Best places to see wildlife spectacles in Africa

The Great Wildebeest Migration is one of nature’s biggest wildlife events; a never-ending movement of 1.5 million wildebeest, plus zebra, gazelle and eland, which circles the vast Serengeti-Mara ecosystem in Tanzania and Kenya, chasing the rains in a constant search for food. The journey is loaded with risk as the legendary Serengeti lions – some 3,000 of them – lie in wait, along with leopards, cheetahs and hungry hyenas. It reaches its riotous crescendo when the mega herds cross the Mara River, usually in July and August, where enormous crocodiles lurk. Around 10,000 wildebeest can cross in a single day, but 100,000 have been recorded. Quite a sight.

The Chobe River, which flows through Chobe National Park in Botswana, supports the largest concentration of elephants anywhere in Africa. During the dry winter months from June through to October, you can watch huge herds that sometimes exceed 100 elephants, head to its shores, to drink, wallow and take a dust bath. In addition, there are vast quantities of zebra and buffalo here. If you choose a safari vacation that includes wild camping, you will be treated to the electrifying experience of hundreds of animals pouring past your tent in the twilight as they head for the river. As the light fades, the chorus of buffalo moos, zebra whinnies and elephant trumpets continue, followed by the splash of hooves in water as they cross the Chobe River.

Traveling to Africa is never a budget option and you’re best off allowing two weeks to take in its landscapes and wildlife, and also catch one of its great wildlife spectacles. Joining an organised tour is easiest way to travel, with all transport, park permits and accommodation included, plus the expertise of local naturalist guides.

The elephant herds of Chobe in Botswana feature on many standard safari itineraries, with the dry winter months the best time to see mega herds. The Great Migration is at its most dramatic in July and August when the wildebeest travel from the Serengeti to the Masai Mara, crossing the treacherous Mara River. Since the herds are always on the move, you can also catch the Migration in the southern Serengeti in March, as it begins to move north, or in December as it circles back south after feeding in Kenya.

If you’d like to see Zambia’s bat or wildebeest migration you’ll need to join a specialist trip, with the latter involving true expedition travel over three weeks, since Liuwa Plains where the wildebeest congregate is so remote.

Geladas are present in the Simien Mountains of Ethiopia all year, but the best time to go from a traveler’s perspective is November to March, when there’s little rain and long hours of sunlight.