Kenya

The world-famous Masai Mara National Reserve is widely regarded as the best game-viewing park in Kenya. The “Big Five” -- lions, leopards, buffaloes, elephants and rhinos -- can be spotted here, and more than a million wildebeests and zebras migrate annually to Masai Mara from the parched Serengeti plains of neighboring Tanzania (The Great Migration).

In Kenya’s semiarid northern region lies the Samburu National Reserve, a small oasis that is home to many rare animals including Grevy’s zebras and reticulated giraffes. Kenya’s Amboseli National Park is famous for its big game, such as lions, cheetahs and large elephant herds. You also might visit Lake Nakuru National Park, which has been designated as a rhino sanctuary and is considered to be one of the finest places for bird-watching.

Kenya safaris are available year-round, although the best game-viewing periods are during the dry winter months of May through August and the warmer spring months of September and October.