Every single animal we saw on our African wildlife safari

Our African safari was a feast for our wildlife seeking souls. We went with very high expectations of all the animals we might see and those expectations were absolutely exceeded. Our biggest bucket-list item was to see elephants, and we saw more than we thought possible. But we also saw so many other species of animals and birds, many of which we’d previously never heard of. We enjoyed every minute of every day we spent looking for and then staring at these marvelous animals. We kept a record of every single one we saw, which we turned into this post. We have pictures of most of them, although some did escape the lens. If you’re interested in the types of animals you see on a safari, take a gander.

Note, a version of this post was originally published on our first blog. We loved it so much and remember these animals so well that we wanted to share it here too.

A little bit about our safari

We went on our safari a few years ago, but this is the first we’re writing about it here. So we wanted to give a little context and background before launching into all the pictures of beautiful animals.

In 2014, we spent two days in Zimbabwe and ten days in Botswana. Botswana has the highest population of elephants in Africa, so (given our elephant adoration) that is where we spent most of our time. During one boat ride at Chobe National Park, we had a (very) brief stop in Namibia, where we saw some hippos sunbathing. We chose to travel overland as much as possible, so we went with the same group to each lodge. We had the same (wonderful) lead guide for the whole trip, but he was joined by local guides and trackers at some of the parks.

Animals you see on a safari: selected species from Zimbabwe, Botswana, and the Caprivi Strip, Namibia

We noted of all the animals we saw in small books our guide gave us. It was incredibly convenient and we are so glad we had them on us at all times to record every sighting. Our guide was also helpful in naming a few animals we couldn’t identify (mostly birds) after we got home.

African safari animals: mammals

As we’ve mentioned, we are elephant-obsessed, so had we been on an elephant-only safari we probably would have been happy. But we were enthralled by all the other mammals we saw too: from the cheeky monkeys to the imposing buffalo to the diverse variety of antelope.

Baboon, Chacma

Buffalo, African

Cheetah

Sylvester was an orphaned rescue cheetah who couldn’t survive on his own in the wild. He ended up being a “Cheetah Ambassador” for the Victoria Falls Wildlife Trust, educating people in the community about his species. He lived at the Elephant Park, where we stayed in Zimbabwe, and we had the pleasure of meeting him, petting him (!), and seeing him walking the grounds. He tragically died in January 2019 after being attacked by a leopard.

Elephant, African Savannah

Gemsbok

Giraffe

Grysbok, Sharpe’s

Hippopotamus

Hyena

Impala

Jackal, Side Striped

Kudu, Greater

Lechwe

Leopard

Lion

Monkey, Vervet

Steenbok

Warthog, Common

Waterbuck

Wildebeest, Blue

Zebra, Plains

African safari animals: birds

Going on safari kind’ve turned us into wannabe bird watchers. We were shocked at how many types we saw. All different and beautiful in their own way.

Bee-eater, Little

Bulbul, Dark-capped

Cormorant, Reed

Coucal, Copperytailed

Crane, Wattled

Darter, African

Fish-Eagle, African

Fishing-Owl, Pel’s

Guineafowl, Helmeted

Hornbill, Southern Ground

Hornbill, Southern Yellow-billed

Ibis, African Sacred and Stork, Yellow-billed

Kingfisher, Giant

Kingfisher, Malachite

Lapwing, Blacksmith

Openbill, African

Ostrich, Common

Oxpecker, Red-billed

Robin-Chat, White-browed

Starling, Cape

Stork, Marabou

Vulture, White-backed

African safari animals: reptiles

Luckily this list is much shorter than the previous two.

Chameleon, Flap-neck

Crocodile, Nile

Gecko

Monitor, Water

Other African safari animals

Butterfly, Purple Tip

Grasshopper

Reed-Frog, Angolan

Snake, Non-venomous

Not pictured (but still seen!)

Mammals

• Antelope, Roan
• Antelope, Sable
• Bushbuck
• Mongoose
• Porcupine, Cape
• Puku
• Springbok
• Squirrel, Tree

Birds

• Boubou, Tropical
• Bustard
• Buzzard
• Courser, Bronze-winged
• Eagle, Martial
• Eagle, Tawny
• Egret, Cattle
• Falcon, Lanner
• Francolin, Crested
• Goose, Egyptian
• Guineafowl, Crested
• Heron, Grey
• Hornbill, Red-billed
• Jacana, African
• Pelican, Great White
• Shrike, Crimson-breasted
• Snake-Eagle, Black-chested
• Sparrow-Weaver, White-browed
• Swallow
• Vulture, Lappet-faced

Reptiles

• Monitor, Rock

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