South Africa
Wildlife

South Africa is world famous for the huge array of wildlife native to this beautiful part of the world. The country is perhaps most well known for offering safari goers the chance of seeing the Big 5; African elephant, rhino, lion, leopard and buffalo. The most popular area to search for these beasts is the Kruger National Park, a natural conservation park the size of Wales (United Kingdom).

Down by the coast if you are lucky you can extend this into seeing the Big 7, which includes the glorious southern right whale and, of course, the great white shark.

Whilst at the coast there is also a good possibility (season dependent) of seeing blue whales and a wide variety of dolphins. With respect to fish over 2,000 species can be found off South African shores, including a large number of powerful and majestic sharks.

In addition to big game South Africa boasts over 200 different species of mammal, including antelope or ‘buck’, wild dogs, hyena, giraffe, aardvark and many many more.

South Africa also has a prolific population of reptiles, including the Nile crocodile and over 100 species of snake (approximately half of which are poisonous).

The bird population of South Africa attracts visitors from all over the globe, with over 850 species having been recorded as sighted within the country. The vast variety of birds ranges from the world’s largest, the ostrich, to the radiantly colourful bee-eaters, sunbirds, louries and kingfishers.