Big Five Safari Tours
We have curated the best Big five tours featuring some of the best wildlife safari destinations in Africa. The good thing about these tours is that they do not need you to visit Africa during specific safari periods because the big 5 wildlife can be seen almost everywhere and is not limited to one destination like the Masai Mara.
We also allow room for you to fully customize your safari trip according to your desires and wishes. Being a private safari, this allows you exclusive use of the safari vehicle, ensuring not only comfort but also the added advantage of game viewing.
Use the provided links below to find the best big five safari trips, family-friendly vacations, romantic honeymoon safari packages, exciting Africa safaris and affordable holidays. Remember, all our itineraries are totally flexible and can be changed to suit you.
Search Through 20+ Big Five Tours & 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.
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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.
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Inclusion This package covers Accommodation, Daily Meals, Park Entry Fees & Local Transfers to ensure a worry-free trip.
Planning the Best Destination for Big Five Safari
If you’re planning a safari holiday, featured on your itinerary is the Big Five safari experience. From the challenge of spotting them or just the hype surrounding their existence, these fascinating animals provide intriguing facts and superb wildlife photography expeditions. There is that one particular moment on safari when everything becomes still, the vehicle stops, the guide focuses, and in the distance, movement reveals one of Africa’s most iconic creatures. That single thrilling moment is exactly what we shall be focusing on – the chance to witness Africa’s Big Five in action in the raw wilderness.
Notably, the Lion, leopard, elephant, rhino and Cape buffalo — makes up the Big Five – the most sought-after animals to encounter on an African safari holiday. While some are widespread, others, such as rhino, are dwindling in numbers and often require local know-how to find. Deciding on the best safari destination can be quite the task, even if you’ve experienced one before. It can be difficult to choose between, say, Kenya and Tanzania, Uganda, or Rwanda and South Africa. To help you make the right choice, our big 5 specialists have curated where to have the best experiences when it comes to Big Five safaris.
Plan A Big Five Safari In Kenya
If you are planning a first-time safari to Africa, Kenya remains one of the most accessible and deeply rewarding destinations to see Africa’s Big Five wildlife. Every year, Kenya has answered that safari call with one of the greatest natural shows on earth – the annual migration of hundreds of thousands of wildebeest and zebra crossing the Masai Mara’s rolling grasslands and wooded savanna. Kenya is also the original birthplace for East African safaris, a rewarding safari country ripe with adventures, wealth of wildlife, cultures, and dramatic scenery, Kenya remains one of the most popular safari destinations.
Maasai Mara Big 5 Holidays
The Maasai Mara, or ‘The Mara’ as known by locals, is one of the world’s most famous game reserves in Kenya. Covering an area of 1,500 square kilometers, the Maasai Mara hosts one of the largest concentrations of animals anywhere in the world. The Maasai Mara Park is a world-renowned wildlife reserve and ranks amongst the top destinations for Africa’s Big Five journeys. Lions are frequently seen across the open savannah, while leopards rest along riverbed trees. Large elephant herds cross the plains daily, buffalo gather in massive defensive blocks, and endangered rhinos are seen occasionally within the reserve’s boundaries. Elsewhere, the reserve’s high wildlife density is further better during the annual Great Migration River crossings.
Amboseli Big Five Safari Tours
Amboseli National Park is a compact safari destination in Kenya delivering yet another outstanding wildlife experience and visual drama that no other park in the region replicates. The parks flat, open terrain means you can observe the full behavior of large elephant herds without vegetation blocking your views. A single game drive in Amboseli often delivers what takes multiple days in denser parks. This Kenya national park consists of five different habitats: open plains, acacia woodland, thorn scrub, swamps, and marshlands, where a variety of animals meander. The swamps in the middle of the park are a must-visit; here you’ll see hippos bobbing around, numerous birds fluttering about, many herbivores coming to drink, and elephants taking baths. Amboseli’s elephant families are among the most studied populations of the Big Five in the world — the Amboseli Elephant Research Project has tracked individual elephants continuously since 1972, making these animals among the most documented in Africa. Amboseli offers excellent views of elephants, lions, hyenas, cape buffaloes and flamingoes seen trundling across the savannah plains of the park with the magnificent back drop of a snow-capped Mountain Kilimanjaro perfect for wildlife photographic safaris in Kenya.
Tsavo Big 5 Safari Trips
Tsavo national park is the largest national park in Kenya, and oldest Kenya safari destinations and one of the best destinations to see the big five in Kenya. Tsavo national park is made up of two parks, namely Tsavo East national park and Tsavo West national park situated in South-West region of Kenya. These two nationals are one of the world’s largest game sanctuaries covering an area of 22,000 square kilometers combined.
Lake Nakuru Big Five Journeys
Lake Nakuru Park is yet another Kenyan park full of beauty and rich biodiversity. Lake Nakuru is one of Kenya’s most important refuges for members of the Big Five animals specifically (both black and white rhinoceroses), making it an exceptional destination for travelers hoping to see these magnificent animals up close. Featured on almost all Kenya safari itineraries – unlike Kenya’s wide-open savannahs, Lake Nakuru National Park offers an intimate safari experience shaped by water, woodlands, and volcanic ridges. Here, wildlife gathers around the alkaline lake, making sightings both plentiful and varied. Endangered black and white rhinos roam the plains, Rothschild’s giraffes stride gracefully through fever-tree forests, and lions often retreat to the branches of acacias for shade. For travelers seeking vibrant birdlife, diverse habitats, and lush Rift Valley scenery, Lake Nakuru National Park is a sanctuary of exceptional beauty and ecological richness.
What to Expect on a Tanzania Big Five Tour
Planning an East African safari tour is an entry into one of the world’s most spectacular wildlife arenas. Kenya and Tanzania boast vast savannahs, dramatic geographic wonders, and unparalleled biodiversity. Crucially, these neighboring countries offer your absolute best chance to see the legendary Big Five animals in Kenya and Tanzania: the African lion, leopard, African elephant, rhinoceros, and Cape buffalo. Whether you are mapping out your first Tanzania big five tour ,game drives or returning to the bush, knowing where to spot these creatures maximizes your overall African safari experience.
Serengeti Big Five Safaris
Translated from the Maa language as ‘the land that moves on forever’, the Serengeti’s vast rolling grasslands and golden savannah give travelers a soul-stirring sense of space. Most famous for supporting millions of wildebeest, there are also sizable populations of zebra, buffalo, elephant and giraffe, and myriad gazelle and antelope species, and where there are plains game aplenty, predators of the Big Five like lion, leopard, cheetah, hyena and African wild dogs are sure to follow. In short, it’s a vast wilderness where nature reigns supreme and the cycle of life plays out in all its breathtaking.
The Serengeti Great Migration safari sets the stage for the greatest wildlife show on earth, bringing crowds of antelope and zebra face-to-face with the Serengeti’s impressive array of large Big Five predators in action. The main reason for travelling to Serengeti National Park is to see wildlife in a vast unspoilt natural environment. Witness up close from Africa’s iconic Big 5, endless herds of wildebeest and zebra, hundreds of bird species, too much smaller creatures, such as the ever-charming dung beetle.
Ngorongoro Big Five Safari Sightings
The Ngorongoro crater floor – with a radius of 260 square kilometers – is the main attraction, home to abundant wildlife and beautiful nature views. Open grasslands make up most of the crater floor here, Elephants, lions, leopards, buffaloes, and critically endangered black rhinos are all found here, making Ngorongoro a Big Five destination, other wild animals like zebras, warthogs, and wildebeest wander freely making it a prime area to witness interactions between predators and their prey. Besides lions and leopards, other predators that hunt these grounds include hyenas and cheetahs.
The path into the volcano’s mouth leads over the crater rim. From up there, a breathtaking view opens into a large arena. Below, high and short grasslands dominate the big area. They are perfect food for zebras, wildebeest, eland and other antelopes. Some lakes and wetlands decorate the scenery. The waters of the Ngorongoro crater provide a comfortable habitat for hippos, and other animals like buffaloes, rhinos, and elephants who often pay a visit to cool off or have a drink. In addition, a variety of vividly colored birds such as flamingos and pelicans can be seen around while searching for food. This diverse range of animal species and their high population density makes Ngorongoro crater one of the top destinations in Tanzania to spot the celebrated Big Five animals.
Tarangire Big 5 Tours
Best known for its large elephant herds and tree-climbing lions, Tarangire joins the list of the best places to see the Big Five wildlife. Tarangire National Park’s wonderfully varied landscapes — rocky outcrops, rolling hills, golden savannah generously strewn with acacias and the park’s trademark baobabs — are home to just about all the African headliner wildlife including large and robust elephant population, a good number of tree-climbing lions, the fringe-eared oryx and the long-necked gerenuk – in addition supporting 550 species of birdlife species – it’s a fabulous destination for bird watchers.
Where To See Rwanda’s Big Five Safari Wildlife
Rwanda as known might be a tiny, landlocked country – and yet still the best destination to see mountain gorillas in their natural habitat. Rwanda National Parks offers good Big Five safari experiences, thanks to conservation efforts, Akagera National Park has successfully reintroduced lions and rhinoceroses, making Rwanda a genuine Big Five safari destination in East Africa. Rwanda, as a country, has a lot to offer its visitors, especially when it comes to cultural tourism. There is a lot for tourists to do on a visit to any national park in the country from gorilla trekking adventures to wildlife safaris, you’re sure to have a great time.
The Big 5 In Akagera National Park
The big five animals in Akagera National Park include lions, rhinos, elephants, rhinos, and buffaloes – all these are seen in Akagera park which is extremely interesting. Aside from the Big Five, the park provides excellent general wildlife watching, with Maasai giraffe, Burchell’s zebra, warthog, olive baboon, vervet monkey, and 11 species of antelope often spotted during game drives. The lakes of Akagera, which are easily explored by boat, are home to a variety of waterbirds, including the renowned shoebill. Rwanda is now a Big Five destination, with all five species found in Akagera National Park, the country’s only savannah location.
In addition to the Big 5, Rwanda has long been known as a Mountain Gorilla trekking destination in Africa. For travelers wishing to do a combination of the two – Mountain Gorilla safaris and wildlife safaris you need not to travel further to see the African Big Five. Akagera has had a remarkable restoration over the last few decades. Remnants of its past, involving rampant poaching and high wildlife-community conflict, have been largely eliminated. Reintroduction programmes that included lion, black rhino, and the revival of other species have resulted in exceptional numbers of games.
South Africa Big Five Safari Holidays
Planning a safari in Africa has become closely associated with seeing the Big Five wildlife. The popular term ‘Big Five’ originated in the early days of game hunting. Lion, leopard, elephant, buffalo and rhino were the most dangerous animals to hunt and were therefore considered the most valuable trophies. Today, most visitors are armed with cameras, the Big Five are still the most exciting encounter on any African safari. Below are some of the best places to see the Big Five in Africa. South Africa’s allure extends far beyond its wildlife. From the rolling vineyards of the Cape Winelands, where world-class wines await, to the Drakensberg Mountains’ dramatic cliffs and the Wild Coast’s untouched luxury beaches, this country is a tapestry of natural wonders begging to be explored.
The Big Five In Kruger National Park
Kruger National Park is widely regarded as South Africa’s best Big Five destination and one of the top Big Five parks in Africa. All five species — lion, leopard, elephant, rhino, and buffalo — are abundant and seen regularly by visitors. Kruger Park, sized 19,485 km² provides different ecological zones that favour different wildlife species, making strategic planning essential for maximum sighting success. Kruger’s main habitat is woodland savannah. The vegetation is relatively thick throughout, especially during the Wet season. The park is in South Africa and holds more than just the Big Five and is a great place to go if you’re a first-time safari traveler. Not only will you cross the paths of the gentle giant elephants, or the majestic big cats, but also encounter culture and city tours.
Places To See Uganda’s Big Five Safari
A Big 5 safari in Uganda lets you see the classic “Big Five” animals: the African elephant, lion, leopard, buffalo, and rhino. Key locations include Murchison Falls National Park and Queen Elizabeth National Park for the first four, while Ziwa Rhino Sanctuary is the primary place to see rhinos. Many Uganda tours also combine well with other Uganda safari experiences, such as gorilla trekking in Bwindi Impenetrable Forest, and Chimp trekking in Kibale Park.
Generally, a Uganda Big 5 safari is possible and a great wildlife experience for wild animal enthusiasts. Mostly visited as one of the best gorilla trekking locations in Africa, as for wildlife enthusiasts Uganda is also a great choice.
Notably, a Uganda Big five safari cannot be undertaken in one single park since the southern white rhino got extinct in the country back in the 1980’s. However, the rhinos were reintroduced back in the country and bred in the Ziwa Rhino Sanctuary where they can be seen.
Elsewhere, the Big Four can be seen in three Uganda National Parks which are Queen Elizabeth National Park, Murchison Falls National Park and Kidepo Valley National Park in the far north eastern part of Uganda.
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.
