Transfrontier parks are an incredible invention, by coordinating where they are setting up parks, each country need give up less land and still be left with an ecosystem that can truly survive and thrive long term. While this one protects 38,000 square km, that is not anywhere near the largest, even in South Africa. Never-the-less 38 thousand square kilometres is an incredibly large area and is well worth a visit.

 It consists largely of reddish dunes, with species of acacia growing in the riverbeds. Quick grass, gemsbok cucumber, and such shrubs as driedoring and raisinbush provide forage for large herds of gemsbok (subspecies of oryx), wildebeest, springbok, and some red hartebeest. Among other wildlife are lions (well known in this reserve for their black manes), the smaller cats such cheetah as caracals and servals, wild dogs, black-backed jackals, and ostriches and numerous other birds.

This reserve on the east coast of KwaZulu Natal is an incredible place, with some people stating that it is the best park in South Africa. One of the reasons that this reserve is so good, is because of the wide range of habitats that are found within its border. Ranging from open sea, to estury, sand dunes, swamps and surrounding waters. Covering 3280 square km (1266 square miles)

The Indian ocean gives the eastern border – where humpback whales, great white sharks and even Coelacanths (which having not changed for 400 million years are like a living fossil). Coral reefs are found in the shallow water but as you move inland other wildlife is found. Leatherback and loggerhead turtles come to lay their eggs. Reedbucks are regularly seen here, but with patience there are also black rhino living in this area. Further into the park, lie lakes with large flocks of flamingos and pelicans. This is also where the hippos start, which are numbered over 800 as well as huge numbers of crocodiles.

Mount Elgon lies at the heart of the national park which bears its name. Covering 1279 square km or 494 square miles, it sits on the Kenyan-Ugandan border. The vast majority of the park is in Uganda. Elephants and buffalo can be found on the lower slopes. The park is also home to a variety of small antelope and duiker, as well forest monkeys, including the black-and-white colobus and blue monkey. red-tailed monkey have been reported after being thought to be locally extinct. Both leopard and hyena exist there. In terms of birds, Mount Elgon is home to at least 144 bird species. Of particular interest are Jackson’s spurfowl, the eastern bronze-naped pigeon, Hartlaub’s turaco, the Tacazze sunbird and the endangered lammergeier, due to their restricted range.

There are a wide range of places in national parks across the world where animals will travel to consume local minerals which are otherwise missing from their diets. Here, the elephants have taken this to an extreme. There are caves in the cliff face, and elephant go regularly (some as often as every night) to gorge it out of the cliff with their tusks, and then eat (in this case salts). The Elephants have been doing this over and over for so long, that they have extended these caves further into the cliff, with some of these caves running more than 200m deep.

There is nowhere else in the world like this, where with a good place to watch, you could sit still and have hundreds of elephants walk past you, on the way to the cliff, to get their fill.

Lake Nakuru national park is a reserve just 100 miles from Nairobi. Containing Lake Nakuru, which is well known for its vast flocks of flamingoes – often as many as 1 million strong. The flamingos are there for algae that thrives in the shallow water.

Pelican and cormorants are also present, along with about 400 other bird species.

This reserve is only 73 square miles, but have healthy populations of a variety of species. 

The reserve shelters of white rhino and black rhino, alongside Rothschild giraffes. As a result of these species presence, the reserve is the only fully enclosed national park in Kenya.

Given the size of the park, while there are lions, the population only consists of a few prides. There are also Leopards, as well as buffalo and rhino, only elephants are not present.  Cheetah are present, though hard to spot, even wild dog are occasionally seen, as there are reserves nearby which do have wild dogs.

When we have useful links for you to book to visit, these will appear below. Under this is a news section, which will include any occasion that the reserve is mentioned in articles on this site.