Best Places To See Giraffes In Africa

We love giraffes! It’s our mascot, our logo, and dare we say it, Art of Safaris’ collective spirit animal. No matter how many lions, elephants, or leopards you see, an African safari is wholly incomplete without seeing giraffes.

Before we get started, you should know that not all giraffes are the same. There are four distinct species of giraffe, the northern giraffe, the Masai giraffe, the reticulated giraffe, and the southern giraffe. When considering the best places to see giraffes in Africa, we wanted to be sure we acknowledged all four, so here, in no particular order, is what we think are the best places to see giraffes in Africa.

Seeing giraffes in northern Kenya

The most striking, in our opinion, of all the giraffe species, is the reticulated giraffe. Its orange-brown patches are clearly defined by a network of prominent white lines that cover its body from head to hoof, giving this giraffe species and almost ’tiled’ look. Going on safari in Samburu’s semi-desert will practically guarantee a ‘journey’ of reticulated giraffe or two.

Their distribution is limited almost exclusively to northern Kenya, with small restricted populations in southern Somalia and southern Ethiopia, which makes this one of the best places to giraffes in Africa.

Seeing giraffes in the Masai Mara – Serengeti ecosystem, Kenya & Tanzania

Seeing giraffes striding across the expansive plains of the Masai Mara – Serengeti ecosystem is one of Africa’s most memorable safari scenes. Resident to this part of Africa, the Masai giraffe is often noticeably darker than other giraffe species, and its patches are distinct vine-leaf shapes with jagged edges and space between the patches is a creamy-brown colour.

As a browsing herbivore, it’s almost unexpected to see such a plentiful population on these grassy plains, but the name ‘Masai Mara’ means ‘spotted land’ in the local language, Maa. The ‘spotted’ is a reference to the thousands of trees that dot the grassland and provide ample food for the tall browsers and makes this one of the best places to see giraffes in Africa.

Seeing giraffes in Etosha, Namibia 

The southern giraffe, Africa’s most abundant giraffe species occurs throughout the national parks and reserves of Southern Africa, but as they say, ‘location is everything’, and seeing a giraffe juxtaposed against the arid desert landscape of Etosha National Park is an unforgettable sight.

Southern giraffes have uneven and irregularly notched light brown patches that are surrounded by a pale cream colour, and their lower legs are speckled with irregular spots. In northwest Namibia, where it is especially arid, they can be almost colourless.

Water is scarce in Etosha, and the few permanent waterholes are an irresistible animal magnet. Seeing a giraffe drinking amongst a menagerie of other creatures, with its front legs splayed wide to reach the water is a sight you’ll never forget.

Seeing giraffes in the Kidepo Valley, Uganda

The northern giraffe is Africa’s least populace species, and are found in small numbers across East, central north and west Africa. The Nubian giraffe subspecies, (formerly know as Rothchild’s giraffe) are present in small numbers in Kenya, with the largest population being in Uganda. Their patches are large, rectangular and chestnut-brown and are surrounded by an off-white, creamy colour. There are no markings on their lower legs.

Kidepo Valley National Park is one of the best places to get genuinely remote on safari and in 2018, the Giraffe Conservation Foundation carried out Operation Twiga III during which they successfully relocated 14 Nubian giraffes from Murchison Falls National Park to Kidepo Valley. This operation boosted the population of Nubian giraffe in the park and added some much need genetic diversity to the existing population making it one of the best places to see Nubian giraffes in Africa.