The Big Five is a hunting term. It named the five animals that were most dangerous to shoot on foot, not the five best to look at. It stuck because it is a good list, but it is worth knowing that the phrase has nothing to do with beauty or rarity.
What are the Big Five and where do you see them?
Lion, leopard, elephant, buffalo and rhino. On a northern circuit trip with us the first four are all realistic, and most guests see them.
- Lion. Common in the Serengeti and in the Ngorongoro Crater. The most likely of the five.
- Elephant. Tarangire in the dry season is as good as it gets, with large herds around the river.
- Buffalo. Widespread and easy. You will probably stop counting.
- Leopard. Present in the Serengeti, usually in a tree along a river. Takes luck and a guide who knows where to look.
- Rhino. The hard one. The Ngorongoro Crater is the realistic chance in the north, often at distance.
Nobody can promise you five out of five. An operator who does is telling you what you want to hear.
What do people actually talk about afterwards?
Rarely the list. It is usually cheetah on a termite mound, or a hyena den with pups, or the moment a thousand wildebeest decide to move at once. Giraffe surprise people by being genuinely strange up close. Birds convert travellers who arrived indifferent, and the lilac-breasted roller has more photographs taken of it than most of the Big Five.
Which animals are not in Tanzania?
Gorillas. They live in Rwanda, Uganda and Congo, and no Tanzanian safari will show you one. Tanzania does have chimpanzees, at Gombe and Mahale in the far west, but that is a separate circuit that we do not operate. If chimpanzees are the reason for your trip, we will point you to someone who runs them rather than sell you something else.
Does the season change what you see?
It changes how easily you see it. In the dry months the grass is short and animals gather at water, so spotting is easier. In the green season the animals are still there, the grass is high, and the young are being born. Different trip, not a worse one.
Tell us what you most want to see and we will tell you honestly which parks give you the best chance, and which month helps.
