The Big Five: Who They Are and Where to Find Them in Tanzania

The phrase 'Big Five' was coined by colonial-era hunters for the species considered most dangerous to track on foot. Today it's the photographer's checklist — and Tanzania is one of the few countries where you can realistically see all five in a single trip.

The Serengeti holds the densest population of lion in Africa. Look for prides on kopjes in the central Seronera and in the long grass of the Western Corridor.

Leopard are solitary and shy. The yellow-fever acacias and sausage trees of Seronera are leopard-territory; in Tarangire, the giant baobabs along the river offer the same elevated cover.

Tarangire's dry-season herds (June–October) can number 300 animals at a single waterhole. Ruaha in the south holds Tanzania's largest elephant population — and a fraction of the visitors.

Cape buffalo are the most reliable of the five. Big bachelor groups gather around the marshes of Ngorongoro and along the rivers of Katavi.

Roughly 30 critically endangered black rhino live on the floor of the Ngorongoro Crater. Early-morning game drives offer the best sighting odds. A small population also persists in the Moru Kopjes area of the southern Serengeti.