East Africa: Difference between revisions

East Africa's dramatic landscapes - and the wildlife that inhabit them - are a major draw for East African tourists. This part of Africa is where you can find the quintessential savanna '''safari''' experience, venturing out in a Land Rover across the plains to scout lions, cheetahs and elephants. The [[Maasai Mara]] and [[Amboseli National Park]] in [[Kenya]], and [[Ngorongoro Crater]] and [[Serengeti National Park]] in Tanzania are very popular locations for game drives, offering the visitor the chance to spot the vaunted "Big Five" (lions, leopards, elephants, rhinos and buffaloes). However, there are dozens of locations offering wildlife spotting in these two countries, including both public parks and preserves and privately-run safari properties, and running the gamut from elaborate luxury experiences in the bush to a quick morning cruise through [[Nairobi]]'s Nairobi National Park. Both Uganda and Rwanda also offer their own compelling safari opportunities, but both are better known for '''gorilla trekking''', the once-in-a-lifetime (and hugely expensive) adventures into the jungle to spot silverbacks and mountain gorillas.

 

 

East Africa isn't just plains and mountains, however. Desert covers a huge chunk of the Horn of Africa, creating bizarre, almost extra-terrestrial areas like [[Ethiopia]]'s Danakil Depression or [[Djibouti]]'s Lake Assal. Much of Rwanda and Uganda is covered in lush, hilly jungles. And the white beaches of the Swahili Coast offer their own type of natural beauty.