8 of the best safari destinations in Africa

By Mark Eveleigh, CNN
9 minute read
Updated 11:29 AM EDT, Thu August 9, 2018
<strong>Africa's best national parks: </strong>From Tanzania's protected Serengeti National Park, to Botswana's brutally wild Kalahari Desert, here's our pick of eight of the finest national parks Africa has to offer.
Africa's best national parks: From Tanzania's protected Serengeti National Park, to Botswana's brutally wild Kalahari Desert, here's our pick of eight of the finest national parks Africa has to offer.
Mark Eveleigh
<strong>Serengeti National Park, Tanzania: </strong>A UNESCO World Heritage Site, this pristine landscape<strong> </strong>is the setting for the Great Migration, which is considered the greatest wildlife spectacle on earth.
Serengeti National Park, Tanzania: A UNESCO World Heritage Site, this pristine landscape is the setting for the Great Migration, which is considered the greatest wildlife spectacle on earth.
Tony Karumba/AFP/Getty Images
<strong>Kidepo Valley National Park: </strong>This 1,442-square-kilometer area located in the Karamoja region is Uganda's most remote national park and arguably its most beautiful, with an estimated 13,000 buffalo on site.
Kidepo Valley National Park: This 1,442-square-kilometer area located in the Karamoja region is Uganda's most remote national park and arguably its most beautiful, with an estimated 13,000 buffalo on site.
Mark Eveleigh
<strong>Hwange National Park, Zimbabwe: </strong>Zimbabwe's biggest national park, covering more than 14,600 square kilometers, is thought to boast a greater diversity of mammals (108 species) than any other national park in the entire world.
Hwange National Park, Zimbabwe: Zimbabwe's biggest national park, covering more than 14,600 square kilometers, is thought to boast a greater diversity of mammals (108 species) than any other national park in the entire world.
Mark Eveleigh
<strong>Masai Mara National Reserve</strong>: Sometimes referred to as "the greatest wildlife real estate on Earth," the Masai Mara is a must-see sight for any wildlife fan.
Masai Mara National Reserve: Sometimes referred to as "the greatest wildlife real estate on Earth," the Masai Mara is a must-see sight for any wildlife fan.
Mark Eveleigh
<strong>Kalahari Desert, Botswana: </strong>The 52,800-square-kilometer-long Central Kalahari Game Reserve is a challenge to access and, because of the aridity, wildlife tends to be more spread out than in the other great parks in the region.
Kalahari Desert, Botswana: The 52,800-square-kilometer-long Central Kalahari Game Reserve is a challenge to access and, because of the aridity, wildlife tends to be more spread out than in the other great parks in the region.
Mark Eveleigh
<strong>South Luangwa National Park, Zambia: </strong>Established as a National Park in 1972, South Luangwa is favored by many dedicated safari buffs thanks to its uncrowded wilderness combined with a spectacular density of wildlife.
South Luangwa National Park, Zambia: Established as a National Park in 1972, South Luangwa is favored by many dedicated safari buffs thanks to its uncrowded wilderness combined with a spectacular density of wildlife.
Pixabay / Creative Commons