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The African safari
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Many people have heard the term "the Big Five", as in "when I go on my African Safari, I hope to see the Big Five. So what does that exactly mean?
The Big Five was originally a hunting term - these were the five trophies that hunters wanted to come home with - animals that were large and dangerous. Ernest Hemingway wrote about hunting the big five in his books.
These days, hunting is thankfully down to a minimum and modern day adverturers go on photographic safari, but the excitement of "shooting" the big five with camera is still the highlight of an African safari. The big five are:
1. lion
2. leopard
3. elephant
4. buffalo (sometimes referred to as cape buffalo)
5. rhino (black and white)
Not every country in Africa offers sightings of all big five. It is best to check with your safari operator to make sure that all big five species live where you are going in Africa. Many of these animals are rarely sighted, due to hunting and poaching (leopard and rhino tend to be the mose ellusive of the big five). Countries where the big five are more prevalent are, thankfully, the countries most known for an African safari - notably Kenya, Tanzania and South Africa.
Wherever you go in Africa, do your homework and work with a travel operator that knows your expectations. While animal sightings are never guaranteed (and steer clear from tour operators that say that you will be guaranteed to spot a specific rare animal), patience and well versed guides in the bush will increase your chances of seeing these magnificent creatures - and seeing them in person is the thrill of a lifetime! They're not called "big five" for nothing.
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