Hills.
Most Popular Big Five Safari Tours
Does the call of the wild excite your spirit? Or seeing nature’s most majestic creatures in their natural habitat thrills your soul? If yes, then taking African safari tours in Kenya, Uganda, Tanzania, Rwanda and South Africa should top your travel bucket list – below are experiences not to be missed when planning your trip.
1.Kenya Big 5 Safari Tours
Kenya is known as the birth place of African safaris, offering an unrivalled opportunity to see the famed Big Five i.e. lions, elephants, rhinos, leopards, and buffaloes. The safari tours allow you to enjoy the warmth of African hospitality against the backdrop of breathtaking landscapes. Planning your perfect Big Five safari vacation requires you to choose the right destinations, timing, and experiences that make your journey unforgettable.
2. Maasai Mara Big 5 Safaris
The Mara Game Reserve, as it was originally known is one of the best-known wildlife areas in Africa, home to healthy big cat populations and an abundance of plains game, yearly welcoming the arrival of millions of wildebeest during the Great Migration Crossings. Visit at any time and you have a good chance of seeing lion, elephant, cheetah, Masai giraffe and buffalo, as well as varied birdlife, hippo and crocodiles along the rivers.
There’s a reason the Masai Mara National Park is so well known and popular with visitors. Point a camera and in one shot you might capture dazzles of zebra and a scattering of impala, wildebeest and gazelles, elephant marching in a line and lanky giraffe nibbling the acacia trees, all against a backdrop of distant hills and vast open plains. During the Great Migration tours, you can focus your game drives along the Mara River, where, as well as river crossings, you have a good chance of seeing big cat predators picking off the weakest of the herds. It’s worth noting that the reserve gets very busy during these months and river crossings are near-impossible to predict, requiring huge amounts of patience.
3. Lake Nakuru Big 5 Tours
Lake Nakuru in Kenya boasts an abundance of wildlife and spectacular landscapes. Think black and white rhinos, lions, leopards, cheetahs and hippo occupying euphorbia forests, acacia woodlands, savannah grasslands and rocky escarpments around a shallow, alkaline lake. Flamingos may not be as abundant as they once were, but a safari at Lake Nakuru still delivers some of the best wildlife viewing in Kenya. The richness of wildlife in the park lends itself to incredible Kenya photographic opportunities from captivating landscapes to emotive wildlife portraits. Because of its compact size, here you are guaranteed of close-up wildlife encounters – just one of the reasons why nature lovers visit Lake Nakuru National Park.
4. Amboseli Big 5 Safari Encounters
Formerly known as Maasai Amboseli Game Reserve, the now Amboseli National Park is not only famed for its large herds of elephants and being home to four of Africa’s iconic Big 5, but it was also declared as part of the Amboseli UNESCO-MAB Biosphere Reserve in 1991. Located south-east of the capital, Nairobi, Amboseli is the perfect place for a first time Kenya safari experience.
5. Samburu Big 5 Safaris
Samburu National Reserve is where Kenya’s Northern Frontier reveals its raw, unfiltered beauty. This arid landscape—etched with volcanic hills, red-dust plains, and the lifeline of the Ewaso Ng’iro River—feels rugged yet quietly majestic. Far from the busy southern parks, Samburu offers an authentic, intimate private safari experience where silence, space, and wildness still dominate. What makes Samburu special is its rare Special Five wildlife found here: the endangered Grevy’s zebra, reticulated giraffe, Beisa oryx, gerenuk, and Somali ostrich. These dry-country specialists give the park a unique identity found nowhere else in Kenya. Add to that the area’s strong predator presence—lion prides, elusive leopards, and even packs of wild dogs—and Samburu quickly proves itself as a true wildlife hotspot.
For travellers seeking a safari that’s raw, rare, and refreshingly uncrowded, Samburu stands out as one of Kenya’s most rewarding destinations. Come for the predators, stay for the Special Five, and leave with the memory of landscapes that burn with beauty in the last light of day. Late afternoons are pure magic here. As the sun drops, the red dust ignites with golden light, animals silhouette against copper skies, and the rugged terrain softens into a photographer’s dream. Along the riverbanks, elephant herds, buffalo, and countless bird species gather in a serene contrast to the harsh, open plains.
Related
Kenya constantly ranks as one of best places to go on safari in Africa. Our knowledgeable Africa travel team is here to create your safari itineraries, tailored to your dream holiday and destinations. If you’re planning a first-time safari in Kenya, we are ready to assist you during every step of your journey, from the exciting process of itinerary planning to support throughout your trip and keep in touch once you have returned home.
Explore More Safari Destinations
Kenya constantly ranks as one of best places to go on safari in Africa. Our knowledgeable Africa travel team is here to create your safari itineraries, tailored to your dream holiday and destinations. If you’re planning a first-time safari in Kenya, we are ready to assist you during every step of your journey, from the exciting process of itinerary planning to support throughout your trip and keep in touch once you have returned home.
