Where To See Hippos in Africa – The 12 Best Places To Go.

Seeing the Big Five—lion, leopard, buffalo, elephant, and rhino—is only one aspect of an African safari. Numerous other intriguing animals can be found at most safari locations. Among them is the hippopotamus, sometimes known as the hippo, a large, water-loving ungulate (hoofed mammal) with the Greek name “river horse.”

With their barrel-shaped bodies, cavernous jaws, intimidating fangs, and habit of spending extended daylight hours submerged in rivers or lakes, hippos—which weigh 1,500 kg/3,300 lb—are instantly identifiable. Without the unique sound of hippos snorting and grunting, no African safari would be complete. And if you’re wondering where you can see (and hear) hippos in Africa, we’ve included some of the top spots below.

1. Tanzania’s Katavi National Park

Dark Only a small portion of the tourists that frequent places like Serengeti National Park visit Katavi National Park in Tanzania’s far west. In addition, it is possibly the best spot in Africa to watch hippos, especially at the conclusion of the dry season when hundreds of hundreds of them may congregate in a single pool. Dramatic territorial disputes with violent headbutting, teeth colliding, and bleeding injuries are commonly the result of this.

The best time to watch hippos in Katavi is from August to October, when the dry season is coming to an end, when the concentrations of hippos are at their highest.

2. Botswana’s Okavango Delta

The Okavango (Kavango) River feeds the 22,000km²/8,494mi² of permanent and seasonal wetlands that make up the biggest inland delta in the world when it empties into the sandy Kalahari soils. It should come as no surprise that the Okavango is home to one of Africa’s greatest hippo populations, and as you paddle a mokoro (dugout canoe) through the rivers of the Delta, you’ll spot plenty of them.

When is the best time to see Okavango hippos? Although the Delta is open year-round and hippo sightings are not very seasonal, wildlife is at its peak from July to October.

3. Uganda’s Queen Elizabeth National Park

Gorilla trekking in the jungle of neighboring Bwindi Impenetrable National Park is a simple way to combine a safari to the varied mosaic of savannah and wetland habitats of Queen Elizabeth National Park (QENP). A boat tour on the picturesque Kazinga Channel, one of the best spots in Africa to watch hippos, elephants, buffalo, and a variety of waterbirds, is a highlight of QENP.

Hippos are present throughout the year, and boat tours are the best way to see them in QENP. Most visitors plan their trips around the busiest months for gorilla trekking, which are June through August and December through February.

4. Malawi’s Liwonde National Park

The Shire River, which flows south from Lake Malawi to its junction with the Zambezi, dominates the underappreciated Liwonde National Park, one of the Big Five safari destinations. Boat rides on this untamed African river are quite delightful. It has an extremely high density of hippos and provides excellent opportunities for bird and elephant watching.

In Liwonde, hippos can be seen at any time of year, but July through October is the best season to witness animals in general.

5. South Africa’s iSimangaliso Wetland Park

iSimangaliso Wetland Park, the third-largest park in South Africa, safeguards a breathtaking 280 km/170 mi section of coastal wildness that runs south from the Mozambican border. The only community in South Africa where hippos frequently stroll down the main road at night, despite the staring visitors in the taverns and restaurants, is the gateway village of St Lucia. On a boat tour along the nearby St Lucia Estuary, you should see lots of hippos even if you miss this strange phenomena.

The best time to visit iSimangaliso to see hippos: The St. Lucia Estuary is home to hippos all year round.

6. Zambia’s South Luangwa National Park

In addition to providing excellent views of elephants, lions, and leopards, Zambia’s most popular safari location is also one of the best spots in Africa to watch hippos along the canal that bears its name. Similar to Katavi, huge crowds of hippopotamuses congregate in the river’s few surviving ponds at the end of the dry season, making for amazing hippo viewing.

The best months to spot hippos in South Luangwa are July through October, when wildlife viewing is at its highest. The Luangwa River is at its lowest around this time, and there are probably going to be a lot of hippo.

7. Rwanda’s Akagera National Park

A stunning wetland complex near the Tanzanian border, nourished by the Akagera River, is part of Rwanda’s sole Big Five safari location. Boat excursions on Lake Ihema or from the so-called Plage des Hippos in Lake Hago almost always result in hippo sightings.

The best time to visit Akagera to watch hippos: Although hippos can be observed all year round, if you’re planning a safari and gorilla trekking trip somewhere else in Rwanda, try to visit between June and September or between mid-December and mid-February.

8. South Africa’s Kruger National Park

Hippos, which can be found in all permanent rivers and larger dams, are among the most famous safari animals that can be found in South Africa’s premier Big Five destination.

The best months to spot hippos in Kruger are June through September. However, because of its well-maintained tarmac roads, Kruger is less seasonal than most safari destinations, allowing for year-round hippos viewing.

9. Uganda’s Murchison Falls National Park

The most magnificent waterfall in East Africa may be found in Uganda’s largest park. It is created by the Nile as it flows through a small fissure in the Rift Valley escarpment. You can observe a number of hippo pods relaxing in the shallows of the longest river in the world when you take a boat excursion to the base of this spectacular waterfall.

When is best to visit Murchison Falls to observe hippos? Seasons have no bearing on hippo sightings at this year-round safari location.

10. Tanzania’s Nyerere (Selous) National Park

The longest river in Tanzania divides the country’s largest national park. This is the Rufiji, a traditional African river with a broad, sandy channel bordered by dense woodland and tall borassus palms. You’ll witness several of these aquatic giants on a single boat trip, along with elephants, giraffes, and some incredibly enormous Nile crocodiles. This evocative stretch of river is said to be home to Africa’s densest hippo population.

The best time to visit Nyerere to see hippos: The greatest time to go and search for hippos is during the dry season, which runs from June to October.

11. Zambia’s Lower Zambezi National Park

The best self-propelled canoe safaris in Africa may be found in this Zambian national park, which is located on the north bank of the Zambezi as it flows along the Zimbabwean border. Because the canoes are so low on the water, they provide an excellent view position for observing any movement, and close-up encounters with hippo are virtually certain.

Best time to watch hippos in Lower Zambezi: While canoeing is undoubtedly seasonal, hippo viewing on the Zambezi is not. July through October is the ideal time of year to go.

12. Zimbabwe’s Mana Pools National Park

Located on the other side of the same river, this Zimbabwean equivalent of Lower Zambezi is just as good for hippo viewing. While canoe tours are offered, walking safaris—which frequently result in up-close encounters with hippos and other heavyweights like lions and elephants—are Mana Pools’ primary specialization.

The greatest months to watch hippos in Mana Pools are June through October. Between December and March, it becomes difficult to reach the Zambezi floodplain due to flooding.