The national parks of Africa
Africa is the continent of exotic wildlife and a variety of flora and fauna that would make your eyes stare in wonder. Thus, if you are going to Africa, the best way to savour the real sights of the place is by visiting the various national parks that Africa has to offer you. There are in all, five national parks. Here is a short brief about them so that you know what to expect when you do land up there.
The first one to feature on this list is the Amboseli National Park. This park is in Kenya and is located very close to the border of Tanzania. This park is doubly special for the very reason that, if you travel North West from the Amboseli Park, then you will come to the highest peak of Africa which is the legendary Mt. Kilimanjaro. This park has an exotic variety of wildlife and creatures that you have only read about in adventure stories will be there for real in front of you. The natural vegetation of this land consists of plains, swamps, marshes and some rocky lands as well. The famous tusk elephants of Africa are to be found here and that too, the biggest ones ever. There is heavy rainfall in two seasons.
Then comes the famous Masai Mara. This is very popular and has found its way in popular culture as well. You have probably seen stunning pictures and descriptions of Masai Mara in films, documentaries, and have heard about the safaris and the research teams which go there to explore the exotic flora and fauna. There are many attractions in the park and these include the dense forests for game, hot air balloon rides which give you a stunning birds’ eye view of the Masai Mara. And then there are the open savannahs or the grasslands which are again a trademark of the African wildlife there. This place has a bewildering variety of animals and these include the wildebeest, zebras, lions, leopards, black rhinos, and the bat eared foxes.
The Kruger National Park is another popular destination for those who love wildlife and nature at its best. This is a huge park and covers over 20,000 square kilometers of land in Africa. The Kruger National Park spans the borders of three different countries, ie., Zimbabwe, South Africa and Mozambique. This has the five famous animals, the lion, African elephant, Cape-Buffalo, leopard and rhinoceros.
The Kgalagadi Trans-frontier Park is even bigger and covers 38,000 square kilometers. It is in the Kalahari Desert and here you can see the black-maned lion of the Kalahari as well as the blue wildebeest and red hartebeest. The temperature is dry with very little rainfall.
The last is the Serengeti National Park which is in Tanzania and has one of the world’s oldest ecosystems. There are the never ending grasslands and plains where lions, zebras and cheetahs roam freely. There are many special walking safaris organized here.
November 21 2009 03:42 am | Taste of the Wild Life