Top 5 Places To See Zebras In Africa
Top 5 Places To See Zebras In Africa
The Zebra is one of the most well-known and mesmerising animals in the wild of Africa. Its black-and-white stripes are such a unique feature that has attracted photographers, wildlife enthusiasts, and researchers over so many generations. They can be found in many different ecosystems around sub-Saharan Africa, and besides being beautiful, zebras are also extremely important to their ecosystems as a grazer and prey animal.
In Africa, there are three major species of zebra, which include plains zebra, Grevy zebra, and mountain zebra. Different species live in distinct areas and regions; thus, your destination in Africa defines the kind of zebra you will find. Among the wildest animals on the planet, zebras are one of the biggest attractions in Africa. If you have seen them in their own natural environment on your bucket list, here are the top 5 destinations around Africa where you have practically a front row seat to these beautiful creatures.
Serengeti National Park, Tanzania
When to go: June to October (dry season and Great Migration)
Serengeti is arguably the most renowned wildlife park in the world over and there is a reason for that. It is a huge ecosystem encompassing 14,750 square kilometres and one of the most magnificent wildlife events on Earth, the Great Migration. More than two million wildebeest, hundreds of thousands of zebras and gazelles each year move in a continuous loop over the Serengeti in Tanzania and the Maasai Mara in Kenya.
The Serengeti is notably rife with Zebras and can be observed throughout the entire year; however, observing them during the Great Migration is another opportunity in life. They usually spearhead the movement as they feed on the longer grass, leaving wildebeest, which favour short grass, to move in to fill the gap. The social aspects involving zebras and wildebeest are amazing – they tend to make up mixed herds and can protect each other in numbers against predators such as the hyenas and lions.
During the dry season (June-October), the zebras will tend to flock around any remaining water sources, where they can be sighted even more frequently and satisfyingly.
Maasai Mara National Reserve, Kenya
Most popular to visit: July-October (during the Great Migration taking place in Kenya)
The Maasai Mara is a northern expansion of the Serengeti ecosystem and another great place to observe large quantities of the plains zebras. When the migration season (January-March) is coming, particularly in July, September and October, it is possible to observe hordes of thousands of zebra crossing the Mara River, an incident that is full of drama and danger as crocodiles lurk on them and currents are quite strong.
The Maasai Mara has an unbelievable density of wildlife even off-season of the migration. Zebras are the permanent inhabitants who live in open savannas, and since they live together, they travel as family units. The soft hilly grasslands and the plain littered with acacia trees exude the ideal scenery that one would want to photograph the zebras, particularly during the golden hours of sunset and sunrise.
Also, the fact that much of the reserve is close to Nairobi and the fact that it has well-developed infrastructure in terms of safari resources make it one of the most convenient and ultimately worthwhile zebra viewing places.
Etosha National Park, Namibia
The Etosha National Park of Namibia provides a quite different, but at least just as spectacular, atmosphere for observing zebras. Etosha is characterised by saltpans, semiarid savannas with many interconnected waterholes that draw wildlife to it during the dry period, unlike the green open lands of the East African plains.
Etosha consists of two zebra species, namely, the more common plains zebra and the rare Hartmann’s mountain zebra. You can spot both virtually anywhere in the same broad area, and, like the zebra of the mountains, the mountain zebra typically lives on the rockier sloping land on the western side.
During the dry season and the peak of the dry season (July-October), zebras in Etosha converge in large numbers at the waterholes, when other water sources become dry. These meetings are good exposures to the study of social behaviour, grooming, play fighting, as well as the birth of foals.
Etosha equally offers car-top safari infrastructures, which enable the visitor to explore the reserve with the flexibility and a wallet-friendly method to see zebras in proximity.
Lewa Wildlife Conservancy, Kenya
Best visiting time: June to March
There is nowhere better than Lewa Wildlife Conservancy in northern Kenya when it comes to people interested in the Grevy zebra, the rarest of all zebra species. Grevy zebras are also strikingly different from the more widespread plains zebra-they have wider stripes and bigger ears and are more mule-like. Their population has been dwindling, and within the last couple of decades, they have been reduced to less than 3000 in the wild.
Lewa is a privately owned conservancy that has been at the forefront of the conservation of Grevy zebra, Rhinos and other threatened species. It is a small, exclusive, and intimate Kenya safari in place of the prestigious involvement of bigger national parks. Game drives, guided walks and even horseback safari are the activities that visitors can engage in within its scenic grasslands and hills that are found within the conservancy.
Due to the intensive protection, a high density of Grevy zebra exists in Lewa, thus enjoying one of the greatest concentrations in all over the world. Lewa should be a place to visit as a photographer or wildlife enthusiast who wants to see and learn about these endangered animal species.
Hwange National Park, Zimbabwe
The best time to visit is between July and October (during the dry season
The Zimbabwean wilderness area of Hwange National Park is less well known but contains a wealth of biodiversity and is ideal to explore should one be in search of a more intimate safari setting with zebra as an optional feature. The park also harbours vast numbers of the plains zebras, and in the dry season, they are found in artificial waterholes that are sustained by park management.
The landscape at Hwange is not uniform as it consists of a variety of habitats such as Kalahari sandveld, open grasslands, as well as mopane woodlands, which make the premises home to zebras and other animals. Of particular interest to Hwange is the game density – elephants, lions, African wild dogs, and many others, and the relatively few tourists as compared to Kenyan or Tanzanian parks.
The best way to study the behaviour of zebras, their social setup up and their place in the ecosystem is through game drives with knowledgeable guides and through walking safaris, where one may be advised on what is good to know about these animals.
Conclusion
Zebras are much more than that since they play an essential role in the African ecological fabric. Be it seeing thousands of them as they migrate across the Serengeti or seeing the rare Gravy zebra in northern Kenya, each experience is special and memorable.
