Lion safaris are easily among the most popular of all the African safaris, and the chance to see these amazing creatures in the wild is surely hard to pass up. The first time you see a lion in the bush, you realize just how awesome they are. If you should see one or more engaged in a hunt, it becomes quickly evident how fast and strong they are. Since there is more than one country where you can book a lion safari in Africa, you might be hard pressed to pick a favorite, but there are some places more highly touted than others. Regardless of which lion safari park you visit, the experience is bound to impress, and chances are good that you will never forget the experience. African lion safaris can last just one day or span more than a week, and often times, you’ll see much more than just lions, as most African game reserves are overflowing with different species.
Kenya is one of the best countries for African lion
safaris, and really, the safaris
in Kenya cover such a vast range of possibilities
that it’s pretty easy to find the right one for
you. While there are a few different places where you
can enjoy lion safaris in Kenya, the best would have to
be Masai Mara, which is
a national park and game reserve. You are pretty much
guaranteed to see African lions here, and since some of
the prides (lion groups) live practically in the open,
it’s usually not hard to find them. Across the Tanzania
border from Kenya, the Serengeti beckons those who are
craving lion safaris. The African lions are most active
in the Masai Mara and Serengeti game reserves when the
annual wildebeest migration is under way. The lion instinctively
know that they better take advantage of the feeding opportunity
associated with the great wildebeest migration, so they
are surely up and about more often than usual.
South Africa is a wonderful destination for a lion safari in Africa, with the Sabi Sands Reserve and the renowned Kruger National Park among the country’s best spots. The Sabi Sands Reserve is privately owned, and as such, there is greater freedom enjoyed by the guides. They can roam more brazenly to look for cats than guides might be able to on other lion safaris, and the guides like to keep in touch via two-way radios, sharing vital information on where these big cats are hanging out. Heading on to Namibia, we come to Etosha National Park, which is a good place for lion safaris because of the fact that many of the camps here have their own watering holes. If you wait long enough, a lion, and other animals, will come to the water hole for a drink. Sometimes the lions stake out the water holes, as they know that their prey needs to re-hydrate as well, so it’s kind of like cherry picking.
As mentioned, a lion safari park will have more than
just lions in it. Often times, those on African lion safaris
will get the opportunity to see other animals from the
“Big Five”, which besides lions, includes
elephants, rhinos,
leopards, and buffalo.
There are luxury African safaris available for those interested,
and many times it’s possible to book African family
safaris, which prove to be amazing family bonding
experiences. Tented camps, which are usually quite nice,
safari lodges, and campgrounds
are usually the accommodations on extended lion safaris,
but if you are tight on time, you can always just fly
in for a day and then fly out. With the aforementioned
safaris in Kenya, for example, it’s quite easy to
arrange them any day you want during your Kenya vacation,
and the tour companies provide all the necessaries, like
food, water, and transportation.
Many African vacation
packages feature lion safaris, and often times, these
safaris figure into a greater package plan that features
other top African highlights.
