Picturesque reserves and national parks of Africa. National parks of Africa The first reserve in Africa

When it comes to Africa, the first thing that comes to mind is wild animals. Africa is home to many populations of wild animals and has a greater diversity of fauna than any other continent on our planet, thanks to its vast landscapes with different climatic conditions ranging from subarctic to tropical. Africa has a range of habitats ranging from wet rainforest to the savannah plains and the arid Sahara desert, which provides habitat for a wide variety of wildlife. Africa, which is widely regarded as the birthplace of human life, is the habitat for many of the world's amazing animals, as well as those that are endangered.

The African continent has the highest concentration national parks. There are more of them in Africa than anywhere else in the world. As of 2014, there are 335 national parks that protect over 1,100 mammal species, 100,000 insect species, 2,600 bird species and 3,000 fish species. In addition, there are hundreds of game reserves, forest reserves, marine reserves, national reserves and natural parks in Africa.

Serengeti National Park

Zebra migration in the Serengeti National Park.
The Serengeti National Park in Tanzania is one of the oldest and most famous nature reserves. wildlife in Africa. The park is famous for the annual migration of millions of wildebeest plus hundreds of thousands of gazelles and zebras followed by raptors, one of the most impressive natural spectacles in the world. The Great Migration, which is an annual 1,000-kilometer circular trek, takes place in a unique scenic area, in vast treeless expanses of impressively flat grassy pastures dotted with rock outcroppings interspersed with rivers and forests. The park also hosts some of the most impressive and diverse biological relationships large predators and their victims in the world.

The Serengeti National Park is located on an area of ​​12,950 square kilometers and is considered one of the least affected natural ecosystems in the world.

Masai Mara National Reserve

The Masai Mara National Reserve is located in Narok County, Kenya and is the northern extension of the Serengeti National Park. It is named after the Maasai people who live in the region. The reserve is known for its exceptional population of lions, leopards, and cheetahs, as well as the annual migration of zebras, Thomson's gazelles, and wildebeests into and out of the Serengeti that occurs each year from July to October, and is known as the Great Migration.

The Masai Mara National Wildlife Refuge is relatively small, yet it is home to an astounding concentration of wildlife. The park is home to about 95 species of mammals, amphibians and reptiles and more than 400 species of birds. The Big Five (buffalo, elephant, leopard, lion, and rhinoceros) can be found throughout the park, as can leopards, cheetahs, hyenas, giraffes, antelopes, wildebeest, swamps, baboons, warthogs, zebras, hippos, and crocodiles in the Mara River ( Mara River).


An aerial view of a herd of wildebeest following several leading zebras in the Masai Mara.

Bwindi Impenetrable National Park

Bwindi Impenetrable Forest National Park is located in southwestern Uganda in East Africa. The park covers 331 square kilometer jungle forests, and as the name suggests it can only be reached on foot. The park is located on the eastern edge of the Albertine Rift Valley, and has a rich ecosystem with perhaps the largest number of tree species for its height in all of East Africa. Diverse fauna can also be seen here, including a number of endemic butterflies and one of the richest concentrations of mammals in Africa. The Bwindi Impenetrable Forest National Park is home to almost half of the world's mountain gorilla population, of which, unfortunately, only 340 individuals remain.




Mountain gorilla in Bwindi Impenetrable Forest National Park.

Amboseli National Park

Amboseli National Park is one of the most popular parks in Kenya. It is located in the southern part of the country on the border with Tanzania and offers one of the most classic and breathtaking views of Mount Kilimanjaro with its 5985-meter peak rising above the plains. Amboseli National Park attracts visitors mainly for its huge herds of elephants, but the park is also a habitat for many predators such as the lion, cheetah and leopard.


An elephant crosses a dirt road in Amboseli National Park. Mount Kilimanjaro is visible in the background.

Kruger National Park

The Kruger National Park is one of the largest game reserves in Africa and one of the most extensive national parks in the world, covering an area of ​​19,485 square kilometers. This is also the first national park in South Africa, which was opened in 1926, although the area of ​​the park has been protected by the state since 1898. Lives in the Kruger National Park more species large mammals than any other African game reserve, including the Big Five - lions, leopards, elephants, rhinos, and buffaloes.

Chobe National Park

Chobe National Park is located in the northwestern part of Botswana close to the borders with Zambia, Zimbabwe and Namibia and is famous for its amazing population of elephants. It is estimated to be home to around 50,000 elephants, perhaps the highest concentration of elephants in Africa and part of the largest continuously surviving population of elephants. Best time to visit Chobe, this is during the dry season from April to October, when the plains dry up and the animals gather near the banks of the river, making them easier to spot.


Baby elephant in the Serondela zone, on the banks of the Chobe River, in the Chobe National Park.

Etosha National Park

Etosha National Park is located in northwestern Namibia. It covers an area of ​​22,270 square kilometers and takes its name from the large, silvery, white Etosha Salt Plateau, which covers almost a quarter of the Etosha National Park. The park is home to hundreds of species of mammals, birds and reptiles, including several rare and endangered species such as black rhinos.


The Etosha Salt Plateau covers an area of ​​4,800 square kilometers and was formed 16,000 years ago.

Central Kalahari Game Reserve

The Central Kalahari National Game Reserve, located in Botswana's Kalahari Desert, covers an area of ​​52,800 square kilometers, about twice the size of Massachusetts, making it the second largest game reserve in the world. This hunting reserve is characterized by vast open plains, salt flats and ancient riverbeds. The territory of the reserve is mostly flat, with small hills covered with shrubs and grass, which also grow on sand dunes, and in areas with big trees. The reserve is home to such wild animals as giraffes, brown hyena, warthog, cheetah, wild dogs, leopard, lion, blue wildebeest, eland, oryx, markhorn antelope and a red bubal.

The Bushmen have inhabited the Kalahari for thousands of years and their people date back to the Stone Age period. These Bushmen still live here, and roam the territories as nomadic hunters.




Bushmen of the Kalahari.

Nechisar National Park

Nechisar National Park is not big park, located on an area of ​​514 square kilometers, in an excellent picturesque part of the rift valley between two lakes. To the east, the park is bordered by the Amaro foothills, which rise to about 2,000 meters, to the north of it are the ever red waters of Lake Abaya, which covers an area of ​​1,070 square kilometers. To the south is Lake Chamo, a small lake with clear waters, covering an area of ​​350 kilometers. To the east is the city of Arba Minch, which is the main city of the Northern Omo zone. The central plains located between the lake and the foothills of Amaro (Amaro) from afar appear white, which was the source of the name Nechisar or "white grass".

The Nechisar National Park is considered an important habitat for bird populations, especially those that are migratory. There are significant populations of kingfishers, storks, pelicans, flamingos and screaming eagles.

Ngorongoro Conservation Area

The Ngorongoro Game Reserve is located in northwestern Tanzania. At its very center is the impressive Ngorongoro Crater, an old volcano that collapsed to form the crater. The steep slopes of the crater have become a natural reserve for a wide variety of wild animals that live here. Beyond the edge of the crater, the Maasai people graze their cattle on the plains, seemingly oblivious to the herds of wild animals that share this vast landscape with them. This area also has great importance in tracing human origins, as some of the earliest human remains have been found here, including human footprints, which are 3.5 million years old.


View of Ngorongoro from inside the crater.


Lake inside the Ngorongoro Crater.

Africa is a huge continent, on the territory of which there are a large number of natural zones and various ecosystems. To protect the nature of this continent, various states created in Africa a large number of parks, the density of which is the highest on the planet. Now there are more than 330 parks, where more than 1.1 thousand species of animals, 100 thousand insects, 2.6 thousand birds and 3 thousand fish are under protection. In addition to large parks, on the African mainland there are a huge number natural reserves and natural parks.

In general, Africa has the following natural areas:

• equatorial forests;
• evergreen forests;
• savannas;
• variable-humid forests;
• deserts and semi-deserts;
• altitudinal range.

The largest national parks

It is impossible to list all the national parks in Africa. We will discuss only the largest and most famous. Serengeti is located in Tanzania, was created a long time ago.

Serengeti

Gazelles and zebras, wildebeest and various predators are found here.

There are endless expanses and picturesque places, with an area of ​​​​over 12 thousand square meters. kilometers. Scientists believe that the Serengeti is the ecosystem on the planet that has the least changes.

Masai Mara is located in Kenya and was named after African people Maasai inhabiting the area.

Masai Mara

There is a numerical population of lions, cheetahs, buffaloes, elephants, hyenas, you can meet leopards, gazelles, hippos, rhinos, crocodiles and zebras.

The area of ​​Masai Mara is small, but there is a high concentration of fauna. In addition to animals, reptiles, birds, amphibians are found here.

Reptile

Ngorongoro is a national reserve, which is also located in Tanzania. Its relief is formed by the remains of an old volcano. Here, various kinds of wild animals are found on the steep slopes. On the plain the Maasai graze livestock. It combines wildlife with African tribes that bring minimal changes to the ecosystem.

Ngorongoro

In Uganda, there is the Bwindi Wildlife Sanctuary, located in the dense jungle.

bwindi

Mountain gorillas live here, and their number is equal to 50% of the total number of individuals on earth.

In southern Africa is largest park Kruger, where lions, leopards and elephants live. There is also a large Chobe Park, where various animals live, including a large population of elephants. There are a huge number of other African national parks, thanks to which the populations of many animals, birds and insects are preserved and increased.

Great video from Africa National Park

When you think of Africa, wild animals immediately spring to mind. Africa - continent with the richest variety flora and fauna, much more than on any other continent of our planet. Thanks to the wide variety climatic zones, from subarctic to tropical, Africa has many different habitats: tropical rainforests, savannahs, plains, and the arid Sahara Desert. Africa is also considered the continent where the first people appeared.

The African continent has the highest concentration of national parks, with 335 as of 2014, protecting over 1,100 mammal species, 100,000 insect species, 2,600 bird species and 3,000 fish species. In addition, there are hundreds of game reserves, forest reserves, marine reserves, national reserves and nature parks.
Serengeti National Park

Zebra migration in the Serengeti National Park

The Masai Mara is relatively small, but it has an amazing concentration of wildlife. The park is home to 95 species of mammals, amphibians and reptiles and over 400 bird species.

The Bushmen have inhabited the Kalahari for thousands of years. These tribes still live here and roam the area as nomadic hunters.

Continent Africa - 54 countries. On the continent (as of 2014) there are 335 protected areas - reserves, reserves, natural parks.

All of them, apart from marine reserves, are included in the list of reserves and national parks in Africa. You can see this list as a whole and for each country separately. This list does not include private parks and private natural areas African continent.

TOP 10: the most famous oldest reserves and national parks in Africa

1. Garamba, Uganda
   Area: 4,900 km 2 National Park and 7,527 km 2 Domaines de Chas - African Parks Project 2005. Managed by the African Parks Organization DRC in partnership with the Institute for the Conservation of Nature (ICCN)
2. Akajera, Rwanda
   Area: 1122 km 2 - in Africa, the 2010 Parks project. Akagera is operated by a joint venture between African Parks and the Rwanda Development Board.
3. Bangweulu, Zambia
   Area: 6,000 km2 - Africa 2008 Parks project
   Bangweulu Wetlands is managed through a partnership between African Parks, the Wildlife Institute Authority (Zawa) and the six Chiefdoms of Zambia where these park areas are located.
4. Luwa National Park Zambia
   Area: 3660 km 2 - project "Parks" 2003
   Liuwa African Park is governed by the African Parks and Royal Borotse partnership - traditionally owned by the Lozi people.
5. Majet, Malawi Nature Reserve
   Area: 700 km2 - Africa Parks Project 2003
   Operated by Malawi National Parks Department and Wildlife Society (DNPW)
6. Odzala-Kokua, Congo
   Area: 13,500 km2 - African Park Project 2010
   The Odzala-Kokoua National Park is managed by the African Parks Foundation and the Congolese government.
7. Serengeti, Tanzania
   Endless Plains - 14750 km 2 East Mara of northwestern Tanzania - borders on the north with the Kenyan border, continuous with National Reserve Masai. The Serengeti lies to the southeast of Ngorongoro Park, to the west the Ikorongo and Grumeti Game Reserves - together, these areas form a large single ecosystem.
8. Zakuma, Chad
   Area: 3054 km 2 - in Africa the Parks project since 2010
   Zakuma is carried out in partnership between African Parks and the Government of Chad
9. Bwindi, Uganda
   impenetrable forest
10. Kruger National Park, South Africa.
    One of the most famous parks on the African continent is a nature reserve and a national park at the same time.

Welcome to the world of nature reserves and national parks in Africa!

1. Garamba in Africa is one of the last true corners of the wild. An impressive savannah with an extensive section of forest, with exceptionally high biodiversity. The open hilly grasslands are the stage for spectacular encounters with large herds of elephants, buffaloes, the Ugandan Kob antelope (the symbol of the country), and the less common species of giraffe and horse antelope.

2. Akagera
Akagera National Park is located in the northeast of Rwanda along the border with Tanzania. It is named after the Akagera River, which flows along the eastern border and feeds a labyrinth of lakes, of which Lake Ihema is the largest. Acacia groves, wetland brachystegia, combined with scattered meadows and fringed lakes along the meandering Akagera, united by watercourses, create a park of breathtaking beauty.

3. Bangweulu
In the upper reaches of the Congo Basin in northeastern Zambia, one of the most large systems wetlands of Africa - Bangweulu. Bangweulu is a local word meaning "where the water meets the sky" - seasonally flooded areas of untouched wilderness. The broad system of Bangweulu includes lakes, floodplains, swamps, termitaria forests, vast areas of virgin miombo, pastures. The Chambeshi and Luapula rivers are the main southern tributaries of the Congo River in this area. Bangweulu is home to a significant number of endemic plants and animals. For example, black lychee. current score- more than 75,000 animals. This is home to the Shoebill bird, one of Africa's enigmatic ornithological assets.

4. Liuva
Liuwa Plain is located on the upper floodplains of the Zambezi River in western Zambia and is bounded by the Luambimba and Luanginga rivers. Liuva is a seasonally flooded grassy plain dotted with forest islands. Since 1972, Liuwa has had the status of a national park - the oldest preserved park in the history of Africa. Originally proclaimed king of Barotseland in the early 1880s, historically used as a royal hunting ground and protected by the Lozi people. Liuwa is home to the second largest wildebeest in Africa and is home to a thousand remarkable animals. Herds of zebras, tsessebe lyrohorned harlequins graze, on the plains they are pursued by predators - wild dogs, hyenas, cheetahs, lions. Liuwa supports bird populations globally with over 330 species.

5. Rubs
Majete Reserve - Majete Reserve was proclaimed in 1955, located in the Lower Shire Valley, in the Great Rift Valley of Africa, with an area of ​​700 km². The vegetation is varied, ranging from moist forests miombo, in the western hills, and ending with the dried savannah in the east with prominent thickets along the rivers. Malawi launches wildlife reintroduction program

6. Odzala
Second largest in the world a tropical forest, second only to Amazon ( Amazonian forests), Odzala-Kokoua - extensive protected forests. They are located in the northwestern part of the Republic of the Congo. This is 13,546 km2 of untouched wilderness - an incredible biodiversity of an extraordinary complex ecosystem.

7. Serengeti
Serengeti National Park, Tanzania - famous for the annual migration of zebras, wildebeests, gazelles and predators - is considered one of the most undisturbed ecological zones in the world. The neighboring Masai Mara Reserve is located in one of the districts of Kenya. In general, the reserve is a continuation of the Sarengeti National Park. It is famous for the lions that live here in large numbers.

8. Zakuma
Zakouma is located in Salamat in southeastern Chad, west of the town of Am Timan, about 800 km by road southeast of N'Djamena. It is described as one of the last strongholds of wilderness for Central Africa and is considered a major success in wildlife conservation.

9. Bwindi
Bwindi National Park is located in the jungle - you can only travel on foot. This park is located in the Albertine Valley - here is the largest number of the most diverse trees in Africa. Bwindi Park is home to exotic, stunningly beautiful butterflies.

10. Kruger Park
The oldest national park in South Africa, National Park Kruger is the flagship park South Africa- a huge number of wild animals for the size of a small country. The Kruger National Park has the largest number of mammals. The park is divided into 17 ecological zones, where animals live larger than in any other biome in the world - elephant, white rhino, buffalo. During the rainy season, a great population of birds. big cats: leopard, cheetah, lion - the subject of interest of the tourist Safari.

Hot and friendly Africa gladly opens the doors of its most intimate and interesting places. Safari - please, wild and exotic animals - please. Whole animal world Africa is open to visitors, and you can see it in the most beautiful and famous national parks and reserves in Africa.

It is with them that we want to introduce you in this article, transfer them to the world of animals and birds and show what secrets mysterious Africa keeps in itself.

This park is famous for the annual migration of zebras, wildebeests, gazelles and, accordingly, predators that hunt them. The national park is considered one of the most undisturbed ecological systems in the world. Also, it is the oldest park in Africa.

Perhaps this is the most famous and popular reserve in Africa. It is located in one of the districts of Kenya, called Narok. Reserve coordinates - 1°29′24″ S. sh. 35°08′38″ in. e. It is named after the tribe that lives here.

From September to October, an impressive event takes place in this reserve - the migration of wildebeest. In general, the reserve is a continuation of the Sarengeti National Park. But most of all it is famous for the lions that live here in large numbers.

Upon arrival, you can stay at one of the many campsites that are located on the territory. And on the official website of the reserve, find out about all the details that interest you.

Unlike the previous two, this park is located in the jungle, and you can only travel through it on foot. This park is located in the Albertine Valley, the coordinates of the park are 1°03′29″S. sh. 29°42′01″ in. d.

Here you can enjoy the largest number variety of trees in Africa. The park is also home to exotic and stunningly beautiful butterflies.

Gorilla safari is popular here and there is even a cottage called Gorilla Safari Lodge. the park will inform you about all the details of your stay in it.

It is both a nature reserve and a national park at the same time. Also, this is the very first national park in Africa. It has the largest number of mammals, the most popular of which are lions, rhinos, elephants, leopards and buffaloes. Park coordinates - 24°00′41″ S. sh. 31°29′07″ E d.

It works from 6.00 to 17.30, on its territory you can stay both in private campsites and in ordinary parking lots. On the official website, you can book a safari and arrival time.

Already from the name it becomes clear that it is located in the Kalahari Desert in Botswana. This is the second largest nature reserve in the world. Desert, you think what to do there. Despite this, the park contains salt lakes and ancient riverbeds along with sand dunes. This park has the largest concentration of wild animals in the world.

The most famous inhabitants are white rhinos, crocodiles, hippos, giraffes, wild dogs, cheetahs, hyenas and of course lions and leopards. Reserve coordinates - 21°53′22″ S. sh. 23°45′23″ E e. Of course, the infrastructure is developed here and everyone can visit and even hunt wild animals.

National parks and nature reserves in Africa have a special charm, and it’s not even about famous safaris, it’s more about the fact that they have retained their original beauty, untouchedness, grandeur and a certain inaccessibility. These factors attract millions of tourists from all over the world to unravel the mysteries and mysteries of the beautiful African nature.