Big 5 – A Tale of Five Valiant African Animals

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Africa’s Big 5 game animals to see on safari are elephant, rhinoceros, buffalo, lion and leopard. They are examples of charismatic megafauna, featuring prominently in popular culture and are among the most famous of Africa’s large animals. The big 5 are pretty hard to miss when driving through Africa’s famous parks.

The popular term ‘big five’ was coined by big-game hunters in the 1800s which referenced the five hardest game animals in Africa to hunt on foot. However, the term is now widely used by enthusiastic safari travelers who now choose to shoot the big five with a camera rather than a lethal weapon of choice.

Seeing the Big Five in Africa has become an “awe-inspiring” goal for any safari traveler. An impressive number of tourists come on safari to see these highly sought-after animals. Africa’s big five animals are all present and can easily be seen on game drives in savanna parks in UgandaKenyaTanzania, and Rwanda.

Please contact one of our experts to help you customize a Big Five safari itinerary with the best accommodations to fulfill your dream vacation.

The Big Five Game Animals

1. African Elephant

African Elephant

The African bush elephant (Loxodonta africana) and African forest elephant (Loxodonta cyclotis) are the largest land-based animals in the world and perhaps the most enduring symbols of nature’s grace and fragility. It is an intelligent creature and entertaining to watch on Big Five safaris. Elephants are herbivores with thick, nearly hairless skin, a long, flexible, prehensile trunk, long, curving ivory tusks formed by the upper incisors, and enormous, fan-shaped ears.

A fully grown male bush elephant weighs an average of 6300 kilos. It is interesting that even the smallest adult male rarely weighs less than 4000 kilos. Females, however, are normally just over half the weight of males, while the African forest elephant is 3 feet shorter in height.

Elephants communicate across a large distance at a very low frequency through their feet and the ground, which cannot be heard or discerned by humans. They live in herds led by “matriarchal” females and are known to be threatened by ivory poachers because of their tusks. However, they are difficult to hunt because, despite their large size, they are able to hide in thick bush and are more likely to charge than the other Big Four species. They become aggressive when their young are threatened.

A bull elephant can be as dangerous as mothers with their young. Keep your distance, and if you’re in a car, be sure you have the ability to drive away forward because elephants can run faster than a car can reverse. An elephant raising dust, flapping its ears, or trumpeting is most likely about to charge.

Quick Facts

Group name: Herd

Size: Up to M4/F3.4 meters tall, weighing 6,300kg.

Speed: up to 40 kilometers per hour.

Diet: Elephants are vegetarians, eating up to 160kg per day of leaves, grasses, fruits, shrubs, and roots depending on their habitat and season.

Range and Habitat: African elephants mainly inhabit areas across sub-Saharan Africa, from Mali in the north, through the central and west-central African forests, and down to South Africa. They are adaptable animals, capable of surviving in many habitats, from lush wetlands to arid African deserts, on bushes, small plants, fruit, twigs, tree bark, and roots.

Best places to sight elephants:

  • Uganda: Queen Elizabeth, Kidepo Valley, and Murchison Falls
  • Kenya: Masai Mara, Tsavo, Samburu, and Amboseli National Parks
  • Tanzania: Serengeti, Lake Manyara, Ngorongoro, and Katavi
  • Rwanda: Akagera National Park

2. Rhinoceros

Ziwa Rhino Sanctuary

The white rhinoceros (Ceratotherium simum) and the black rhinoceros (Diceros bicornis) are large herbivores with two upright horns on their nasal bridge. The term “rhinoceros” is derived from two Greek words: “rhino” (nose) and “ceros” (horn). Although white rhinos are called ‘white’, they are slate gray to yellowish brown in color. The term ‘white’ is actually derived from Dutch “weit” (wide), in reference to the animal’s wide muzzle.

Rhinoceroses are universally recognized for their massive bodies, stumpy legs, and either one or two dermal horns, which may be short in some species. Although they are known for having poor eyesight, their senses of smell and hearing are well developed. They are distinguished by their thick skin and long nose horns, as well as their remarkable toughness and speed. Their amazing horns and bulky prehistoric appearance make them instantly recognizable, but their unpredictable nature, strength, and speed are legendary. Even the most courageous rangers will exercise extreme caution with these enormous creatures.

There are five subspecies left in Africa, which include the northern white rhino, the southern white rhino, the eastern black rhino, the southern central black rhino, and the southwestern black rhino. The black rhino, which is more highly prized among the big five, is classified as critically endangered, while the white rhino is classified as near threatened, yet both are subject to extensive poaching.

Both black and white rhinos tend to be wary of humans but occasionally charge when vehicles get too close. If you’re on foot, then their bad eyesight should work in your favor. If they do charge against you, the apparent life-saving technique involves climbing the nearest tree or letting them get as close as possible, then stepping aside at the last second.

Quick Facts

Group name: Crash

Size: White rhinos measure up to 1.9 meters and 2000–3600 kg, while black rhinos measure 1.8 meters and 700–1400 kg.

Speed: 50 kilometers per hour.

Diet: Rhinos are mainly herbivores, grazing on grass, fruits, stems, twigs, and leaves.

Range and Habitat: White rhinos are found throughout Asia and sub-Saharan Africa in habitats ranging from dense rainforests and swamps to grassy plains.

In Africa, rhinos exist only in a few protected areas, such as parks and reserves. Spotting one in the wild, with its stumpy legs and tank-sized body, you’ll immediately understand how extraordinary these creatures are. You can see them on walking safaris in remote Uganda’s Ziwa Rhino Sanctuary, Tanzania’s Ngorongoro Crater, and on conservation excursions in Kenya.

3. African buffalo

African buffalo

The African buffalo (Syncerus caffer) is a large horned bovid. It is the only animal among the Big Five that is not listed among the “endangered” or “threatened” species.

African buffalos are enormous, even-toed ungulates with a stocky body and large horns, which are present in both sexes. Their dark black colour and characteristic horns, which are smaller and lighter, curving outward, backward, and upwards, easily distinguish them from other animal species. Ears are large and fringed with hair and hang below the massive horns.

The African buffalo, which weighs just under a ton, is known for having a nasty temper and being the most dangerous of all of the big five, earning it the nickname “black death.” They are reportedly known to have ambushed and attacked humans. Although a solitary or wounded African buffalo is one of the most unpredictable safari animals (and lethal, hence their inclusion among the big five), they are mostly a peaceful animal when in a herd. The size of a herd is based on the availability of grazing.

Quick Facts

Group name: Herd

Size: Up to 1.8 meters tall, and 800kg in weight.

Speed: They can run at speeds of up 57 kilometers per hour.

Diet: Being strictly herbivorous, cape buffalos consume a variety of grasses, leaves, and other plants.

Range and Habitat: Cape buffalo thrive in all sub-Saharan grasslands with access to water, from dry savanna to lowland floodplains.

These bold cows are easily seen in any safari park in East Africa. Even when driving by a park, keep an eye out your windows, and that big dark patch on the savannah might be a small herd of buffalos.

4. African Lion

African Lion

The lion (Panthera leo) is a large, carnivorous feline that inhabits Africa and northwest India. It has a tufted tail, a short, tawny coat, and a thick mane around the neck and shoulders on the males. As a large and charismatic apex predator, the lion is the most popular and sought-after member of the African Big Five species to view on safari tours.

Although it is the most social large cat, living in loosely structured prides of typically five to fifteen, it is one of Africa’s most deadly animals. Lions are revered as the “king of the beasts” throughout Africa and are frequently used as symbols of majesty, strength, and bravery. These big cats are egalitarian, which means they don’t have a set social structure and are not born into a certain rank. One male may be dominant over the others, but that can change at short notice. Lion society is also matrilineal; the females do all the hunting, usually sharing with the males of a pride. They hold the territories and stay with the pride they’re born into.

The Serengeti-Mara ecosystem is an amazing spot for watching lions on a safari game drive for wildlife enthusiasts. There’s nothing so thrilling as watching a pride of lions prowl in long grasses, reflecting the golden sunset over the plains. At dusk, you can watch the lions become restless, roar, play, or get into hunting formation for a quick catch.

Quick Facts

Group name: Pride

Size: 1.2 meters, weighing up to 225kg.

Speed: At a maximum speed of 80 kilometers per hour, the lion is the second-fastest land animal in Africa.

Diet: African lions are apex predators and generally hunt the larger animals in their surroundings, such as antelopes, buffalo, zebra, and giraffe, among others.

Range and Habitat: Lions inhabit savanna grasslands, dense scrub, and open woodland. They are found across sub-Saharan Africa.

The best places to watch lions in East Africa are the Serengeti and Ngorongoro Conservation Areas in Tanzania, the Masai Mara and Laikipia in Kenya, and Queen Elizabeth National Park’s Ishasha Sector in Uganda, among others.

5. African Leopard

Big Five Game: Best Destinations, Where & When to see 2024

The leopard (Panthera pardus) is a large, carnivorous feline. Its fur is generally tawny with dark rosette-shaped markings. The leopard is the smallest and most elusive of the Big Five because of its nocturnal habits (it relies on its animal camouflage and is most active between sunset and sunrise, although it may hunt during the day in some areas) and because it is wary of humans and will take flight in the face of danger.

Leopards are sneaky, naturally shy, elusively nocturnal, and harder to spot. These big, solitary cats are independent creatures and rarely seen together except during mating or a mother with cubs. As such, they are totally self-reliant and expert hunters, hauling large kills, such as zebra or antelope, into treetops to eat at their leisure.

They often rest in trees during the day and then descend to the ground to hunt at night. They are distinguished from cheetahs by their rosette-shaped spots, a more robust build, and their preference for wooded or rocky habitats. Of all the Big Five, they are the most difficult animals to acquire a hunting license for.

Quick Facts

Group name: Leap

Size: 1 meter high, weighing up to 100 kg.

Speed: 56 kilometers per hour.

Diet: Leopards are opportunistic carnivores and prey on antelopes, gazelles, duiker, eland, monkeys, wildebeest, impala, and zebra, among others.

Range and Habitat: African leopards have a wider range than any other large cat on the continent and may dwell in a variety of habitats, including deserts, swamps, mountains, grassland savannas, woodlands, and rain forests. Leopards are one of the few big game species found outside national parks.

Best Places to See the Big Five in East Africa

Best places to see the big five in East Africa are Masai Mara, Amboseli National Park, Lake Nakuru National Park, Tsavo East and West and Laikipia plateau in Kenya, Serengeti National Park, Ngorongoro Conservation Area, Ruaha National Park and Tarangire National Park in Tanzania, Murchison Falls, Queen Elizabeth, Kidepo Valley National Parks and Ziwa Rhino Sanctuary in Uganda and Akagera National Park in Rwanda.

Any safari guide will typically recommend the Serengeti or the Masai Mara due to the vast array of wildlife in this ecosystem. Here, predators thrive, preying on herds of migrating ungulates and sparking action-packed struggles for survival. However, it’s usually best to stay away from the vast plains of Serengeti-Mara, where lions and cheetahs rule, in order to sight leopards. Instead, search for acacia trees or other locations with adequate cover for these timid cats.

During a Big 5 Uganda safari, you will spot leopards in Queen Elizabeth, Kidepo Valley, or Murchison Falls National Parks. Finding the leopards in Rwanda’s Akagera is quite challenging, but it is worthwhile for a persistent traveler to try.

Other countries where all the big five animals can be seen include Angola, Botswana, Eswatini, Malawi, Mozambique, Namibia, South Africa, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Zambia, and Zimbabwe.

Best Time to See the Big 5 in Africa

The best time to see the Big 5 in Africa is during the dry seasons from about June to October and December to February. This is when vegetation dries up and thins out making it easier to see herds of buffalo and elephants compared to the rainy seasons. Leopards, which spend much of their time in trees will have fewer leaves to cover them, making it easier to spot them.

The dry seasons also mean you will easily see herds congregating around the remaining water sources. Most animals drink every day so the dry heat forces them to keep around the little water that is left.

How to See the Big five in East Africa

You can see the Big 5 throughout the year on game drives from the easy game-viewing opportunities of the dry season from December to February and June to July. The intense heat during this time is sure to bring the animals out to the shores of fresh waters to cool off. The quieter green season offers good pasture for an incredible number of young animals especially ungulates which are prey to the big cats.

We also recommend taking a boat safari on the Nile in Uganda’s Murchison Falls National Park and Kazinga Channel in Queen Elizabeth National Park to see these gentle giants gracefully flocking the river banks in large herds.

 Visiting a combination of these national parks and reserves will help you maximize the experience of watching the Big Five animals as well as other noteworthy wild animals on your safari. Big 5 safaris usually combine at least two national parks on the same trip.

For example, in Uganda and Rwanda, a guided big five safari gets you exploring the rainforest jungles to see mountain gorillas, chimpanzees, and other rainforest inhabitants. A big five safari in Kenya combined with Uganda or Rwanda offers you the opportunity to experience gorilla trekking and witness the wildebeest migration.

Best Big Five safaris

These are safari ideas to inspire your planning or give you a clue as to how different destinations and experiences work together. They can be customized according to your style of travel.