Big Five Safari Guide: How to Spot Lion, Leopard, Elephant, Buffalo & Rhino

The "Big Five" — lion, leopard, elephant, Cape buffalo and black rhinoceros — earned their name not because they are the largest animals in Africa, but because they were considered the most dangerous to hunt on foot. Today, they are the five species every safari traveller most wants to see. Here is how to find each of them.

Lion

Africa's apex predator, and the one species almost everyone sees. Lions are widespread across the Maasai Mara, Tsavo, Amboseli and Samburu. They are most active at dawn and dusk — a sunrise game drive is your best chance to find a pride on a kill or returning from a night hunt. The Mara's lion population is one of the world's most studied and habituated.

Best parks: Maasai Mara, Tsavo (tree-climbing lions in Ishasha, Uganda)

Leopard

The most elusive of the Big Five — and arguably the most spectacular. Solitary and largely nocturnal, leopards are masters of camouflage. Dawn drives near rocky outcrops, luggas (dry riverbeds) and dense forest edges give the best sightings. A kill draped over an acacia tree is the classic leopard image.

Best parks: Maasai Mara, Samburu, Tsavo

Elephant

Africa's largest land animal and a crowd favourite — family herds, matriarchs leading calves, bulls in musth. Amboseli is the best park in the world for elephant observation (studied since 1972 by Cynthia Moss). Tsavo has the largest elephant population in Kenya.

Best parks: Amboseli, Tsavo, Maasai Mara

Cape Buffalo

Often underestimated — buffalo are responsible for more hunter deaths than any other Big Five species. Huge herds (sometimes 1,000+) are common in the Mara and Tsavo. Old "dagga boys" (lone bulls) are notoriously aggressive.

Best parks: Maasai Mara, Tsavo East

Black Rhinoceros

The rarest and hardest to find. Kenya's rhino population is recovering from near-extinction. Lake Nakuru is Kenya's premier rhino sanctuary — both black and white rhino are present. Ol Pejeta Conservancy in Laikipia also has excellent rhino populations.

Best parks: Lake Nakuru National Park, Ol Pejeta Conservancy