The African lion
Lions are the only social members of the cat family. Living in prides, related females and their cubs make up the majority of the family. A single male or sometimes two to three males, will join the pride for up to three years until challenged and ousted by another male. Females typically do the hunting, working in teams to stalk and ambush prey, often at night. Lions are territorial. A lion can leap as far as 35 feet (over 10m) and can run for short distances at 50 miles (80 km) per hour. Lions can be seen on most of our tours, but for large prides and frequent sightings, follow these links:
Ngorongoro Crater is famous for its large black maned lions
Mombo concession, Botswana’s Okavango Delta
Botswana - Savuti channel, Linyanti Concession and Chobe National Park

Leopard (endangered)
Leopards are nocturnal, resting up in thick brush and in trees during the day. They are solitary, preferring to live alone, meeting only briefly to mate. 1 to 6 kittens are born following a 90-105 day gestation. The young will stay with their mother for 18-24 months. Female leopards will leave young cubs alone when hunting, sometimes for extended periods. Cubs will take refuge up a tree if threatened by hyena on the prowl. Leopards are agile, able to leap more than 20 feet (6 m). For the opportunity of great leopard sightings, visit a private safari lodge in the Sabi Sand Private Game Reserve, greater Kruger National Park, South Africa.
Read more about South Africa

Cheetah (endangered)
The cheetah is the fastest land animal in the world, capable of short bursts of speed up to 70 miles per hour (over 110 Km/hr). A marvel of evolution, the cheetah’s slender, long-legged body is built for speed. It is among the largest of the African cats. It can be recognized by its spotted coat, small head and ears and distinctive “tear stripes” from the inner corner of each eye to the side of its nose.
Cheetah can be seen at many of our safari destinations. For great opportunities to view cheetah visit:
Mombo concession, Botswana’s Okavango Delta
The Serengeti National Park, Tanzania

African Wild Dog (endangered)
African wild dogs live and hunt in packs consisting of an alpha (dominant) male and female, their offspring and other related members. They are efficient hunters capable of hunting down antelope and even zebra. Their Latin name, Lycaon pictus, means "painted wolf-like animal”. They are easily recognized by their mottled brown, black and beige coats and large rounded ears. Severely endangered, they can be spotted in South Africa’s Kruger National Park, the Serengeti and the Selous Game Reserve in Tanzania, and in Botswana’s Okavango Delta and Kwando concession.
Explore:
Mombo concession, Botswana’s Okavango Delta
Kwando’s Wild Dogs of Kwando concession, Botswana
Read more about Tanzania

The Mountain Gorilla (endangered)
By far the highest on the list of endangered species, mountain gorillas number only around 600 in the wild, living in eastern Central Africa. Over half of the last surviving mountain gorillas in Africa live in Uganda’s Bwindi Impenetrable National Park. The Park has been proclaimed a UNESCO World Heritage Site, offering maximum protection to the occupants and environment. Bwindi’s population of 320 gorillas is mostly completely wild, with only 57 habituated to humans. To ensure minimal disruption to both gorillas and environment, a restriction of only 6 visitors per day is imposed on tracking the habituated gorillas. Visit:
The Great Apes of Bwindo Impenetrable National Park

The African elephant
Elephant family units consist of an older matriarch and a number of her female offspring and their young. Females carry their young for almost 2 years and may give birth every 3-4 years. The matriarchal herds are tight social units, but males are ousted from the herds when they reach adolescence, around 12 to 15 years of age. Males may lead solitary adult lives, but may also join loosely-knit bachelor herds on a temporary basis, led by an older male. African elephants in some regions are recovering well from the terrible poaching frenzy during the 1970’s and 80’s. Our tour destinations offer ample opportunity to view these magnificent beasts, from the desert elephants of Namibia to the herds of the Masai Mara. For truly impressive sightings, we suggest you explore:
Kenya – Amboseli’s large-tusked elephants and the snow-capped backdrop of Kilimanjaro
The Elephants of Chobe – Botswana

Wildebeest and zebra
Common throughout the safari regions of Southern and East Africa, the African Wildebeest (Gnu) has a special role to play in the Serengeti eco system of Tanzania and Kenya. The wildebeest herds form into great columns as they move across the plains of the Serengeti, in search of fresh grazing and water. Described as “armies without generals”, no leaders of the herds are apparent during this phenomenon. A million wildebeest and a half-million zebra and gazelle will trek over 1,200 miles (2,000 km) during their annual quest for nourishment and survival. For more information on where to find these countless herds during their annual migration, visit:
The Great Migration – Tanzania and Kenya
The Plains of the Serengeti – Tanzania
The Masai Mara – Kenya

White and black rhinoceros (endangered)
There are two species of African rhino – white and black rhino. Both species have two horns and are herbivores. White rhinos have wide square shaped lips suited to grazing on grasses; the black rhinos’ prehensile lips are an adaptation to their preference to browsing the foliage of trees and bushes. As solitary creatures, both male and female rhinos establish territories. Males mark and defend their territories. When males and females meet during courtship, they frequently fight. After mating, they go their separate ways. A single calf is born 14-18 months later. Calves will nurse for up to a year, but will start feeding on vegetation in as little as a week after birth. Rhino populations have disappeared from many regions of Africa due to poaching. To find rhino in Africa:
South Africa – for white and black rhino, visit Phinda private game reserve
Ngorongoro Crater – for black rhino
Masai Mara – for black rhino

Hippopotamus
Hippos spend much of their daylight hours in the water, emerging to feed at night. A hippo may walk a considerable distance along or even away from the river in search of grazing. In the water, their body density allows them to sink and literally walk or run along the river bed. Social groups (pods) mainly consist of females and their offspring. Adult males fight aggressively for control of the females, using their tusks (teeth) as weapons. Most adult males are covered in scars and wounds resulting from their aggressive fights. The aggressiveness of hippos has caused more deaths in the human populations sharing their real estate than any other wild animal. Hippos are common in most of the regions covered by our safari tours, but are prolific in the following locations:
Botswana – Chobe River
Luangwa National Park in Zambia
Tanzania – in the Selous game reserve