QUIZ! Spotting the Big Five in Africa

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There are few travel adventures out there are dreamed about as spotting the Big Five in Africa. Marina and I both grew up with wild dreams of visiting Africa, exploring the vast plains and spotting Animals we had only even seen in books and movies.

While there are many destinations on Earth to view special animals rarely seen, such as penguins in Antarctica or panda bears in China, nowhere else on Earth has the variety of animal life as the endless plains of Africa with absolutely expansive reserves for the wildlife living there.

No trip to Africa is complete without setting out on a safari and doing your best to track, spot, view and be amazed by the wild animals you will find there. Think that tigers can be spotted on a trip to Africa? Think again! Not native to Africa, tigers are not one of the Big 5, but if you are on a trip to Asia you can sure find them and if you are lucky, might end up playing with tigers in Thailand.

What you might not know is that the big five (lion, leopard, rhino, elephant, cape buffalo) was a term coined not by visitors but by…

Take the quiz below and see how much you know about the Big Five in Africa and learn the answer!

I had the chance to visit animal reserves in both South Africa and Botswana and while lucky enough to see all the wildlife I could ever dream of, I was very surprised at the beauty and variety of wild birds and insects we also spotting along our journey. The spiders alone are big enough to give you nightmares forever but man are they colorful and cool looking!

While I never had a problem with any serious insect or bug bites, I was very carful not to leave my shoes outside and to coverup whenever I was out in the brush, who knows what kind of bugs are out there but I didn’t want to find out!

Birdists the world over flock to Africa to spot some of the most beautiful and rare birds in the world, including the gorgeous and colorful Lilac-breasted roller which I was lucky enough to spot on Botswana while boating down the Okavango delta. 

We also saw the African skimmer, an absolutely gigantic black and white stork looking bird which followed our boats all the way down the delta circling high overhead.

While the zebra, giraffe and gorilla might not be on the big five list, they certainly are a fan favorite among many travelers. While I was not lucky enough to see any gorillas while in Africa, there are many tours in Uganda which will get you face to face with these amazing creatures in an experience which can only be described as once in a lifetimes. Uganda might not be on your African itinerary but sometimes heading off the beaten path can be the most exciting and rewarding choice, especially if there are gorillas to be spotted.

Both Kruger National Park in South Africa and the reserves around the Okavango Delta in Botswana are excellent places to see endless wildlife.  While in Kruger I was lucky enough to spot multiple elephants, zebras, lions, leopards and buffalos during our early morning and late afternoon safaris through the bush.

Waking up as early as possible is simply the best way to see all the wildlife that you can, and while you can sleep during the middle of the day, make sure to head out again as the sun start to go down to maximize your chances of seeing as much wildlife as possible. We were lucky enough to find a pair of leopards mating, which was intense to say the least.

Experiencing things such as this really make you think just how wild these animals are, and while the animals reserves might be fenced, they are so huge that most of the wildlife will never have any idea as they have endless miles to explore and will rarely find a barrier to their safari life.

So who knows what you will see out there and what amazing sites, sounds and wildlife you will come across on your adventures. Pack your camera, cross your fingers and never stop exploring. Wake up early, stay out late, be patient and keep your eyes peeled for some of the most amazing animals in the world in one of the only places to see these amazing creatures in their natural habitat before they disappear.

All images by Jeff Johns, quiz provided by My Adventure Store.

.H

Jeff Johns is the co-founder and editor of Latitude 34 Travel Blog. Through 65 countries on 6 continents he has accumulated a seemingly endless stream of odd information, interesting stories and helpful tips and tricks to better travel. Jeff’s goal is to visit all 204 countries on Earth before he is too senile to remember them all. A graduate of the Visual Journalism program at the Brooks Institute, his true passions lay in honest visual storytelling, documentary filmmaking, Thai food and a good laugh. Together with his girlfriend Marina, they run Latitude 34 Travel Blog as a source of helpful information for those who love to travel or those who simply dream of it. If you have a comment or suggestion, send them an email at hello@latitudethirtyfour.com and they’ll respond super fast!