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Last Updated: 2 May 2024

Five Must-See Camps for African Big Cat Safaris

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Written by  Tiffany Bowers

 • Travel Writer

Verified by  Devryn Panaino

 •  Africa Safari Expert

Part of the Tanzania Safari & African Big Cats Safaris Collections

The most charismatic of all the animals that roam the African parks are the big cats. It’s, therefore, normal for avid wildlife enthusiasts to search for the best camps for big cats safaris. To behold the splendor and beauty of the big cats is an experience that warms the heart of every wildlife enthusiast.

South Luangwa National Park, Zambia

Five must-see camps for big cat safaris.

This beautiful, wooded park gives you the best opportunity for seeing lion on foot. However, you must observe caution and do this at a safe distance. Since the park’s lion share the habitat with a large population of leopards, you should be able to see them during the day. Some of the best camps to visit include Tafika, Puku Ridge, Tena Tana and Kuyenda.

Duba in Botswana

Botswana is perhaps the country with the biggest lions and Duba is no exception. The most unusual thing about Duba is that the lion hunt by day, affording visitors the unique experience of watching the hunt in action. Without any access to the road for most of the year, Duba is a 65,000-acre concession that’s a home for National Geographic explorers and filmmakers.

Maasai Mara National Reserve

Situated in Kenya, this is perhaps the greatest place of ‘animal real estate’ in Africa because of its famous pride of lions which made the BBC’s film ‘The Big Cat Diary’ so well-known. Apart from that, it’s where Disney Studios filmed ‘African Cats’. It’s one of the best camps worth visiting to see the big cats of Africa.

Mundulea Reserve

Five must-see camps for big cat safaris in Africa

Covered in rugged hills, seemingly endless bush and sparse plains, Mundulea Reserve in Namibia may be on a par with other ‘big cat’ locations. However, Mundulea’s exceptional guide is what differentiates it. Under this guidance, you are more likely to see leopard, a herd of eland and glimpse some rhino.

Ruaha National Park in Tanzania

Ruaha is Tanzania’s largest national park and with an addition of the Usangu Game Reserve and other important wetlands to the park in 2008, its size has increased to about 20,226 square kilometres (7,809 square miles), making it the largest park in Tanzania and East Africa. It has Africa’s second largest population of lion and accounts for 10 percent of the world’s lion population.

Written by  Tiffany Bowers

 • Travel Writer

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Verified by  Devryn Panaino

 •  Africa Safari Expert

Devryn is a passionate safari consultant and Southern African specialist with over 10 years of safari and travel experience.

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I went to Africa to help my parents check a box, but I returned with a new perspective on my own life. Africa is no longer a "someday" destination for me; it’s a "must-return".

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Cathy & Debb's journey was crafted with the expertise of Vihann Van Wyk

The Serengeti offered us sights we had never witnessed before, such as the surreal image of lions lounging high in the trees

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