In a few special spots, nature outdoes itself. One place blessed with a stunning profusion of life is East Africa, home to the most exciting concentration of large mammals anywhere. Its safari parks are that happy rarity in travel - places that exceed expectations: you go prepared to be impressed, but end up being gobsmacked. And now Kenyan Airlines has started direct flights from Hong Kong to Nairobi, they are easier to reach than ever.
Amboseli (pictured) For the shutterbug, backdrops against which to snap wildlife do not come any grander than the graceful hulk of Kilimanjaro in Amboseli. This Kenyan park is famed for its large herds of elephants, which ornament this landscape of savannah and stately acacia trees. Amboseli's permanent swamps are home to hippos and buffalo, while its drier ground is thick with antelopes, zebras, hyenas and warthogs.
Masai Mara This is Kenya's most popular park, and you can tire of viewing Homo sapiens in minivans. But if it's critters you want, this is your target-rich spot. Masai Mara is one of the planet's greatest wildlife packages. Lions are common; leopards and jackals abundant. Over this park stride elephants, gazelles, giraffes, buffalo and a good deal more. Along with the Serengeti, Masai Mara is the scene of the renowned annual wildebeest migration. Hot-air balloon trips offer a vulture's-eye view.
Serengeti Abutting Masai Mara on the other side of the Kenyan border is the Serengeti, Tanzania's biggest and Africa's most famous park. The Serengeti consists of sweeping grass plains over which gazelles, zebras and antelopes roam. There are great herds of wildebeests, and the chances of spotting lions, leopards and cheetahs are exceptionally good. Every May, a million wildebeests, along with zebras and gazelles, start their migration from the Serengeti to Masai Mara, before heading back again in November and December (the timing varies). This vast migration is one of the world's most remarkable wildlife spectacles.
Ngorongoro Next to the Serengeti in Tanzania is Ngorongoro. At 20 kilometres wide, this is the world's biggest unbroken caldera: a volcano that literally blew its top. It now contains a rich assortment of wildlife. Human visitors make the 600-metre descent into the crater by four-wheel drive. The teeming wildlife within is well used to people so you can often get very close. Ngorongoro has abundant wildebeests, zebras and buffalo and black rhino.
Selous Less famous than the Serengeti and Ngorongoro, Selous is a good option for those who want to keep away from other rubberneckers. This huge, non-touristy Tanzanian park has pachyderms aplenty, as well as large populations of buffalo, lions, giraffes, hartebeests and sables. Crocodiles and hippos swarm in the Rufiji River. Selous is a good place for spotting the fascinating, though remorselessly persecuted, hunting dogs.