Big five destination; Tanzania

The Big Five are one of the main reason for people to travel to Tanzania. This is because Tanzania has been named the best place in Africa to see these animals. Tanzania is special because you can find the Big Five here in their natural habitat. We will explain why Tanzania has also been voted the best country to spot these wild animals in this blog.

What are the Big Five?

The term “Big Five” has been commonly used since a long time but has a less pleasant background. It used to be very popular among hunters to shoot an animal from the Big Five. These would be the animals that are the most difficult to hunt. Fortunately, today these animals are not hunted anymore and we only shot beautiful photographs of them with a camera.
Many tourists who come to Tanzania, have the goal to take home a lot of beautiful photos of each Big Five animal as a memory.

Why Tanzania is the best destination to see the Big Five?

Each animal lives in a certain environment. While in many other African countries it is hard work to spot wildlife, it is somehow “easier” in Tanzania. This is because the concentration of wild animals in Tanzania is very high. Nature is still untouched and the conditions that the animals need are nowhere as good as in Tanzania. Your safari guide can tell you more about this during your safari.

See the animals in their natural habitat:

While you are on safari in Tanzania you will see that this country gives you the real African safari experience because nature is still untouched. While tarmaced roads have been built and fences have been placed around the parks in other countries, you will not encounter this in the Tanzanian national parks. This provides you with the ultimate safari feeling.

Which animals are in the Big Five:

1. Leopard
2. Lion
3. Elephant
4. Rhino
5. Buffalo

No. 1: Lion

The lion is perhaps the most popular animal of the Big 5. You can find lions in groups of up to 25 individuals. You can find the lions in the following tanzanian national parks: Tarangire, Lake Manyara, Ngorongoro and Serengeti. The latter is the most famous national park in the world and is regarded as the best place to spot lions. Here you will find the highest concentration of big cats in the world. Big cats include: Leopard, Lion and the Cheetah.

No. 2: Leopard

A leopard is one of the more difficult Big Five animals to spot. They are mostly sitting in trees and often hunt either in the early morning or in the evening. When they have caught their prey, they take it up a tree. Many confuse a leopard with a cheetah, however, a cheetah is smaller and slimmer. Also, a cheetah cannot climb a tree, because they have no claws. You can spot leopards in the same national parks as lions.

No. 3: Elephant

The Elephant is a member of the Big Five that you can hardly miss in Tanzania. There are a lot of elephants in Tanzania. The best national park to spot the elephant is Tarangire National Park. Here you can sometimes spot over a hundred elephants at once at the Tarangire River. Fortunately, the elephant population has grown in Tanzania over recent years. This is because illegal hunters are currently severely punished.

No. 4: Rhino

The rhinoceros is most difficult to spot. It is an endangered species and therefore very rarely seen. Rhinos can be found in both Serengeti national park and the Ngorongoro crater. Our customers get to see the rhino more regularly in the crater and the population is also growing in numbers at the moment. This has to do with the fact that the market for ivory has been curbed, so that the rhino is hunted less often.

No. 5: Buffalo

The buffalo is a member of the Big Five that is easy to spot. It can be found in all Tanzanian national parks. Buffalos live in large groups. They are very strong animals but are also herbivores and only eat grass.

Would you like to see the Big Five after reading this blog? View our most fantastic Tanzania Safaris.