10 Incredible National Parks in Africa — From Vast Deserts to Rain Forests and Mountains

The second-largest continent in the world, Africa is home to a vast array of landscapes, including protected national parks filled with incredible wildlife, serene views, and mind-blowing adventures. But with more than 350 national parks spread across the continent's 54 countries, deciding which to visit is no easy feat.

To help you plan an unforgettable trip, we put together a list of some of the most deservedly famous African national parks — plus a few you might not know. From ancient deserts to urban mountain ranges, and rain forests to savannas, these are 10 of the best national parks in Africa.

Namib-Naukluft National Park, Namibia

For many city dwellers, the greatest luxury is a few days of complete silence, wide open landscapes, and dark night skies. You can find all that and more in the Namib-Naukluft National Park in western Namibia. At nearly 20,000 square miles, it's the largest national park in all of Africa. The park includes a portion of the Namib Desert (said to be the oldest in the world) and a section of the wild Atlantic coastline, with plenty of deep canyons and unique wildlife in between. It's perhaps best known for the giant, rust-red sand dunes of the Sossusvlei area and the famous Deadvlei clay pan with its striking dead camel thorn trees — one the most photographed scenes in Namibia.

Hwange National Park, Zimbabwe

If you love elephants, Hwange is the place to go. The park sits near the border of Zimbabwe and Botswana, the nations with the largest and second-largest elephant populations on earth — and around 45,000 of those pachyderms reside within Hwange. The best time to catch a glimpse of these "super herds" is during the August-to-October dry season, when they congregate around watering holes. There are also lions, leopards, cheetahs, wild dogs, and rhinos to see. One of the best things about Hwange is that it's within driving distance of Victoria Falls (and the international airport located there), so you can hit Zimbabwe's largest national park and the famous falls in a single trip.

Kruger National Park, South Africa

Kruger is a vast national park that's as popular with South Africans as it is with international visitors. In the far northeast of South Africa, the park borders Mozambique and Zimbabwe, stretching 200 miles north to south across an area of more than 7,500 square miles. Home to the Big Five (lions, leopards, elephants, rhinos, and buffaloes), the park also has facilities and experiences for all kinds of travelers: luxury safari lodges, camping, self-driving excursions, and walking tours, to name a few. Kruger is arguably the most famous park in Africa, but you can avoid the crowds by centering your visit on the north of the park, where you'll find large fever-tree forests and giant baobabs but fewer visitors than in the popular south. Wherever you go, though, the park's popularity does have one perk: the animals here are so used to humans that even elusive species like leopards tend to be comfortable walking right up to your vehicle.

Volcanoes National Park, Rwanda

Volcanoes National Park in Rwanda is one of the best places on earth to see mountain gorillas. Its renowned gorilla treks take visitors from the park headquarters into the mountainous forest under the direction of an expert ranger. Depending on where the gorillas are during your visit, the hike could take anywhere from 30 minutes to several hours, but once you reach them, you'll be able to watch at close range as the endangered creatures feed, interact with each other, and appraise their human visitors. Compared with other options on the continent (like Mgahinga Gorilla National Park in Uganda and Virunga National Park in the DRC), Volcanoes has the highest fees for a gorilla trek — a permit is $1,500 per person — but it offers the most luxurious accommodations. The park is also fairly easy to access, since it's less than three hours by car from Rwanda's capital, Kigali.

Serengeti National Park, Tanzania

The word Serengeti accurately summons images of vast golden plains, cheetahs sitting atop termite mounds, and hundreds of wildebeests plunging into the waters of the Mara River as part of their Great Migration. Bordering Kenya's Maasai Mara National Reserve, it's often considered the less crowded of the two iconic destinations, in part because it's bigger. Aside from offering the stunning landscapes for which this part of Africa is famed (think blazing sunsets with a single acacia tree in the foreground), it's a great place to see big cat action. Cheetahs are able to stretch their legs on the wide-open plains, while leopards are relaxed enough to allow vehicles to get close.

Odzala-Kokoua National Park, Republic of the Congo

Despite its nine decades of history — Odzala was designated a national park in 1935, far earlier than most on the continent — it's possible that you won't see a single other tourist in this lesser-known reserve. Near the northwest edge of the Republic of the Congo, Odzala protects a portion of the Congo Basin rain forest, often called the "second lungs" of the world (after the Amazon). Here, you can kayak through the forest waterways, walk through quiet woodlands while keeping your eyes peeled for chimpanzees and elephants, and interact with western lowland gorillas, a smaller and more energetic cousin of the mountain gorillas found a few hundred miles east.

Queen Elizabeth National Park, Uganda

Located in southwest Uganda, Queen Elizabeth National Park is just a few hours from the aforementioned Volcanoes National Park, but its landscape is a world away. Instead of volcanoes and rain forests, you'll find lakes and channels, savannas, and plains. The park is known for its tree-climbing lions — unusual behavior for the animals — but there are also elephants, buffaloes, leopards, and hippos to spot, plus more than 500 types of birds. In addition to game drives, you can take boat trips along the Kazinga Channel and track chimpanzees.

Table Mountain National Park, South Africa

Arguably the best urban national park in the world, this iconic Cape Town attraction is the city's playground. The mountains here are crisscrossed by trails of varying difficulty levels, each presenting views that make even the most blasé of Capetonians pinch themselves — whether they're watching the sun rise over the city from atop Lion's Head or seeing it set on the Atlantic Ocean from the Pipe Track. Technical hikers will love the challenging India Venster trail, while view-hunters will enjoy the panoramic vistas of the ocean and Hout Bay as seen from Suther Peak. There are also gentle, shady strolls through Newlands Forest and beautiful single-track routes across the mountaintop. Spot South Africa's national flower (the king protea), tiny colorful sunbirds, and even a specimen or two of the region's native big cat species, the caracal. Not into hiking and biking? There's also a cable car that can whisk you to the top of Table Mountain in a matter of minutes.

South Luangwa National Park, Zambia

South Luangwa National Park is known as the birthplace of the walking safari. Located in eastern Zambia, the park is bisected by the Luangwa River, which acts as a gathering point for the area's animals. In addition to one of the world's highest concentrations of leopards, the park is home to lions, elephants, buffaloes, spotted hyenas, Thornicroft's giraffes, zebras, and wild dogs. Hundreds of bird species include various eagles, kingfishers, and herons. You can travel the park by 4x4, boat, and of course, foot — the experience of trekking through the bush and staying in temporary camps as you go is not to be missed.

Pendjari National Park, Benin

Located in northwest Benin, Pendjari is one of the best places in West Africa to see big game like lions and elephants. Hippos, buffaloes, waterbucks, hartebeests; in smaller numbers, leopards and cheetahs also make their home here. Dry season is the best time to visit, as the park's thick bush — part of a landscape made up of woodland, savanna, and rolling hills — can make wildlife spotting tricky in the wet months. The park is tipped as one to watch, as the Benin government has committed itself to boosting tourism through a focus on its development. Under the management of the conservation organization African Parks, Pendjari is in the midst of a major push to create employment opportunities, boost security, and encourage more travelers to visit.