January WHERE:Bale Mountain National Park, Ethiopia WHY: The days are mild and perfect for trekking in search of the Simien wolf, the rarest carnivore in Africa. Most of the last 400 of them live in Bale, as do other rare species like the mountain nyala and Menelick's bushbuck. Alpine lakes, giant heaths, and bamboo forests give way to 14,130-foot Mount Batu, which
you can hike up. WHERE TO STAY: The former barracks at Dinsho are basic but comfortable. CONTACT: Experience Ethiopia Travel, 011-251-1-519291, http://www.telecom.net.et/eet
WHERE:Skeleton Coast Park, Namibia WHY: Tens of thousands of Cape fur seals are massing on the long, shipwreck-littered shoreline, where you'll often find brown hyenas and jackals. Across some massive dunes you can view oryx, gemsbok, cheetahs, and the rare desert elephant. WHERE TO STAY: The ten-bed Skeleton Coast Camp opened in April. CONTACT: Premier Tours, 800-545-1910, www.premiertours.com
February WHERE:Murchison Falls National Park, Uganda WHY: On the banks below the falls, which plunge 130 feet, huge crocodiles nest while waiting to gulp down fish concussed by the drop. Uganda's largest park (1,557 square miles) also has plenty of bird life (including the rare shoebill stork and piapiac), elephants, hippos, and Jackson's hartebeests. A boat trip
takes you to the very heart of it all. WHERE TO STAY: The Inn on the Nile Luxury Tented Camp is the best of the three lodges. CONTACT: The Africa Adventure Company, 800-882-9453, www.africa-adventure.com
WHERE:Serengeti National Park, Tanzania WHY: For just two weeks, wildebeest cows in the vast grasslands of the park's southeast corner are giving birth, which means there are predators aplenty around. By May, the water supply will have dried up and the wildebeests, zebras, and antelope will have begun their migration north. WHERE TO STAY: Accommodations are limited—try either Lake Ndutu Safari Lodge or mobile camping (which ranges from budget-level to deluxe). CONTACT: Wild Frontiers, 011-27-11-702-2035, www.wildfrontiers.com
March WHERE:Hluhluwe-Umfolozi and the Greater St. Lucia Wetland Park, South Africa WHY: The best rhino viewing on the continent at the best time of year—when no one else is around. Hluhluhe-Umfolozi is where the white rhinos were brought back from the brink of extinction, and the park has 1,600 white rhinos and 400 black (plus the other Big Five animals—elephants, lions, leopards, and Cape
buffalo) that you can see on professionally guided walks. In the wetland park of lakes, lagoons, dune forest, and beaches next door, leatherback and loggerhead turtle hatchlings are crawling around the miles of Indian Ocean beaches all the way up to Mozambique. This recently declared (1999) World Heritage Site is home to more than 1,000 species of
marine life. WHERE TO STAY: Hilltop Camp, various sites run by the KwaZulu-Natal Nature Conservation Services, and fishermen's huts CONTACT: KZNNCS, 011-27-33-845-1220; Premier Tours, 800-545-1910, www.premiertours.com
April WHERE:Kgalagadi Transfrontier Park, Botswana WHY: Two parks were joined in May 2000 to create this 40,000-square-kilometer park that stretches across the border into South Africa. Rains earlier in the year have transformed the semiarid Kalahari Desert into a lush plain, bringing out grazers like gemsbok and hartebeest and their predators—especially
leopards and cheetahs. WHERE TO STAY: Campsites are few but well serviced. CONTACT: Botswana National Parks, 011-267-580-774, www.gov.bw/tourism/transfrontier
WHERE:Lochinvar National Park, Zambia WHY: Nearby Victoria Falls is at its peak volume, as is the number of waterfowl on the Kafue River and the floodplains and lagoons of this former ranch, which is covered with euphorbia trees and termite mounds. In addition to the endemic kafue lechwe and large herds of zebra you'll find in the park, this is the
month that you'll see an explosion of pink and white pelicans, wattled cranes, and black sparrow hawks—not to mention the plump marabou storks that keep watch from the trees. WHERE TO STAY: Until a lodge is built, you'll have to bring your own camping gear. Just turn up at the gate and pay the entrance fee. CONTACT: Star of Africa, star_of_africa@telconet.co.zw (for information only)
May WHERE:Queen Elizabeth National Park, Uganda WHY: With the grass high, the park's rare tree-climbing lions have ascended the huge fig trees down in Ishasha, while Africa's largest concentration of hippos crowds the Kazinga Channel and Lake Edward. Also keep an eye out for the elusive giant forest hog in a park that's fast becoming a safari favorite. WHERE TO STAY: From Mweya Lodge you get a stunning view across the lake to the Mountains of the Moon. Jacana Lodge, opened in early 2000, is smaller but well tended. CONTACT: Natural Habitat Adventures, 800-543-8917, www.nathab.com
WHERE:Sabi Sand Wildtuin, South Africa WHY: Male impalas throughout southern Africa are literally kicking off the annual rutting season by snorting and battling for mates. In this animal-packed collection of private reserves next to South Africa's Kruger National Park, you're virtually guaranteed a view of the antelope ritual as well as sightings (at all
times of the year) of the Big Five. WHERE TO STAY: The 16 lodges and luxury camps such as Londolozi, Mala Mala, and Singita are now seeing increased competition from Richard Branson's Ulusaba, which was extensively upgraded in 1999. Less expensive than the others but still reliable is Djuma. CONTACT: Greatways Travel, 800-411-8058, www.greatwaystravel.com; African Travel Inc., 800-421-8907; www.africantravelinc.com
June WHERE:Okavango Delta, Botswana WHY: The weather's mild, the prices are low, and the endangered wild dogs are denning. Okavango is one of the three places they survive in substantial numbers (the others are South Africa's Kruger National Park and Tanzania's Selous Game Reserve). You can follow them on their hunt morning and night by vehicle, or
search them out by dugout canoe or on foot. Another plus: This is Predator HQ—look for leopards, cheetahs, hyenas, and lions. WHERE TO STAY: Jao Camp, a luxury tented camp that opened in 1999, sits atop stilts in the northwest part of the delta. CONTACT: The Africa Adventure Company, 800-882-9453, www.africa-adventure.com. For participation camping with Drifters, a low-cost alternative, contact Premier Tours, 800-545-1910, www.premiertours.com
WHERE:Bwindi Impenetrable Forest, Uganda WHY: Now that security along the border with Rwanda and Congo has been tightened, it's again safe to go tracking the two families of mountain gorillas habituated to humans. Each can be visited by only six people a day. They breed year-round, which means there will always be babies among them, but their movements are
erratic—from the nearby forest to faraway volcanoes. Either way, be ready for a trek. WHERE TO STAY: Mantana Camp has the best reputation, but there is also the upscale African Pearl as well as bandas (wooden huts with tin roofs) and mobile camping. CONTACT: G&C Tours, 011-256-41-321-479, gctours@imul.com; African Adventures, 435-649-4655, www.safariexpert.com
July WHERE:Gombe National Park, Tanzania WHY: Trees bearing fruit bring out the chimpanzees in this little-visited region that was made famous by Jane Goodall. Gombe National Park lies on the shores of Lake Tanganyika and can be reached only by boat from Kigoma. The heavily forested park covers only 52 square kilometers of mountainous terrain, but the 200
habituated chimps that live there move around so much that you'll need to be extra fit to keep up with them. WHERE TO STAY: Bandas are the only option. CONTACT: Wild Frontiers, 011-27-11-702-2035, www.wildfrontiers.com
WHERE:Tuli Block, Botswana WHY: This private reserve in the southeast, known for its large elephant population, is cool enough during the months of May through July for visitors to enjoy horseback safaris. You'll gallop across open plains alongside giraffes and wildebeests on rides of 8 to 16 days. WHERE TO STAY: Various camps and lodges, including the luxurious Mashatu CONTACT: Mawana Horse Safaris, 011-27-12-668-1408, www.mawana.co.za
August WHERE:Masai Mara National Reserve, Kenya WHY: Up to a million wildebeests and several hundred thousand zebras and antelopes reach the northern end of their spectacular migration only to be met by predators like leopards, cheetahs, and black-maned Mara lions. A hot-air balloon ride sounds corny, but it's hard to beat for heartstopping views of the
herds. WHERE TO STAY: From the classic Masai Mara River Camp and the new Bateleur Camp, you can take bush walks with Maasai guides. CONTACT: Savannah Camps and Lodges Ltd., 011-254-2-335-935, www.savannahcamps.com; African Travel Inc., 800-421-8907, www.africantravelinc.com
WHERE:Hwange National Park, Zimbabwe WHY: A different kind of congregation is taking place in this country's largest park (14,500 square kilometers), with some of the 30,000 elephants gathering at the 62 watering holes, most notably Kennedy Pan and Nyamand-lovu Pan. There are plenty of large antelopes too, as well as Cape buffalo and all the big cats.
Zimbabwe's parks offer walks with some of the most highly trained guides in Africa. WHERE TO STAY: The tented camps in the Linkwasha concession are in a beautiful part of the eastern section, but there are also more affordable campsites within the park. CONTACT: Ultimate Africa Safaris, 800-461-0682, www.ultimateafrica.com
September WHERE:Ruaha National Park, Tanzania WHY: At the height of game-viewing season across Africa, head to one of its best-kept secrets (all 10,300 square kilometers of it). Home to large herds of elephants, as well as the greater and lesser kudu, sables, roan antelopes, and all the big cats, Ruaha is in the transition zone between eastern and southern
African flora and fauna, with terrain that ranges from afro-montane to dry, baobab-studded valleys. Often twinned with the Selous Game Reserve on safari itineraries, those in the know say Ruaha's better. WHERE TO STAY: Ruaha River Lodge is the only private lodge, but it's as great a find as the park itself. CONTACT: Foxtreks Limited/Ruaha River Lodge, 011-255-811-327706, www.ruahariverlodge.com
WHERE:Lower Zambezi National Park, Zambia WHY:As inland waters become harder to find, lots of buffalo mass on the banks and islands of the Lower Zambezi River along with elephants, lions, and leopards against a backdrop of palms, winterthorn acacias, and mahogany trees filled with some 200 species of birds. Take it all in from the vantage point of your
canoe. WHERE TO STAY: The 14-bed Sausage Tree Camp, a perennial favorite, often has elephants passing through. CONTACT: Africa Calls, 505-982-1976, safari@africacalls.com
October WHERE:Berenty Private Reserve, Madagascar WHY: Female lemurs are giving birth, and one of the easiest places to see them is in the semiarid south, in this reserve of spiny and riverside gallery forests 54 miles west of Fort Dauphin. There are wide paths throughout Berenty, and you can go out walking on your own to see ringtails and other lemurs. WHERE TO STAY: Gite d'Berenty is it. CONTACT: Fish Eagle Safaris, 800-513-5222, www.fisheaglesafaris.com
WHERE:Lake Bogoria National Reserve, Kenya WHY: Up to two million flamingos crowd into this Rift Valley lake. The numbers are smaller (a mere several hundred thousand) at the nearby lakes of Elementaita in Soysambu Wildlife Sanctuary and at the cliff-framed Lake Nakuru National Park, but animals such as rhinos and Rothschild's giraffes are more abundant.
Night drives are available in the private Soysambu, known as the aardvark capital of Africa, in whose volcanoes you'll find some of the longest lava tubes (read: best caving) on earth. WHERE TO STAY: Delamere's Camp, Soysambu. CONTACT: Savannah Camps & Lodges Ltd., 011-254-2-335935, www.savannahcamps.com; Baobab Safaris Co., 800-835-3692, www.baobabsafaris.com
November WHERE:Hermanus, South Africa WHY: The southern right whales have been gathering off the coast of this holiday town since August, reaching their peak a month before heading for Antarctica. The best land-based whale-watching in the world—along some ten miles of cliffside paths where the world's only whale crier announces the whales'
location with a kelp horn—.offers a splendid show of leaping cetaceans. WHERE TO STAY: Nelshof B&B and Sandbaai Country House, both on the beach, let you see it all from your veranda. CONTACT: Hermanus Tourism Board, 011-27-28-31-22629, www.hermanus.co.za/info
WHERE:Liwonde National Park, Malawi WHY: At the height of breeding and nesting season for African and European migrant birds, there's probably no better place to be than this unsung park on the banks of the Shire River, full of ibises, squacco herons, Pel's fishing owls, palmnut vultures, and Bohm's bee-eaters. WHERE TO STAY: Mvuu Camp and Lodge offers deluxe rooms as well as tent accommodations. CONTACT: Central African Wilderness Safaris, 011-265-771-393, info@wilderness.malawi.net
December WHERE:Kakum Conservation Area, Ghana WHY: Spend Christmas on the only rainforest-canopy walkway in Africa. The 333-meter-long promenade hangs 27 meters above ground and has eight platforms from which to search for monkeys and forest elephants. A good way to see them is to take a guided night walk or camp overnight at either of two additional platforms,
one of which overlooks a group of baku trees, whose fruit the elephants love. WHERE TO STAY: The platforms or Hans Cottage Botel, about ten miles down the road to Cape Coast. CONTACT: Ghana Heritage Conservation Trust, 011-233-42-33041 or 233-42-33265.
WHERE:La Lopé Reserve, Gabon WHY: It's the mini dry season in this little and little-known park made up of rainforest and savanna, home to some 10,000 shy lowland gorillas and thousands of buffalo as well as forest elephants and mandrills. The reserve is a five-hour train ride from Libreville. WHERE TO STAY: The park's La Lopé Hotel has 16 air-conditioned bungalows overlooking the Ogooué River. CONTACT: Mistral Voyages, 011-241-760421 or 747779, mistral.lbv@internetgabon.com
