The Maasai TribeBwindi Impenetrable National Park (Uganda)

Explore the top 4 places to discover in East Africa, from Rwanda's gorilla highlands to Tanzania's Serengeti, Uganda, and Zanzibar's shores.

In two words: mountain gorillas. This lushly forested Ugandan national park is one of the best places to visit in Africa if you want to see these gentle giants – the world’s largest primate, weighing in at up to 200kg – in their misty mountain homes. Staring into the liquid brown eyes of a giant silverback is undoubtedly the highlight of almost all visits to Bwindi. But it is also an excellent place to see forest dwellers such as yellow-backed duiker, L’Hoest’s monkey, and a full 23 bird species endemic to the Albertine Rift, among them the gorgeous African green broadbill

• When to visit Bwindi: Gorilla tracking runs all year, but the drier months of June to August and December to February are best.
• Where to stay: Each of the four gorilla-tracking trailheads is served by a selection of upmarket and midrange lodges.

Serengeti National Park (Tanzania)

Frosting many safari lovers’ list of finest destinations to visit in Africa, this park Serengeti is Tanzania’s oldest and largest national park. It is inscribed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site largely on account of accommodating the world’s most outstanding yearly wildlife migration, encompassing up to over two million wildebeest, as well as tens of thousands of zebras. The extensive plains host Africa’s biggest lion population, estimated at 3,000 individuals. It is probably the most unswerving place in East Africa for cheetahs, while leopards can be regularly observed in the central Seronera Valley. Other common wildlife includes elephants, buffalo, giraffes, spotted hyenas, bat-eared foxes, and a wide variety of antelope.

• When to visit Serengeti: There’s no bad time. June to October offers great general wildlife viewing and an opportunity to catch the wildebeest migration. The wildebeest calve from late January to February. Many repeat travellers favor April and May when the countryside is at its greenest, rack rates drop, and tourist volumes are lowest.
• Where to stay: There are dozens of midrange to upmarket lodges suppliers and tented camps in the Serengeti, as well as several campsites.

Masai Mara National Reserve (Kenya)

Essentially the Kenyan counterpart to the Serengeti, the smaller Masai Mara is equally rewarding when it comes to game viewing. Big cats are the star residents. Pride of up to 20 lions hogs the spotlight, but it is also a very good place to see cheetahs and leopards, along with elephants, buffalo, giraffes, and – with a bit more luck – black rhinos. The Masai Mara comes into its own over late July to early October, when hundreds of thousands of wildebeest arrive from the Serengeti to cross the Mara River, the most spectacular part of the annual migration.

• When to visit Masai Mara: Game viewing is good throughout the year. Be there between late August and early October to be reasonably certain of catching the wildebeest migration. Any other time is preferable if a low tourist volume is more important to you.
• Where to stay: Dozens of midrange to upmarket lodges and tented camps are scattered in and around the Masai Mara. Several campsites can be found on its borders.

Amboseli National Park (Kenya)

The world’s tallest freestanding mountain and heftiest terrestrial mammal are the key attractions of Amboseli National Park. It is from here that one obtains the most inspiring views of snow-capped Kilimanjaro as it towers above the animal-rich plains of East Africa. Amboseli hosts the world’s longest-running elephant study, established in 1975, and it is one of the best places to visit in Africa to see the interaction between elephants, which are unusually well-habituated and impressively tusked here. It is also a great birding destination thanks to its combination of seasonal marshes and semi-arid acacia savannah.

• When to visit Amboseli: Any time, but the dry seasons (July to October and Jan to March) offer the best game viewing.
• Where to stay: Several midrange and exclusive lodges and camps operate within and around the national parks.