Five of the best: Wildlife breaks
Ranomafana National Park, Madagascar
Undulating landscape dripping with emerald rainforest and tropical flora characterises Madagascar's popular Ranomafana National Park. Lying in the Indian Ocean, Madagascar boasts many endemic creatures. Particularly prevalent in Ranomafana is the lemur, with species including the great bamboo, red-bellied, greater-dwarf and brown mouse lemurs. Also found in the park are the fanaloka, the eastern ring-tailed mongoose and the red forest rat.
Kruger National Park, South Africa
Visitors to South Africa's largest game reserve could be forgiven for forgetting they were in a controlled area: the 18,989 sq km (7,332 sq miles) of jagged rock formations and rolling savannah are home to Africa's most impressive wildlife, running free in a space almost the size of Israel. Watch grazing zebras, elephant herds trekking the baked landscape, and listen to a chorus of gruff hippos wallowing as the sun sets. A lucky few may glimpse the park's big cats: lions, cheetahs and jaguars all prowl in the shadows.
Galapagos Islands, Ecuador
Teeming with creatures of all shapes and sizes, and skirted with glistening Pacific waters, the 19 Galapagos Islands are a fascinating escape for nature-lovers. Located off the coast of Ecuador, the islands got their name from their giant-shelled resident, the Galapagos tortoise. On land, these large creatures roam alongside iguanas, snakes and various lizard species, and a bustling avian community features waddling penguins and the soaring albatross, while island waters swim with sea lions and green and hawksbill turtles.
Chitwan National Park, Nepal
The single-horned Indian Rhinoceros is one of the most famous residents of Nepal's oldest national park, as Chitwan hosts one of the world's last populations of the large mammal. Another key attraction is the striking and endangered Bengal tiger, as well as a large elephant population. Alongside these big players are a host of weird and wonderful creatures, including hyenas, sloth bears, jackals, mongoose, deer and leopards.
Masai Mara, Kenya
Found 270km (167miles) from Nairobi, the Masai Mara features all manner of wildlife, including crocodiles, giraffe, lions and cheetahs. Wildebeest heavily populate this vast Kenyan park, and every July, August and September, over 1,300,000 wildebeests migrate from Tanzania's Serengeti National Park, across the Mara River, and into the pastures of the Masai Mara. Once the grasses have been sufficiently chewed, the vast clouds of wildebeests head south again around October.
01 September 2009
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